apologies for not being as entertaining

Hey everyone, i know i have not been as entertaining lately...but i think this stuff is pretty important. The federal government is currently accepting Briefings for official hearings in Edmonton, Calgary, and Ottawa (and unofficial hearings in Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan). So i wrote a briefing and submitted it to Jim Bezan (Chair of the Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development) at Ottawa@jamesbezan.com

If you would like to send this briefing out, please feel free to do so...in fact, i encourage you to do so! Also, if you could translate it or know someone who could...please let me know! LOVE!

and more entertaining posts to come.....

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Dear Jim Bezan (Chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development):

There are many Canadian organizations as well as international organizations which are trying to show their concern for the expansion of the Tar Sands industry in Northern Alberta. My name is Maryam Adrangi and I am a member of the Sierra Youth Coalition Executive Committee, the Canadian Water Network’s Student and Young Professional Committee, and the Rainforest Action Network Toronto. I am among many concerned and informed citizens who believe that the Alberta Provincial government and the Canadian Federal Government can play a larger role in controlling the harmful effects of the tar sands industry.

Several reasons that governing bodies need to play a larger role in controlling the Alberta Tar Sands:

Issue: The expansion of the Tar Sands is jeopardizing the health and livelihood of people in neighbouring communities
· Communities living in the Athabasca watershed are facing water shortages due to the tar sands industry which uses, on average, 3 barrels of freshwater to produce one barrel of tar sands oil
· Natural Resources Canada states that tailings ponds created by the industry contain high levels of carcinogenic contaminants such as phenols, benzene, cyanide, and heavy metals such as arsenic. These contaminants are seeping into groundwater resources
· More cases of rare cancers are being seen in communities living downstream from tar sands operations, and federal and provincial governments as well as industry are refusing to believe it is due to the oil industry—yet there is no evidence/credible research to prove otherwise
· High levels of contaminants, such as heavy metals (mercury, arsenic, etc.) in water systems are threatening fish populations by showing mutations and birth defects, and are no longer available for human consumption and were formerly a large part of First Nations traditional diet.
· Deforestation rates have increased due to tar sands expansion, jeopardizing local communities’, particularly First Nations People’s, ability to maintain safe, healthy, and traditional lifestyles.

Recommendations
· That both provincial and federal government require that oil companies abide by the principles of free, informed, and prior consent when intending to develop on First Nation’s territory, unceded or not.
· That provincial and federal government address the adverse health effects the industry has on local peoples by having official hearings in impacted communities, including Fort McMurray, Fort Chipewyan, and Fort McKay
· That provincial and federal governments put a moratorium on further development of the tar sands until effective, clear, and transparent studies are done and made public (including methodology) to explore the link between human health effects and the environment



Issue: Market interests are given greater priority than Canadian Interests
· Alberta’s royalty rates remain among the world’s lowest, creating an optimal environment in which companies would want to expand their businesses, but discounting the profit that Canadian’s or the Canadian government could be receiving from the existing operations
· Neither the provincial nor federal government have regulations or policies in place to make tar sands expansion unappealing
· Almost all, if not all, proposals for bitumen extraction have been approved, and there is little demand for operational or fiscal transparency in the oil production process
· Over half of tar sands oil is exported to the United States of America, providing the USA with dirty oil at the environmental, social, and economic expense of Canadian citizens.

Recommendations
· That both the federal or provincial government increase their royalty rates, making the tar sands less appealing to industry, halting the expansion, but still providing economic revenue for Canadian governments as they shift to renewable energy sources
· That the government demand transparent reporting and fiscal accounting, and make these documents available to the public
· Both the provincial and federal government put a cap on the number of mining proposals approved
· That Canada reassess its national energy policy, calling into question its energy exporting obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Security and Prosperity Parnership (SPP) which will likely lead to more transmission lines and pipelines



Issue: The Alberta Tar Sands have large, detrimental environmental impacts to the Boreal Forest
· The industry requires that large amounts of Boreal Forest are destroyed, clear cutting vast amounts of old-growth forests and turning these areas into barren land with none of the ecological benefits provided by forests such as water and air purification, and soil stabilization
· The area of land that has been leased to oil companies could fit the entire Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (about 9,000 square miles which includes Jasper, Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay) about six times
· Many oil companies spend a marginal amount of their budget on land reclamation, emphasizing the lack of concern for this part of the extraction process (“Syncrude, a leader in land reclamation, spent one-fifth of 1 per cent of its budget on reclamation in 2005.” Nikiforuk, 2008)

Recommendation:
· Both provincial and federal government must demand that companies spend at least 30% of their overall budget on land reclamation (as it is just as important, if not more so, than extraction) and ensure that they fully restore the land in 5 years. If they cannot do so, the company’s proposal should not be approved.
· Demand that oil companies show proper planning to not only reclaim used land, but to protect surrounding lands during the extraction process. If these plans are not in place, the company’s proposal should not be approved
· The federal and provincial government must carefully monitor companies’ progress on reclamation, fining companies which neglect regulations
· The provincial government, federal government, and oil companies must make their reclamation plans and operations more transparent so that citizens can ensure that companies are accountable.
· The provincial and federal government should find non-partisan contractors (not those financed by, hired by, or made up of members of oil and gas companies) to conduct environmental impact assessments including assessments of quality of soil, water, air, and plant life.
· Make these studies, including methodology accessible to the public



Issue: The Alberta Tar Sands are preventing Canada from meeting their Kyoto targets and from being a leader in International Climate Change issues
· Producing oil from bitumen can create up to 5 times more greenhouse gases than does producing oil from conventional sources, thus jeopardizing Canada’s ability to meet Kyoto targets
· Canada has spent over $6 billion dollars on climate-change programs for the last fifteen years, and has not met a single Kyoto target
· The Climate Change Accountability Act (Bill C-311) passed in the House of Commons requires the federal government to set regulations to reduce emissions by 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 (Canada’s original obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), and allowing tar sands expansion would show the federal and provincial government’s neglect for their own laws, as well as their original Kyoto agreements, if this bill passes and becomes law.

Recommendation
· That Canada respect its obligations and agreements under the Kyoto Protocol and recognize that Tar Sands expansion is preventing Canada from meeting those targets
· That Canada show leadership in shifting to a new green energy economy by investing in the expansion of the renewable energy sector, recognizing the industry’s long-term benefits and potential to create more jobs than the tar sands industry
· Stop approving new proposals for bitumen mining and Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) operations in Canada
· That environmental justice and the right to a healthy and productive environment be enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms


Thank you very much and I hope to hear soon

-Maryam Adrangi