CBC reports that Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Kathy Dunderdale says Stephen Harper has “confirmed an endorsement” of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam project (the north dam would be 32 metres high, the south dam 29 metres high). The article adds, “The Harper Conservatives made that pledge (of a federal loan) — a guarantee, or equivalent financial aid — during the 2011 federal election.” In a previous news report, CBC noted that Quebec-based mining company Alderon Iron Ore Corp. says it can’t have its proposed iron ore mine near Wabush, Labrador and Fermont, Quebec without power from Muskrat Falls. Sierra Club Canada says, “The Lower Churchill Project would see the construction of two large hydroelectric dams on the Grand River (also known as the Churchill River) in Labrador, including a dam at Muskrat Falls. It would lead to significant and long-lasting damage to Grand River and its watershed, and to the wildlife it supports such as the threatened Red Wine caribou herd.” For a Sierra Club – Atlantic Chapter critique of the ‘Lower Churchill Hydro Project’, please see http://atlantic.sierraclub.ca/en/lower-churchill-hydro-project.
