BC Hydro supports Howe Sound Pulp and Paper's
energy efficiency and clean power generation plans
Howe Sound Pulp and Paper and BC Hydro have reached an agreement under BC Hydro's Integrated Power Offer that will not only reduce the mill's electricity consumption, but also enable the mill to sell surplus clean electricity to BC Hydro, the companies recently announced. The energy-efficiency upgrades will enable the mill to save approximately 65 gigawatt hours of electricity every year. See the press release as posted by BC Hydro.

New Code of Practice for Industrial Non-Hazardous
Waste Landfills Incidental to the Wood Processing
Industry enacted
The Code of Practice for Industrial Non-Hazardous Waste Landfills Incidental to the Wood Processing Industry (B.C. Reg. 263/2010) (Code) has been enacted under the Environmental Management Act (EMA). The Code establishes province-wide standards for the discharge of wood waste to industrial non-hazardous waste landfill sites. All new wood waste landfills, as well as existing wood waste landfills currently authorized by permit that require significant expansion, are required to comply with all relevant provisions of EMA, the Waste Discharge Regulation (WDR) and this Code of Practice. Specifically, EMA prohibits the introduction of waste into the environment "in such a manner or quantity as to cause pollution". This Code is accessible via your EnviroFor Online service. Also see the Ministry of Environment website.

Report part of attempt to bring BC's water laws into the 21st century
The Water Act Modernization Report on Engagement summarizes months of public input into water planning and decision-making as BC responds to the impacts of climate change, population growth and increasing demands on the province's fresh water supply. First Nations organizations, stakeholder groups and individual British Columbians responded with nearly 1,000 submissions to the ministry's call for public input, and about 600 people attended workshops across the province earlier this year. Their input will inform how the B.C. government takes action on the four key goals of modernizing BC's Water Act:

• Protecting stream health and aquatic environments
• Improving water governance
• Increasing flexibility and efficiency in the water allocation system
• Regulating ground water use in priority areas and for large withdrawals

Report calls for BC endangered-species law
BC has a "a patchwork of laws and policies" that is ineffective in protecting more than 1,900 species at risk, a coalition of prominent environmental groups says in a report released recently. "About 40 per cent of species in BC are at risk," Michelle Connolly, a biologist with the David Suzuki Foundation, told The Province. "This is troubling because we still don't have an endangered species law," said Connolly, a co-author of the report, titled On the Edge: British Columbia's Unprotected Transboundary Species. The David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice and Washington-based Conservation Northwest collaborated on the report. See the News Story as posted by the Province.