Bastards

[tieflyer]

I loath Conservatives. Clear enough?

Here is a tiny dribble of information as to why; squeezed out of political orifices so vile they are content with the destruction of Alberta, lacking courage of conviction they deny access to the blundering, criminally stupid legacy they leave you, youth of Alberta. (Copied and pasted here because Conservatives best friends, Calgary Herald, will be sure and make this one disappear)

 

EDMONTON — Federal officials and independent experts say Alberta's plan to protect provincial rivers won't work, and could even open the door to further damage, new documents show.

 

Internal government emails and reports reveal the federal government "disassociated" itself from Alberta's water conservation plan and quietly sent letters of concern because its experts believed the province's plan was "insufficient" to keep rivers healthy.

 

Further, a government-funded report from an independent consultant says plans to protect rivers in the overtaxed South Saskatchewan River Basin are inadequate and may even encourage deterioration.

 

The records also show government scientists predicted the plan would result in "significant" and "serious" degradation of fisheries on the Red Deer River.

 

"If you care deeply about our water . . . you would be very shocked to see how this plan has failed to address the fundamental crisis that's happening," said Bill Moore-Kilgannon of Public Interest Alberta.

 

"The government has ignored it for ideological and political reasons — some people stand to make massive amounts of money from this, from selling something they were given for free, something that belongs to Albertans, just like the air."

 

Government normally keeps these documents secret but they became public when the provincial government submitted them as exhibits in an ongoing lawsuit. Moore-Kilgannon obtained them and released them to The Edmonton Journal.

 

Alberta Environment spokesman Chris Bordeau said the government consulted a variety of experts and had to make tough decisions.

 

"At the end of the day a decision needed to be made that represented all perspectives," he said. "Ensuring that we could, to the best of our ability, protect the aquatic ecosystems but at the same time recognize that water is needed by communities that exist on the rivers."

 

The internal records provide a window into government discussions in years and months leading up to the August 2006 release of the Water Management Plan for the South Saskatchewan River Basin. That plan is still in place.

 

It put a cap on new water licences for the strained Bow, Oldman and South Saskatchewan River basins, a move that earned praise from environmental groups and criticism from those worried constraints on water would undermine economic growth.

 

At the time, then-environment minister Guy Boutilier told the legislature the plan would "protect the basin's aquatic environment." But internal communications suggest otherwise.

 

For example, a draft government plan dated April 16, 2005, says that "even with an allocation cap, it is expected the deterioration of the aquatic environment will continue as the existing licences divert more water to the full extent of their allocations."

 

In a draft presentation, provincial experts asked whether existing licences should be respected and whether the province should start identifying "preferred uses" for water.

 

A March 2006 report by independent environmental consulting firm Gartner Lee harshly criticizes the government's plan for the three struggling rivers, saying they will remain "degraded and unhealthy" unless conservation objectives are applied to existing licences.

 

"The plan fails to propose any meaningful measures or strategies which would fulfil the government's commitment to protect the aquatic environment," the report says.

 

Regarding the relatively healthy Red Deer River, the Gartner Lee report says the province's allocation limit is "too high" and in at least one case is actually "facilitating the degradation of the river aquatic environment," adding: "This is not allowed under the Water Act."

 

Internal government studies also predict the Red Deer River will suffer "a serious decline in fish populations" and "a measurable decline in . . . abundance of all species" under the provincial plan.

 

Finally, the records reveal the federal government withdrew from the steering committee, sent two letters to government expressing concern the plan would not work, and warned it may impose its own conditions or demand an environmental impact assessment.

 

"The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) . . . is now disassociating from the plan due to concerns that the water conservation objectives are insufficient to protect the aquatic environment," a Minister's Report says.

 

Government spokesman Chris Bordeau said the federal government's input was valuable and they remained an "observer" on the steering committee.

 

"The DFO, obviously they are looking at it from a very specific side, protecting fish habitat," he said. "They realized that the requirements for full protection of the aquatic ecosystem would be difficult to guarantee that we would be able to meet."

 

Asked why the former environment minister told Albertans the plan would protect the aquatic environment when several reports said it wouldn't, Bourdeau asked "is it as black and white as protecting or not protecting? We've done as much as we can to create water conservation objectives that allow as much water as possible to remain in the river."

 

In practical terms, the cap on new water licences created a water market in Alberta. Now, Albertans who hold water licences can sell the water they don't use to others who need it. As a result, water licences that were only half-used can now be fully used.

 

The government must approve these sales, and has the power to hold back some of the water and put it in the river.

 

kkleiss@edmontonjournal.com

 

 

 

[Ricinus]

It's the Headline on the Front page of Weds Edmonton Journal. Frigging ridiculous- even the Feds think so. According to the article the details only came out because of a lawsuit.

 

Mike