| Environmentalists and the Alberta NDP are demanding that the provincial government release its plans to streamline the approval process for oil and gas, forestry, mining and other resource development projects before the election.
Premier Ralph Klein has told the media some restructuring will likely occur after the election, including in the environment department, but he won’t release details to the public until after the election.
An internal government report from December 2002, commissioned by the energy department, which Fast Forward has obtained a copy of, suggests that the government should implement a system where a single department is responsible for regulatory approval of resource development projects. Under the current system, a variety of agencies, including Alberta Environment, are involved in the approval process. The report recommends giving Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) the sole power to approve forestry projects and the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) sole responsibility to approve oil and gas projects, oil sands projects, coal mines and power plants. Alberta Environment would only be the regulatory body for water, waste management and petrochemical and chemical plants.
The report was leaked to Rocky Mountain environmental activist Martha Kostuch, who has released it to the media.
Kostuch says it would be inappropriate for SRD to solely give regulatory approval to forestry because their mandate is to promote resource development, not environmental protection. She says her fear is the environment department would "continue to exist, but it would be a shell."
NDP MLA Raj Pannu says the government should be openly discussing any proposed changes in regulatory approval of projects with Albertans prior to the election.
"It’s a matter of great significance that should be up for debate during the election," says Pannu. "The government is refusing to reveal its hands and wants a blank cheque from Albertans."
At press time, Alberta Environment had not responded to a request for comment. |
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