This letter is in response to J. P. Pinard’s P. Eng PhD letter to the editor last week. I do not have any titles behind my name or belong to any political party either territorial or federal, but I do know this: the Electronic Transfer System that he describes will only work for a few Yukoners.
I am all for renewable sources of energy as long as it is easy to install and cheap for all Yukoners to attain. The ETS system Pinard is referring to is neither. I have looked this up, and it seems simple enough in its concept alright, but when you try to apply it in a cold, often sunless environment with permafrost, I can foresee some problems that might arise.
The system requires a storage unit. This is usually underground and filled with water to store the heat. Sometimes the unit is filled with a molten salt solution that rivals the chemicals used in the fracking process.
The heat comes from electricity; where is this going to come from? Solar power in most parts of Yukon is just not feasible, we do not get enough sun in the winter and the cost is prohibitive. If we put these storage units underground what is going to happen to the permafrost? What about if you live in an area where the water table is high? What is the cost of putting this type of system in? Do we expect the government to cover the costs or is each individual, business, condominium owner, etc., going to be responsible for installing these themselves?
There was another anti-fracking protest on Halloween. I noticed that they all seemed to be dressed warm and did not look like they were hurting for a paycheque. I would like these people to come up with a viable option on how to get the economy of Yukon going. I have not heard one word on how any one of them seem to see this happening.
Please do not spout off, “tourism.” The only ones who make any decent money are the shop owners, hotel owners and the restaurants. I worked in the industry for years and my wage was just above the minimum wage. I could not support my family on this.
I still believe that we have resources that could be utilized for the good of all Yukoners. This includes oil, gas, and forestry, which can be done responsibly. This will give a good quality of life to many of us, not just the ones who work for the governments. If you would like to get on my bandwagon, you can contact me at bowerslee@hotmail.ca.
We need to get our own protests going to offset the anti-industry ones from having all the say.
Lee Bowers
Whitehorse