Alberta Wilderness Association wants the oil giant’s Fort Hills expansion to be reconsidered, saying there’s no evidence it can mine half the area and leave the other unharmed. Drew Anderson reports forThe Narwhal.
In a nutshell:
At issue are the McClelland Lake peatlands and Suncor's untested plan to split the unmined protected areas and mined areas with a wall - a plan that was actually approved more than 20 years ago but never implemented. The Alberta Wilderness Association, citing flawed data, is requesting reconsideration of the permit. Suncor argues that there are no grounds for reconsideration.
Key quote:
Suncor “submits that the Alberta Energy Regulator should decline to exercise its extraordinary power of reconsideration, and requests that the [regulator] dismiss the Alberta Wilderness Association’s request without further process.”
Big picture:
Oil giant Suncor wields enormous power in fossil-fuel-friendly Alberta, even helping the Canadian government draft climate change strategy. When it comes to permitting, Suncor is well-financed, well-lawyered, and well-connected. The oilsands behemoth routinely brushes off critics and challenges. Could this time be different?
Alberta Wilderness Association wants the oil giant’s Fort Hills expansion to be reconsidered, saying there’s no evidence it can mine half the area and leave the other unharmed.
