VANCOUVER – Frogs are the latest obstruction to be thrown into the fight against a controversial hydroelectric megaproject in northeastern British Columbia.
An environmental activist with a history of defending amphibians is accusing the B.C. government of knowingly overstepping its authority when it gave permission in May for BC Hydro to move frogs and salamanders from a riverside area upstream of Site C.
Josette Wier and the Sierra Club B.C. have filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court asking for a review into whether the Ministry of Forests followed the law when it exempted BC Hydro from prosecution for relocating the amphibians.
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The petition says a permit is required for such an exemption but that a ministry official deliberately issued an illegal authorization to avoid possible delays to the dam’s construction schedule.
None of the allegations have been proven in court and it’s unclear whether any amphibians were moved.
Site C is estimated to cost more than $8 billion and will generate 5,100 gigawatts of energy annually — enough to power 450,000 homes.