Jennifer Grant, director of the Pembina Institute's oilsands program, made the following statement in response to the Alberta Environmental Monitoring Panel's report:
"The environmental monitoring panel's recommendations are thorough. We urge the government to move swiftly to implement a new, more robust and transparent monitoring system.
"More than 40 years after oilsands development started, Albertans have been told by numerous expert panels that environmental monitoring is insufficient. This is a matter of public trust and accountability and the government has a long way to go to restore public confidence that it is protecting the environment.
"It's important to note, as the panel did, that monitoring is just one component of natural resource management; you actually have to use the data to inform planning, regulatory decision-making and enforcement. You need the full package to get the job done — otherwise it's like having smoke detectors but no firetrucks or firefighters."
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Contact:
Jennifer Grant
Oilsands Program Director, Pembina Institute
Phone: 403-538-7781
