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Can oil money be used for good cause?

This week's editorial looks at if there is good uses for oil money.

Coincidences play an important part in the lives of individuals, communities and nations and that’s why coincidences have been studied a lot by philosophers, who have been theorizing for centuries over whether they are the makings of a divine will or simple mundane happenings that just come at a time when other mundane things also happen to occur.

Whatever it was, last week’s coincidence of Alberta’s biggest bitumen spill coming on the same day as Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall scolded Quebec and Ontario premiers for being too environment-minded is a reminder that this country must review its approach to oil-based economic growth and prosperity with utmost care.

The Federation Council, which brings together the premiers of Canada’s all provinces and territories apparently made an attempt last week to bring a conclusion to the long running dichotomy of caring for the environment versus exploiting the energy resources of the country for fast economic growth to be able to enjoy the prosperity that will come with it.

At the end of their meetings, the premiers appeared to have struck a deal that supposedly keeps all parties happy. True to the nature of individuals involved in the making of the deal, the statement on the outcome of the meeting was long on words, short on concrete details.

It said the provincial and territorial leaders had agreed that carbon-based energy resources would continue to be developed alongside renewable energy technologies as well as that pipelines were a safer of carrying oil and gas than railway transportation.

Now when one takes this statement with the spill of five million litres of bitumen emulsion from a Nexen pipeline in northern Alberta, it doesn’t sound very convincing regarding the safety of pipelines. It was widely reported that the line on which the spill occurred was equipped with the latest technology and it was supposed to alert relevant officials the moment the leak started. What happened in reality was that the spill was discovered only by chance.

Company and government officials at various levels tried to make a point that any water basin or wildlife habitat was not threatened by the spill, but what about the 16,000 m2 area on which the emulsion spread over?  And a duck was found dead in the area of the spill earlier this week.

We need to realize that, regardless of the numbers of wildlife victims and the size of the area contaminated, exploitation of carbon-based energy raw materials will always be fraught with danger of polluting the environment, with the possibility of irreversible damage being done.

But of course, no one can realistically expect oil companies to leave the oil in the sands of Fort McMurray or underground, in which case there might be one possibility of minimizing the potential damage to environment: Putting the oil companies in charge of developing technologies both to reduce the impact of the oil industry on the environment and to undo the damage already inflicted on the nature.

US President Barack Obama ordered the American auto industry to develop technologies to reduce exhaust emissions and the goal set by that policy is already on the way to being achieved.

In Canada, federal and provincial governments could work together to introduce legislation making it compulsory for oil companies to create a fund and contribute to it on a regular basis to support research for clean oil extraction, transportation and refining technologies alongside new ways of undoing environmental damage. In such a venture, the oil companies could also patent such technologies and sell them on a global scale to profit from their investments in the research fund.

But we know that this can only remain a dream under a prime minister like Stephen Harper, who is almost afraid to touch the benefits and profits of the oil and gas industry in this country.

However, just like First Nations throughout Canada waiting for his departure from the scene for meaningful action to be taken on the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, pro-environment policy makers and campaigners should be making preparations to develop and suggest alternatives to the current myopic backing of the oil industry once Harper leaves the prime minister’s office, which could well come as early as October.