Posted on 09/10/2002 5:51:18 AM PDT by Lorenb420
Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty yesterday vowed to ban coal-burning electricity generators within five years and double provincial transit funding.
"It's time to clean this crap up," said McGuinty, holding up a lump of coal during a Queen's Park press conference.
He vowed to shut all coal-fired power plants by 2007 and steer 2 cents of the province's existing gasoline tax toward transit funding, amounting to $312 million a year.
The additional transit funding would mean 25% more transit riders, he said.
"What this is all about is 1,900 people dying prematurely, thousands and thousands of hospital visits," said McGuinty.
"I defy you to go into any classroom in the province of Ontario and not find a child with (an asthma) puffer at the elementary level."
McGuinty's proposals came on the day of another smog alert.
Environment Minister Chris Stockwell called McGuinty's 2007 pledge "patently absurd" because there's no guarantee there will be enough natural gas flowing into Ontario by then to replace the coal plants.
Jack Gibbons of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance said there are billions of dollars' worth of natural gas and renewable power projects waiting to replace Ontario's coal plants as soon as they can be assured the demand will be there.
"The private sector will come forward and build new natural gas-fired power plants," said Gibbons.
I hope he understands that the private sector is going to make him pay for it. And since they have less competition, the cost will be higher. I wonder if the socialists will then complain they are being overcharged by the greedy private sector?
Ah, yes--the "build it and they will come" school of governmental largess distribution. Unfortunately, it NEVER works.
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