Bump
EU blocks passage of Canada’s ‘tar sands’ ranking
Quote:
Amid heavy lobbying from Canada, a committee of the European Union Parliament blocked passage of a proposed fuel quality directive that would label Alberta oil sands as the most highly polluting source of oil.
In a vote Thursday, proponents of the directive failed to win a majority of votes in favour, but neither was there a majority to kill the proposal. As a result, the directive will be taken up by a committee of EU ministers in the coming months.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...rticle2347236/
|
Good news from Europe. In the summer, it seemed like it was going to pass for sure. However, countries like the UK, the Netherlands, and France have gotten invested into the Oilsands themselves and have become allies with Canada on this
Quote:
Britain, once critical of Canada’s climate policies, took Ottawa’s side last fall under Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron. The Netherlands opposes the EU proposal. On the weekend, France decided to abstain in the vote. France’s Total is planning a major oil-sands expansion,. That affects France’s view of its interests.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle2346961/
|
A note, Canada has no problem with the ranking systems that would place Oilsands at a higher rate than conventional oil. What it is fighting is that the the rating system isn't bias towards Canada when there are other sources of oil that are just as damaging.
Quote:
Alberta’s international affairs minister, Cal Dallas, said Alberta can accept the oil sands being rated at the high end of a spectrum: “What we can’t accept is that there are oils coming from jurisdictions where there are practices in place such that perhaps they would be viewed as higher on that scale or perhaps they should be viewed in the same light as oil sands.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle2346961/
|