New group looks to ease sands tensions
The Alberta government has formed a multi-stakeholder committee to coordinate the overall consultation process and gather public input related to oil sands projects.
Chaired by Mel Knight, a member of the provincial legislature, the Oil Sands Consultation Group will be a forum to deal with mounting concerns over the economic, environmental and social impact of the massive oil sands expansion.
It will cover the three primary oil sands, regions — Athabasca, Cold Lake and Pace River. The group wants to ensure that development takes place in harmony with other activities in those regions and looks for ways to improve existing policies and procedures.
Chris Severson-Baker, a director with the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development, the most frequent critic of oil sands policies in Alberta, said the group is a vast improvement over earlier consultation processes that focused exclusively on mining ventures and ignored the fast-emerging in-situ projects to tackle production from deep bitumen deposits.
He said his institute and other environmental organizations want to ensure there is a chance to discuss the overall purpose of developing oil sands, to maximize the benefits for all Albertans, to ensure energy security and to promote a transition to a more sustainable energy future.
—Gary Park
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