Posts Tagged ‘OSEA’

Resisting Ontario Power Bill Rip-Off

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

One Ontario taxpayer/ratepayer has had enough of the Ontario power bill rip-off and is taking action. In an unprecedented submission to the Ontario Energy Board filed today, retiree Parker Gallant is demanding that the Ontario Energy Board reverse a recent ruling that allowed the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) to bleed ratepayers for costs incurred advocating for more subsidized transmission service for wind and solar farms. The Ontario Energy Board award in favour of OSEA appeared to accept OSEA’s claim that “We represent the consumer interests“. Gallant counters that OSEA as a front organization for Governments at two levels”, pointing out that OSEA is sucking up taxpayer cash from two Ontario government ministries, two taxpayer-funded Ontario government agencies, and one taxpayer-funded City of Toronto agency. Gallant concludes “OSEA obtained a favourable ruling from the Board in its May 21, 2010 Decision on Cost Eligibility under false and misleading information from OSEA. It is therefore necessary for the Board to reverse the elements of its Decision on Cost Eligibility that allowed OSEA to absorb an even greater quantum of public funds than it has already.

The same decision of the Ontario Energy Board that allowed OSEA to sextuple dip taxpayers and ratepayers also dinged ratepayers for the costs of promoting the interests of the Association of Power Producers of Ontario (APPRO), the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), and the Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) in the Board’s transmission planning review.

Ontario Sustainable Energy Alliance claims to “represent consumer interests”

Friday, June 4th, 2010

In a submission dated May 31, 2010 to the OEB providing opinions in support of transmission system expansion, the Ontario Sustainable Energy Alliance (OSEA) claims to “represent the consumer interests that demanded the GEA in the first place”. If you are a consumer who did not demand the Green Energy Act, you might want to inform the OEB that OSEA doesn’t speak for you. The comments of OSEA and those of other interested parties as well as a report from OEB Staff on some of the technical considerations and precedents related to transmission project development planning are available here.