Hunter, ALPAC, and The Pembina Institute

The Pembina Institute has a Vision

"The Pembina Institute envisions a world in which our immediate and future needs are met in a manner that protects the earth's living systems; ensures clean air, land and water; prevents dangerous climate change, and provides for a safe and just global community."

http://www.pembina.org/about/mission

Sounds pretty good.

But I do wonder however why in reading their literature that they give such a light pass to the forestry industry in general and ALPAC in particular? Looks like good ground to dig into.

Furthermore, why is "ALPAC Bill Hunter" so hostile to oilsands development? This is the guy that says to "leave it in the damned ground!" if development can't absorb a confiscatory fiscal regime.

Thanks to the Pembina Institute, there is an answer.

Remember how ALPAC's massive forestry permits cover most of the area of the Athabasca Oil Sands?



Well it turns out the Pembina Institute (and undoubtedly ALPAC too!) has a concern that the ALPAC's forest leases may not have enough trees after 30 years of clear cutting.

Remember, these are the same leases owned by Albertans that ALPAC fleeced Albertans billions of dollars to "take off our hands" which is thoroughly documented in the preceeding post.

Talk about a "Fair Share"!

Excuse my language but you just can't make this shit up!

From a Pembina Institute report which is hostile to the energy industry but sympathetic to ALPAC:

http://pubs.pembina.org/reports/nps_land.pdf

One such modeling tool is the Alberta Landscape Cumulative Effects Simulator (ALCES). This tool has been used to model the impacts of conventional oil and gas activity on Alberta Pacific’s Forest Management Agreement area. The model showed that 90,000 ha of this area are already covered by roads, pipelines, powerlines, and land sale lines. A further 13,640 ha are currently under well sites and other processing facilities, an area equivalent to approximately one year’s annual allowable cut. The model predicted that, given the predicted frequency of fire, and based on conservative estimates for energy sector development, within 30 years ALPAC will no longer be able to harvest at the present rate of 2.4 million cubic metres per year required to keep their mill at full production. This tool is presently being used in the Alberta Chamber of Resource’s Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) initiative

I have not been able to find any direct money trails between ALPAC, Bill Hunter, The Pembina Institute, and the Stelmachistas.

Sure looks like there is some smoke; perhaps some detailed investigative work will turn up connections?

Or perhaps they can all come forward and transparently demonstrate that there are absolutely no motivations that have not been clearly explained to the public?

Has The Pembina Institute ever recieved direct or indirect funding from ALPAC? It's something they have to come clean on.