Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Economic interests trump Alberta's aquatic environment? Again?

Ottawa lashes Alberta water plan

By Karen Kleiss
Edmonton Journal
August 31, 2011

Federal officials and independent experts say Alberta's plan to protect provincial rivers won't work, and could even accelerate environmental damage, new documents show.

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

A government-funded consultant's report said the plan "fails to propose any meaningful measures" to protect aquatic environments, while government scientists predicted it would result in "significant" and "serious" degradation of fisheries.

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