Fromt he Vancouver Sun – March 15, 2011

by Vaughn Palmer

Newly appointed B.C. Energy Minister  Rich Coleman indicated Tuesday
that Premier Christy Clark has asked him revisit a number of
controversies regarding B.C. Hydro.

The list includes Hydro’s proposal to hike energy rates by 50 per
cent over the next five years, smart meters, and the exclusion of major
B.C. Hydro projects from scrutiny by the independent B.C. Utilities
Commission.

Coleman also said that he believes there needs to be a significant
improvement in communications between the giant utility, its board of
directors, executive suite “and the shareholder” — meaning the public,
via the provincial government.

He added that it is too soon to say what will be done about those and other matters.

Othat everything is on the table. Not having dealt with Hydro or energy matters before, he’s going in with a lot of questions.

Coleman made his comments during a media scrum on his way in to the
first meeting of the B.C. Liberal caucus since the swearing in of the
new premier and cabinet Tuesday.

His answers,  preliminary, as they were provided a possible clue as
to why Clark chose him and not returning B.C. Liberal MLA Blair Lekstrom
for the energy portfolio.

Lekstrom was serving as energy minister last spring when he resigned
from the cabinet and caucus in protest over the handling of the
harmonized sales tax.

He returned to caucus following the convention that chose Clark as
the new premier. He  was thought to be angling to be reappointed to the
energy portfolio.

But Lekstrom was closely associated with the energy policies of
departing Premier Gordon Campbell, many of them embodied in the Clean
Energy Act passed by the legislature amid great controversy last year.

By appointing a new minister, Clark was able to give him a freer hand
to revisit the policies– green energy, energy self-sufficiency —
 that have driven many of the rate increases, as well as the Campbell
decision to weaken the independent scrutiny of Hydro.

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