Hydroelectric Project

I have read with great interest your article “Cuomo Scores One for the Cree Nation” (by George Black, Column Left, April 6) on the cancellation of a contract between Hydro-Quebec and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and its impact on the development of the Grande Baleine hydroelectric project in James Bay.

Several statements call for rectification.

It should first be noted that the Grande Baleine project was designed to meet the energy needs of the Quebec market. The sale of energy to the NYPA is a complementary aspect of the project. Moreover, Quebec already operates hydroelectric facilities in James Bay. This development was the subject of an agreement signed by the government of Quebec headed by Premier Robert Bourassa and the Cree and Inuit communities in 1975.

The Grande Baleine project is subject to a rigorous environmental impact assessment procedure under which all interested groups and individuals are entitled to be heard and to present their points of view.

The environment is an integral part of the government of Quebec and Hydro-Quebec policies. An extensive environmental monitoring network has been in operation at James Bay since 1978, providing important and precise scientific data on the impact of hydroelectric development on northern Quebec. The James Bay Mercury Committee, a group comprising several representatives of the aboriginal peoples, including the Cree Board of Health and Social Services, states in its 1991 annual report: “An examination of the results of the past few years confirms that the majority of Crees have a level of mercury exposure that not only is not problematic for their health, but also permits a promoting of the nutritional value of fish in their diet.”

I would like to make it clear that the Grande Baleine project is of capital importance for Quebec’s economic development. It will enable the government and Hydro-Quebec to meet the needs of the Quebec market by producing non-polluting energy. To view the project, as you have, as a vehicle for Premier Bourassa’s personal ambitions is to echo the thinking of those whose opposition continues to be colored by demagoguery.

MARCEL GILBERT

Quebec Delegate, Los Angeles