The eco-radical anti-oil protesters are clinging to the National Energy Boards (NEB) ‘Environmental Assessments’ (EA) review process to propel their rage.
This is the focus of their Prime Minister Harper bashing mantra you are hearing.
Bill C-38 has reduced their self righteous ability to bully and stop resource development, which of course makes them furious. Also there has been unjustified whining from overbearing eco-bureaucrats and eco-zealot groups who lost power/control or subsidized funding, (under the guise of scientists being muzzled).
Bill C-38, ’Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012’ reformed and rationalized the EA process to be more efficient. This meant amending clauses and sub-clauses in a lot of different enactments which required a catch all procedure thus Bill C-38 was dubbed an ‘omnibus bill’.
Before this, the EAs were vague and full of loopholes where the environmentalists as ‘interveners’ could use them to grandstand, filibuster and stall projects.
Many of us complained to the government to wise up and get our act together as it was embarrassing. It appears they listened but may not have gone far enough.
For example, the EA for the ‘Northern Gateway Pipeline’ (NGP), were wide open hearings without any rules entertaining a charade of some 4,500 interveners which made Canada look silly.
There can't be 4,500 different types of realistic concerns where every radical-eco group that is anti-oil, anti-industry and anti human progress of every kind can use EAs as a platform to hijack/delay projects.
One activist group alone, tax exempt ‘Dogwood Initiative’ (offshoot of Tides Canada, offshoot of Tides USA) submitted some 1500 intervener applications with many fictitious names. Even a radical teacher registered her classroom of grade school students to be heard at the EA hearings.
The NGPipeline proposal has been in the works for over 10 years, EA hearings alone went on for some 4 years and was eventually approved by the NEB, subject to 209 conditions.
It’s unrealistic to think you can attract investment in Canada when you can't get your act together and projects get stalled for years as world economic financial conditions can change more than once in a ten year time span.
Some Enviro-Assessment effects of Bill C-38:
EAs are now to be completed in 15 months.
Assessors may only deal with ‘matters relevant to the project’. (Interveners of a pipeline project can’t aggrandize to ‘climate change’ and the Alberta Oil Sands, etc.)
Assessors will consider comments from ‘interested parties’. (Interveners are screened to minimize frivolous groups of complainers.)
One project one review’ streamlined efficient process eliminated multiple overlapping and duplication.
Before, over 40 different gov’t agencies, departments and sub-departments were doing EAs which could take years.
Some EAs were for single small projects like a Pump House, a Boat Launch or an agriculture Berry Washer, or even for replacing existing equipment.
Fishery Officials were reined in so they can't harass farmers if some stray fish get into their irrigation ditches or flooded fields.
Eco-protesters appear insatiable, incapable of ever being satisfied and will always have to obsessively protest something or other.
We can’t build a jobs economy around a foundation core of eco-radical protests, it has to be based on real world finance and markets.
Roland resides on the West Coast of Canada adjacent to the US border. As a senior taxpayer, he has taken to writing to express his frustrations of government waste, mismanagement, overspending, and other BS extremes. Now a retired grandpa, active with his family and rural lifestyle, he spent his career years as an Architectural Designer, Carpenter and Building Inspector. He promotes good but reasonable environmental practices.
