Federal Oversight Required

I cannot support this draft agreement. To put it bluntly, the UCP Government of Alberta cannot be trusted to conduct credible environmental and impact assessments without federal oversight.

Since it came to power, the UCP government has favoured resource development, private enterprise and short-term profit over long-term environmental concerns. The Alberta Energy Regulator supports the ideology of the provincial government and the interests of business and industry. This is particularly evident in the case of Grassy Mountain. The Provincial-Federal Joint Review Panel rejected the original Grassy Mountain project as "not in the public interest" largely because of risks to water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Those risks are still present, but Northback is attempting to reopen the Grassy Mountain coal mine with the support of the AER. This is egregious behaviour given the opposition of the majority of Albertans to coal mining on the Eastern Slopes and to Grassy Mountain in particular.

The UCP government's All-Seasons Resort Act is another example of the little value this government places on environmental integrity and environmental assessment. The Act "fast tracks" approvals for resort projects on public lands. Recently three All-Seasons Resorts were announced: Castle Mountain, Fortress Mountain and Nakiska. All three are located within provincial parks. The approval process is completely backwards. Areas are first designated, then plans are developed and finally some form of "consultation" takes place.

To reiterate: I am deeply concerned about the negative consequences of allowing the Government of Alberta to be solely responsible for environmental and impact assessments in Alberta.