Total blows off serious questions about oilsands project: Sierra Club
An environmental group is accusing French oil giant Total of “stonewalling” its attempts to question the firm’s plans for a proposed oilsands project in northern Alberta.
Currently in the approval process Total’s $9-billion Joslyn North Mine near Fort McMurray has been delayed several times because of regulatory delays and labour shortages.
But Sheila Muxlow of the Sierra Club says the company needs to address the cumulative impacts the project will have on the environment and neighbouring communities before moving forward.
The Canadian Environmental Agency granted the Sierra Club $20000 to review Total’s environmental impact assessment and the ERCB also gave the Sierra Club official intervener status to enable it to pose questions about the project says Muxlow.
But in a letter to the province’s energy regulator Total’s lawyers contend questions submitted by the Sierra Club to a joint review panel about the proposed Joslyn oilsands mine are “argumentative” and “have no relevance.”
“The reality is they will have to do more research in order to answer our questions effectively” says Muxlow. “Before we can go forward we need to know the cumulative impacts of these projects and the reality is the ERCB doesn’t demand those answers.”
