A federal review into the proposed Site C dam has been released.
The report says the benefits of the project outweigh potential risks, but raises concerns about the ambitious timelines.
50 recommendations are made in the report.
The panel concludes Site C would have a significant adverse effect on First Nations hunting, trapping and traditional uses of land.
Benefits of the project include a source of secure, clean energy and positive economic impact. The panel said there would be adverse impacts on fish, birds and the general ecosystem.
The panel concluded that the project would wrack up significant costs in the beginning, but there would be a positive payoff down the road.
If the government gives the project the green light, the panel recommends that the project be referred to the Utilities Commission to look at costs and revenue requirements.
The proposal, by BC Hydro, calls for the construction of a large dam on the Peace River in northeastern B.C.
The dam has been in the works since the 1980s. It has been turned down twice before, once in 1982 and again in 1989.
Construction costs are estimated at $7.9 billion and completion is proposed for 2020.
The proposed dam is extremely controversial, as it calls for the flooding of 5,340 hectares of land and over 100 km of river valley. 3,000 hectares of this area is wildlife habitats, heritage sites and class 1 and 2 agricultural land.
First Nations have opposed the dam, and threatened legal action.
View the report summary here:
Comments