Letters and Commentary from 2014
December 4 - All not well with the biodiesel industry
The biofuel industry in Canada has been developing for well over a decade here in Southern Alberta. Many initiatives have been undertaken with varying degrees of government assistance. There has been a lot of fanfare in this agricultural region as many see this as an opportunity to increase production and profits. Much is also made of the potential to reduce the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from fossil fuels which have been buried underground for millennia?? - or should that be billennia? One of the initiatives was named Kyoto Fuels in honor of the now lapsed Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When it came to my attention that Kyoto fuels was in bankruptcy I anticipated there would soon be some news with more background information and a rationale for the failure. After six months without a peep in the local media, I submitted a letter to the Lethbridge Herald which was published under the above title. (DRP 14/12/06)
June 26 - Chief gets the best of both worlds
Bishop Desmond Tutu paid a visit to the oilsands in late May and called them "filth". His environmental denouncements, needless to say, received much publicity. His visit was in connection with a two day conference on aboriginal treaties. I came to the conclusion that Chief Allan Adams was using Bishop Tutu and other celebrities as "useful idiots" to bring attention to issues aboriginals are having with oil sands development. My letter to the Lethbridge Herald said as much, but a little more politely. (DRP 14/08/14)
May 21 - Good reason for rejecting coalition statement
The Pembina Institute, along with another environmental group, has leased some land in the oilsands area of northern Alberta. This is, ostensibly, a recreational lease. It seems the lease is just used as an excuse to participate in environmental assessments of oil sands projects in the area. In 2013 a judge ruled in favor of participation by the environmental organizations, contrary to a decision by Alberta government staff to exclude them. More details are available elsewhere on this site. A May 7 article in the Lethbridge Herald titled "No invite for environmentalists" indicated that such groups have again been barred from oilsands hearings. That is something to applaud and I did so in a letter to the Herald. It was published under the above title on May 21. (DRP 14/08/14)
January 11 - Supporters silence aids pipeline opponents
The Herald published an editorial by Kenneth Green of the Fraser Institute on January 5. He decried the activities of environmental groups which seek to undermine the environmental assessment process whereby risks and benefits of pipeline and other major projects are evaluated. My letter to the editor in response published under the above title on January 11 provided more details on the role of an organization known as "ForestEthics". Their 2012 US income tax return revealed their pride in creating the "largest act of civil disobedience in the history of the pipeline fight." Nice to know who is interested in keeping the price of Canadian oil below international oil prices. (DRP 14/08/13)