The Oil Drum

The 'shopping list' looks great, but most of it has either already been achieved or implemented under other programs.

For instance...

The Hydrogen Highway developments are nothing new.

Closure of beehive burners will be painless since the actual mills are being shut down with them.

The MPB infestation is a huge problem that must be addressed irrespective of any climate change action due to the nature of the fire hazard that 13 million hectares of dead wood presents and there's a number of initiatives planned under the Ministry of Forests for that.

BC hydro already has a CFL and fridge rebate program in place and smart metering is coming regardless but not for the environmental reasons one would think they were =]

Meanwhile, +80% of the province's electricity already comes from renewable resources giving it one of the lowest GHG/GW emissions profiles on the continent - so again, nothing new here.

The Innovative Clean Energy Fund, however, is new and that may likely fall under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Bioenergy Strategy Branch and although there's no mention of it in the speech, a renewable fuel componnent (similar to the one adopted by Ottawa) may be forthcoming =]

All in all... BC remains one of the most forward thinking regions in regards to environmental issues and although some projects like the Hydrogen Highway are nothing more than a political sideshow, I certainly applaud the province for sticking it's neck out on other green initiatives that at first glance may be the more expensive or problematic solution - the trolley bus system in Vancouver being a good example.

That said, what else would one expect from the founding home of Greenpeace.