Environmental

BC Hydro has two environmental long-term goals:

• The Environmental Impact goal is to have no net incremental environmental impact.
• The Electricity Intensity Reduction goal is to develop and foster a conservation culture in B.C. that leads to customers choosing to make a dramatic and permanent reduction in electricity intensity.

Protecting the environment today will ensure a sustainable future. BC Hydro will seek to better understand the environmental footprint of our operations and run our business in ways that produce no net incremental environmental impacts. Where impacts are unavoidable, we are committed to developing positive projects (such as investments in fish stocks) or purchasing offsets to mitigate these impacts.

In partnerships with stakeholders and First Nations groups, we will foster a culture of conservation and energy efficiency and will encourage British Columbians to make wise energy choices. Lower provincial energy use will result in fewer power plants being built and a smaller environmental footprint. Examples of some of our environmental and energy conservation commitments and actions are listed below.

Environmental Responsibility Policy

BC Hydro’s Environmental Responsibility Policy reflects our commitment to maintain today’s environmental footprint, even as the demand for electricity continues to grow. The environmental policy is under review, to ensure it reflects BC Hydro’s long-term goals, and changes may be made to ensure alignment.

Policy: Consistent with our purpose of providing reliable power, at low cost, for generations, BC Hydro’s environmental priority is to avoid causing additional impacts. However, we know that operating our energy system has impacts on the environment and other users of publicly shared resources. Therefore, where impacts are created, we will work to reduce them, enhance affected habitat, and sustain resources over the long term.

Specifically, BC Hydro will:

• Meet or exceed environmental requirements defined by legislation, regulation, government directives and guidelines, and our commitments and agreements;
• Better understand the effects of our business as a means to continuously improve our environmental performance;
• Work cooperatively with stakeholders and First Nations on resource use, management, and conservation to increase public benefits from affected resources, and
• Publicly report on our environmental performance.