Alberta tries to change environmental bill

Last month, the Alberta government and the petroleum industry sent a delegation to Ottawa to lobby senators (the chamber of sober second thought) to “overhaul” Bill C-69, or at least amend it so it is friendlier to the petroleum industry. They thought that Bill C-69 as it stands is too focused on environmental concerns. This action was preceded by a letter-writing campaign to the senators.

Bill C-69 is the federal Liberals’ attempt to balance environmental and business needs on designated projects — i.e. pipelines.

Its goal is to “provide for a process for assessing the environmental, health, social and economic effects of designated projects with a view to preventing certain adverse effects and fostering sustainability.”

It has gone through first and second readings and is with the Senate.

Interestingly, the environmentalists believe that Bill C-69 does not go far enough to protect the environment. They say you know that you have a good compromise when both sides are unhappy.

On Oct. 9, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that irreversible changes to our environment would occur if the world does not take immediate action to reduce greenhouse gases. A couple of days later, Albertans held a rally supporting the delegation in Ottawa.

This week, Alberta leaders quibbled over who was pushing the pipeline completion hardest.

It is concerning that such an important bill might be determined by who lobbies the loudest — not by what determines the livability of our country.

B.L. Brant

Langford