Well known Alberta Tory Satya Das recently confirms observations of the WTF Journal that an impeding biofueled shakedown of the oil patch for pork-barrel funding of favoured projects is well underway. Mr. Das wrote on October 2nd:

Bill Hunter, the ferociously intelligent chair of the Royalty Review panel, is an evangelist for the bio-economy – the wealth Alberta can draw from intelligent use of wood fibre, agricultural fibre, biomass and “waste” products.

The royalty review report, and Hunter’s work with the Alberta Forestry Research Institute and the Alberta Science and Research Authority, foresee an Alberta that pursues the potential of both the hydrocarbon economy and the carbohydrate economy – using the present wealth of the first to develop the future wealth of the other.

Albertans as a whole should be very concerned about this topic. We have a coming economic development fiasco that will make previous federally championed attempts at diversification like Novatel and MagCan look small.

It clarifies the motivations of a seemingly biased royalty review panel to
"get the best possible deal"; meaning to shake the oil patch down for the most money that can be diverted to biofuels.

ALPAC, and by extension "ALPAC Bill Hunter" represent one of the biggest historical assaults on the provincial treasury in history, $8 billion by this estimate have been taken by ALPAC from the provincial treasury.

"Biofuel Bill Hunter" is indeed on the forefront of the upcoming biofuel porkbarrel, along with some relatives of prominent Alberta Tories.

Indeed, the forestry industry pays far less than its fair share compared to the oil industry. So much so that we get into the United States-Canada softwood lumber dispute which is one of the most significant and and enduring trade disputes in modern history, this is because of the free ride that forestry receives. For example, ALPAC pays private landholders an estimated four times more than it should pay under its FMA for crown forestry rights.

Between the current "no fair share from forestry" and ALPAC's looting of the Alberta Government's till there is a very clear indication that ALPAC Bill is the face of shameless hypocrisy when he and his panel accuses the oil patch of ripping off the provincial treasury.

Note the mainstream media is silent to the biofuel connection to the Royalty Review. Much to their detriment as it is an interesting story that leads a researcher to all manner of odd connections. For instance, the Pembina Institute has a puzzling concern that ALPAC won't be able to continue clear-cutting provincial forests at its current voracious rate past 30 more years of clear-cutting. What an odd concern for an environmental organization. Is the Pembina Institue ALPAC's private environmental lobby group?

The selection of biofuels as the new Tories favourite energy is further demonstrated by its prominence at Alberta Energy's website.

And all the while the new Tories are indulging in their biofuled shakedown of Alberta companies, some in their midst are cheerleading for American firms to step into the oilsands void they are engineering. Mel Hurtig, take note!

The connections run deeper I'm sure, but I can only find so much with limited time and resources. If the biofueled royalty shakedown occurs over top of oil patch objections you will be hearing much, much more of this topic and be much, much poorer because of it.