I'm packing my bags!  The Rantdog team are heading to Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia today.   Episodes of "Zombies of the Tar Sands" are showing as part of the Dragon*Con Film Festival.  I'll blog from Dragon*Con this weekend, and will have some photos for you too.  If you're at Dragon*Con, I'm the guy dressed as minor super villain Gorilla Man -- body of a mighty gorilla, head of  Dr. Arthur Nagan, victim of a surprise head transplant by intelligent simians.

On the oil sands front....  This week a major study was published by two University of Alberta ecologists, David Schindler and Erin Kelly. The study shows that the oil sands industry is releasing dangerous metals into the river at concentration levels higher than government standards.  Alberta's politicians are disagreeing with the results, saying that their own scientists claim that the concentrations found are naturally occurring, not the result of the enormous expansion of bitumen mining and processing.

When asked about the difference of opinion this report reveals, Alberta's Premier Ed Stelmach said yesterday: "I don't know if we have to resort to name-calling at this particular time."

Oh really?  What's the right time to start name-calling then?

Okay, sorry....  I need to maintain some suitable balance. The Alberta Government announced good news  last week.  It's important that I mention this; every time critical of thetar sands states the facts, you'll hear the energy industry and the Alberta Government moan about how no-one's presenting the positive developments from the dirty oil industry.  That might be because the positive developments are barely in embryonic form; there's not much real to cheer about.  I see these initiatives and see panic and spin, not results.

So "Good News From The Oilsands" part one.  The Edmonton Journal reports that the Alberta Government is surveying Albertans about land use. The province is working on land use plans, and is starting with the Lower Athabasca region, the heart of massive industrial bitumen mining and extraction. There are already 90 active oil sands projects here, with another 180 approved and ready to go. About 40% of this area is being eyed by tar-hungry companies from all over the world.

Mel Knight, Alberta's Zombie Energy Minister, has the tough task of selling this "consultation" process.  He suggests that between 20% to 32% of land in the Lower Athabasca could be set aside for conservation.  Which sounds great!

But when you look at the  "Visioning Document" here you'll see that "conservation" doesn't mean NO development.  It's an unusual use of the word.  When Zombie Mel Knight was asked about this, he told journalists "“There are different levels of conservation,” “There always has been and there always will be.”  

That's clearer, and typical Alberta Government behaviour.  Hold commissions, survey Albertans, but make sure you've got plenty of wiggle room.  This process doen't come close to laying out guidelines to protect the Athabasca Region from future waves of exploitation.