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Audubon magazine urges U.S. legislators to discourage oilsands development
News Articles | The Winnipeg Free Press | Jim Macdonald | March 08, 2010
Read the full article on the originating site
EDMONTON - A magazine produced in the United States by the highly-respected conservation group, the National Audubon Society, is calling on American politicians to adopt policies that shun fuels taken from Alberta's oilsands.
An article in Audubon Magazine says oilsands mining threatens to strip one of the world’s largest forests of its ability to hold carbon.
The item, by journalist Barry Yeoman, says there’s a “terrible cost” to oilsands mining because it threatens the habitat of billions of birds.
“Downstream residents and environmentalists say the threat to the boreal forest far outweighs the benefit of this new energy source,” writes Yeoman, who travelled by boat through northern Alberta last summer with a group of environmentalists.
The story, which appears in the latest issue of the magazine, also focuses on claims of increased cancer rates in aboriginal communities near the oilsands. Aboriginal and environmental groups have long been concerned about the possible health effects of having oilsands operations near the Athabasca River in northern Alberta.
The article concludes by urging readers to tell legislators to support a national low-carbon fuel standard that discourages oilsands development.
Premier Ed Stelmach says he’s concerned and disappointed with the story.
“We’re all familiar with the Audubon Society, they are a respected organization,” the premier told reporters on Monday.
The society was established in 1905 and is among the most prominent conservation group in the world.
Stelmach says some of the pollution along the northern river occurs naturally as the thick, tar-like bitumen that is embedded in the river bank leaches oil into the water.
He also says oil produced in other parts of the world, including Venezuela, leaves a larger carbon footprint that oil processes from the bitumen mined in Alberta.
“Let’s just put all the apples on the table and compare everything,” he said. “We’re going to solve these environmental issues through technology, because the markets will demand energy.”
“Nobody is going to tell Asia or China and India that ‘Sorry, this is the end of the energy supply. You will have to live without new sources of oil.’ It just won’t happen.”
There have been several unflattering media articles about Alberta’s oilsands over the past couple of years.
A year ago, National Geographic published a 20-page story that included pictures of sludge-filled tailings ponds and graphic descriptions of how forests are cut down and massive amounts of fresh water are used in processing and extracting the bitumen that is refined into synthetic crude.
More recently, several environmental groups purchased a full-page in the entertainment newspaper Variety that compared Alberta’s oilsands development to the industrial greed depicted in the hit move “Avatar.”
Stelmach says he didn’t see that ad, but he points out that Alberta’s oil trade with the U.S. has actually increased in recent years.
Alberta NDP Leader, Brian Mason, says the premier is wrong to assume that higher oil sales is an indication that Alberta is winning the public relations battle over the international reputation of the oilsands.
Instead of funding expensive marketing and rebranding campaigns, Alberta should be focusing on tightening environmental standards in the oilsands, he said.
“They need to take real action to clean up the oilsands or the drum beats of boycott around the word are just going to get louder and louder,” Mason said.
Laurie Blakeman, of the Opposition Alberta Liberals, says the Audubon article represents a serious problem for the province and the premier should not be downplaying its impact.
The provincial government has done very little to lessen the environmental impact of the oilsands and the world is starting to take notice, she said.
“I’m very tired of the argument that what’s going wrong in the oilsands is a naturally occurring problem,” said Blakeman. “We have a much larger problem than that.”
“This government has to take action on what’s happening and they’re not doing it and that’s what’s getting us into trouble.”
Tagged with: boreal forest, suncor, audobon
