Letter to the Editor -
Dear Editor:
Ain't it funny how an option to build something suddenly becomes technologically impossible when a cheaper option is available?
And, ain't it funny that we can send people to the moon, send robots to Mars, create weapons that can destroy whole cities in seconds, travel to the deepest depths of the ocean, move entire mountains to get to the candy-filled centre, change the flow of rivers and waterfalls, but the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador claims it is too difficult and near impossible to string some wire across a few hills.
The government's proposal to string high voltage power lines and mammoth towers down through Labrador, across the Strait of Belle Isle, down the highway through the Great Northern Peninsula, and cut through Gros Morne National Park on its way to the Avalon Peninsula is complete evil.
Nalcor Energy, the province's energy company, says an alternative route which would see the power route cross the Long Range Mountains and bypass the park is not feasible. Baloney!
Economic development at any and all costs is no form of development at all. I understand very well the importance of development and understand in many cases sacrifices have to be made, oftentimes at a cost to the environment, but the governments preferred, cheaper, option should never be considered.
Gros Morne National Park is widely considered around the world to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet and should be preserved as is at all costs to protect its visual and environmental integrity for all generations around the world to enjoy...forever.
But hey, if for the sake of saving a few bucks, I'm sure having huge metal towers, hundreds of kilometres of dangling power cables, and wide swaths of land devoid of almost all vegetation along the roadside, will add to the visual appeal of the UNESCO World Heritage Site which brings millions of dollars into the local and provincial economy.
Greg Knott
Norris Point
