MFConcernedCitizensCoalition@gmail.com
Why bother establishing Coalition?
Will our children and grandchildren want to remain here in
Newfoundland and Labrador? Would we want them to live here and bring up their
families? Will this be a good place for them to live after we begin repaying
the huge debt from Muskrat Falls? What can we do about it, other than to leave?
One thing we can do is to make the Muskrat Falls Inquiry a
success. The Commissioner has invited applications for standing for the
Inquiry. The Inquiry will provide a forum for evaluating why the project was
sanctioned and why it has become such a monumental fiasco and a threat to our
sovereignty and financial sustainability. We are hopeful it will shed light on
the options for the future, to mitigate the damage.
There is a real danger that Nalcor will overwhelm the Inquiry
with its virtually unlimited resources. Only an energetic, passionate and
intelligent intervention will enable the Commission to achieve a balanced
understanding of the complex history of this project and how sound public
policy principles and management best practices were repudiated. We are
inviting you to join us to create a countervailing force which will ensure a
transparent, accessible and fair hearing process and enable the Commissioner to
fulfill his challenging mandate.
The undersigned plan to submit an application for standing
and funding to the Muskrat Falls Commission of Inquiry by the Muskrat Falls
Concerned Citizens Coalition (MFCCC). The deadline is 5 pm on March 28, 2018.
If we are successful we will incorporate a company which will elect a Board of
Directors. We hope you will agree to join as a member.
Our purpose is to ensure that the Commission arrives at a
full understanding of the factors which led to the decision to undertake the
Muskrat Falls project as well as an understanding of why costs escalated so
dramatically. In addition the Commission must provide an analysis of the
options available to the province in order to reduce the cost of power to
ratepayers and to minimize the financial impact on the province.
Our reason for seeking standing is to assist the Commission
to understand the issues and to direct their attention to witnesses who might
assist them. We all, as citizens, have an interest in the findings of the
Commission and in the action taken arising from their recommendations by virtue
of the magnitude of the project and its overall impact from an economic,
financial and environmental standpoint. The planning process, the
regulatory oversight and the quality of project management are all important
factors contributing to the debacle of Muskrat Falls. Equally important, once
the project is completed, is how to mitigate the damage and evaluate the
options available to ensure that the project does not bankrupt the province. In
seeking standing we all have an interest in the outcome of the inquiry.
The undersigned bring to the Inquiry considerable expertise
relating to the project, having written many articles and briefs on the subject
and participated in many public forums, including the PUB’s reference hearing
in 2012. Our participation in the public policy debate over the past eight
years enables us to offer important insights which will further the conduct of
the inquiry. Our efforts will also provide a countervailing view to the
evidence which is likely to be presented by Nalcor Energy and will therefore
“contribute to the openness and fairness of the inquiry.”
In order to operate within a modest budget we will not hire
outside expert witnesses but will instead rely on the expertise of our own
volunteer members who will attend hearings and report back to the group through
a rotating roster. We plan to apply to engage legal counsel to represent us at
the hearing.
We are inviting you to join our group and to support our
submission by allowing us to include your name in our submission. We are also
inviting you to become a member of the organization we intend to incorporate,
if our application is successful, under the name of the Muskrat Falls Concerned
Citizens Coalition. Your role as a member will be to support our work in every
way possible, including review of documents and monitoring hearings as well as
electing directors.
Please tell us if you know of other like-minded people who
we might approach. We need a critical mass of members if we are to achieve our
ambitious purpose.
The success of our efforts will depend upon the strength of
our team. We have no illusion that the undersigned can achieve our purpose on
our own, without your help. We will need your energy, your passion and your
intellect to make this successful.
Please reply as soon as possiblewithin the next 48 hours and, if you agree,
please supply your full name, address and contact information so that we can
include it in our application for standing.
Ron Penney
Des Sullivan
David Vardy
