Canadians souring on Alberta oil sands
Published: March 25, 2008 at 2:28 PM
CALGARY, Alberta, March 25 (UPI) -- Half of Canadians want Alberta's oil sand development slowed over environmental concerns, a poll published Tuesday indicated.
The Environmental Defense group commissioned the poll of 1,014 people March 7-10, and 52 percent said expansion of oil production should not be given federal approval until "environmental management issues are resolved," compared with 32 percent who said they should be "permitted so as not to curb economic growth," the Calgary Herald reported.
The extraction process is energy intensive, involving mining, massive amounts of heated water as well as steam to separate oil from tar, which in itself increases greenhouse emissions, environmentalists say.
Matt Price, a climate and energy policy expert with Environmental Defense, said the poll should send a message to politicians.
"In general, the public seems to be ahead of politicians in wanting to attack global warming," Price said.
The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points, the newspaper said.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/03/25/canadians_souring_on_alberta_oil_sands/7119/
CALGARY, Alberta, March 25 (UPI) -- Half of Canadians want Alberta's oil sand development slowed over environmental concerns, a poll published Tuesday indicated.
The Environmental Defense group commissioned the poll of 1,014 people March 7-10, and 52 percent said expansion of oil production should not be given federal approval until "environmental management issues are resolved," compared with 32 percent who said they should be "permitted so as not to curb economic growth," the Calgary Herald reported.
The extraction process is energy intensive, involving mining, massive amounts of heated water as well as steam to separate oil from tar, which in itself increases greenhouse emissions, environmentalists say.
Matt Price, a climate and energy policy expert with Environmental Defense, said the poll should send a message to politicians.
"In general, the public seems to be ahead of politicians in wanting to attack global warming," Price said.
The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points, the newspaper said.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/03/25/canadians_souring_on_alberta_oil_sands/7119/
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