Document Type

Article

Disciplines

International Law

Abstract

The need for electricity in the United States has grown dramatically in the last decade. Americans constitute only five percent of the world's population,' yet consume twenty-five percent of the world's energy.' That need is expected to grow in the next decade.' Despite their increased use of electricity, Americans have become more selective about its source. Some methods of generating power have faced public opposition over their potential safety or environmental impacts.

New York and several New England states currently resolve the tension between the need for electricity and public concern about the environment by purchasing hydropower from Canada. Hydropower is relatively inexpensive and such a foreign source insures no adverse environmental impacts in the United States. One Canadian utility, Hydro-Qu6bec, has contracted to provide over 2,500 megawatts (MW) of power to Vermont, the New York Power Authority and the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL).8 Hydro-Qu6bec also applied to the National Energy Board of Canada in 1989 for approval to sell more power to New York and Vermont. 6 While New York originally approved the contract, they have since cancelled,7 and at least one town in Vermont has voted against buying power from Hydro-Qu6bec. 8 Hydro-Qu6bec estimates that these additional contracts would have generated over $24 billion in revenue over the life of these contracts for Canada.

The negative responses by New York and Vermont can in part be traced to the social pressure applied by certain Canadian and American groups. These groups, particularly the Cree Indian tribe of the Quebec province, have vigorously opposed Hydro-Qu~bec's plans to expand its contracts with the United States and its development in Canada.10 They argue that any new export contracts would entail major environmental impacts in Canada." They fear that Hydro-Qu6bec would need to build new dams to meet the increased demand.

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