Gulf spill exploited to paint oil sands green

Danielle Droitsch
OilSandsWatch.org

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and Environment Minister Jim Prentice have crafted a new message, touting the oil sands as the safe alternative to offshore development in the wake of BP's oil spill. They're saying it loud and proud - that Alberta's oil sands are the responsibly developed, safe alternative to offshore development.

Prentice told reporters Friday: "I think it's always been clear that the oil sands provide a safe, stable, secure supply of energy and they need to be developed in an environmentally responsible way. The risks associated with the oil sands, the environmental risks, are significantly different than, and probably less than the kind of risks associated with offshore drilling."

There's just one problem - what Prentice and Stelmach are advertising isn't available here in Alberta - and we hope the public won't be fooled by their clever bait and switch. My colleague, Karen Campbell, addresses the risks associated with the transport of fuel from the oil sands in her most recent op-ed, now I'll address the impacts and risks associated with oil sands development. It's time we debunk the latest talking points from the oil sands PR machine.
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