Environment gets some respect

Written by Lethbridge Herald

Tuesday, August 11 2009, 9:32 PM

It would appear the environment in northeastern Alberta is becoming less of a second-class citizen. After years of taking a back seat to oilsands development, the ecosystem in that part of the province is finally getting some respect thanks to the Alberta government’s announcement last week of plans to more than triple the amount of protected land in the region. The province has directed the Lower Athabasca Regional Advisory Council to devise a plan to protect at least 20 per cent of the region east of Edmonton from the Bonnyville area north to the Northwest Territories. At present, only about six per cent of the Lower Athabasca region’s old-growth boreal forest and muskeg are protected. The move to safeguard some of the province’s sensitive environment is a refreshing change from an Alberta government with a reputation as one willing to sacrifice wilderness for the sake of revenue. And the area certainly produces plenty of cold, hard cash. The Lower Athabasca contains the vast majority of Alberta’s proven oilsands reserves and oilsands developments while also generating big bucks from the forestry industry. Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton said the province is committed to developing plans “that strike a better balance among economic, environmental and social objectives.” It could be a tricky balance to strike. While the government says about half of the conservation target can be achieved without any overlap with mineral leases, a document stemming from the province’s recently adopted land-use planning process indicates, “Some conflicts may occur with current development activities.” The government has the right to cancel mineral leases, with compensation given to affected companies. Time will tell if the province is sufficiently committed to its environmental protection aims to do just that. An encouraging sign is the fact oil companies were part of a group which recommended last year that the province increase the amount of protected land in the northern oilsands region to at least 20 per cent and perhaps as high as 40 per cent. The group, the Cumulative Environment Management Association, was established by the provincial government in 2000 to find a balance between industrial growth and protection of the ecosystem in northeastern Alberta. The group also included environmental groups and First Nations representatives. While 20 per cent is well below the 40 per cent upper level recommended, it still meets the group’s minimum suggestion. The energy companies which sat on the CEMA panel included oilsands giants such as Imperial Oil, Suncor Energy and Syncrude Canada. They all gave their conditional support to the CEMA report, which called for compensation for firms which are forced to give up leases in areas declared off-limits to development. Without such protection, the CEMA report said, there will be continued decline of old-growth forests as well as such wildlife species as woodland caribou, black bear and moose. Those may not carry a tangible dollar value as does oil and lumber, but there’s no denying their value.