. A federal court judge has ordered environmental assessment and review hearings into Alcan Alumi- num’s massive Kemano II hydro- electric project. Justice Walsh issued his decision May 16, striking down a 1987 agreement between Alcan and the federal government and a special Order In Council of the federal cabinet that allowed the project to go ahead without being subject to the Environmental Assessment and Review Process (EARP). The decision is the outcome of a court action launched in September 1990 as the name and address a? REM. Lee Hospital \ Foundation, | RGSS 4720 Haugland Ave Ke Terrace, B.C. V8G 2W7 A thoughtful way to remember is with an In Memoriam gift to the R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation. Donations are gratefully accepted at the above address. Please include the name of the deceased, your name and address, as well acknowledgement card. Income tax receipts are available. of the next-of-kin for an NOTICE a CITY OF TERRACE fia SUMMER HOURS City of Terrace operations will be on Summer Hours as follows: JUNE 3, 1991 TO AUGUST 30, 1991 City Hall OFFICE Public Works OFFICE 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 7:30 am, : 4:00 p.m. WORK CREWS 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Parks & Recreation OFFICE 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. PARKS CREWS 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. FACILITIES AS POSTED E.R. Hallsor, Clerk-Administrator by the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Coun- cil and the Rivers Defense Coali- flon, an affillation of seven groups concerned about the effect Kemano II will have on the Nechako and upper Fraser rivers. Alcan issued a press release the day after the decision, saying it will appeal the decision. Pat Moss, a Rivers Defense Coalition coordinator, called the _ judgment “a good, strong deci- sion". She doesn’t expect the appeal to delay the start of the EARP. Moss said the court action, one of several the coalition has been involved with in the past decade, cost about $50,000. Previous decisions on the EARP status: of the Old Man River and Rafferty-Alameda dam projects cleared the way for the Alcan ruling, Moss said, by giving the EARP guidelines the force of law. Skeena MP Jim Fulton said in an interview from Ottawa Friday that he has asked the federal Minister s of Environment if he will proceed immediately in starting the EARP. "He said he wants to read the decision first. I expect he’ll start looking for panellists from B.C. It should begin reasonably quickly," Fulton said. In reading the decision Fulton # concluded, "The judge made it clear that the courts are sick and tired of this government. The J courts are actually far more knowl- edgeable about environmental issues than the government because they are forced to hear the information in cases like this. In any major project there are at least Terrace Review — Wednesday, May 22, 1991 A3 ‘emano assessment ordered Alcan will continue project work while environmental review proceeds two or more views on the impact. The developer usually says there will be no impact, and the oppo- nents say it’s going to be the end of the world. The truth is some- where in between." Fulton called the decision "a real fandmark... it goes much further than the Old Man or Rafferty- Alameda decisions." For the first time in a case of this kind, he explained, the court struck down an Order in Councii. The hearings are necessary, he said. “It will be a real scientific donnybrook, but it will be a healthy thing. No one should be afraid of this, least of all Alcan." Alcan’s vice-president for B.C., Bill Rich, stated in a press release May 16, "This project dates back to the 1950’s. It was approved then by both the federal and prov- incial governments. In developing a plan to complete the project, we again followed the process as outlined by government and were given approval to start work. We should be able to rely on these approvals." Kemano II began three years ago and the project is now nearly half finished. Alcan has spent $675 million on it to date in order to add 540 megawatts of electrical generating capacity to its power plant south of Kitimat on the Douglas Channel. The project design calls for a tunnel to be bored through Mount Dubose, carrying water from the Tahtsa Lake reservoir down to the power house. The additional water demand will ultimately require further water containment works at the Kenney Dam and a decrease in released water flows into the Nech- ako River. The project could decrease the flow into the river by as much as 50 percent. Alcan has devised a series of measures that the com- pany says will minimize the impact on the Nechako and upper Fraser rivers. The primary effects of the project would occur cast of the reservoir, in the Burns Lake-Van- derhoof area. The Rivers Defense Coalition has expressed concems about negative impact on salmon habitat and the availability of water for domestic and agricultural use in the Nechako valley. Rich notes that Alcan gave up about half the water it was entitled to under the original agreement, — one of several changes to the pro- ject design "made to meet contem- porary environmental expecta- tions". Work will continue on Kemano II while the EARP hear- ings are being organized and held, a circumstance specifically noted by Justice Walsh in his decision. — There are currently 700 people working on the project, many of them tradespeople and contractors from Terrace and other commun- ities in the Northwest. 22 pt. vehicle Head Light Running Hood inspection Incl; Covers Box Liners Boards protectors Front Bras 15% OFF sol change MP, Benes B-setles, MPV B-series All models all parts (other parts extra) Loyala, Legacy $375.00 $299.00 $55.95 $45.95 Installed installed $59.95 $$125.00 *'82 Chev Cavalier *'B4 Merc lynx 3-dr «'B6 Hyundai Stellar *'86 Dodge Aries 4-dr “87 Chev Cavalier eV station wagon $3495 htchb $2995 4-dr, low miles $6495 sedan, air $4995 4-dr sedan $2995 \ \ «82 Chevette 5-dr 86 Hyundai Excel 5-dr *'86 Chevette 2-dr htchb, *'87 Hyundai Stellar “87 Mazda RX-7 epe> e hitchb, $1995 htchb $4995 low miles $4495 4-dr sedan $6995 QXL 5-sp $15,795 «84 Cheveite 4-di auto “86 Chev Cavalier *'86 Chev Celebrity ) $2595 2-dr, 5-sp $4995 sin wagon $6995 NEW 1991 ‘Hyundai Scoupe A *5-speed ‘am/fm cassette «:power Oi steering ‘rear deck spoiler $11,495 NEW 1997 Subaru Legacy Station Wagon -5-speed «power steering, brakes windows, doors «alr -crulse $18,495 Thornhill MOTORS NEW 1991. Mazda MX6SE $14,995 Mazda B2600 $13,995 5-ep, power sieering, rear spoiler, alum. wheels, AM/FM cassette AM/FM cassette long box 4x 4, § ap. power steering, ey