Finnish MEP Satu Hassi
The Globe and Mail reports, “The European Union is preparing to slap a dirty fuel label on Canada’s oil sands, a move that would increase political pressure on Europe’s major oil companies to curb their investments in the Alberta projects. The Conservative government has been lobbying furiously to prevent the EU from targeting the oil sands – so much so that one member of the European Parliament has condemned Canada’s intervention as ‘unacceptable’. …In statements in the European Parliament last week, several MEPs took Canada to task for its opposition to the fuels directive. ‘The government of Canada has been lobbying us in a manner that is not acceptable,’ said Satu Hassi, a Green Party MEP from Finland and vice-chair of the parliament’s environment committee.”
“Environment Commissioner Connie Hedegaard told parliamentarians last week that she will submit to member states for ratification draft regulations that target oil sands and shale oil as high-carbon fuels. …The dispute between Ottawa and the European Union has the potential to become a trade dispute, and Ms. Hedegaard said the commission would tailor its regulations to ensure they target all fuels from unconventional sources, including oil sands, oil shale, liquids from coal, and liquids from natural gas. She said she did not expect the fuel regulations would impede the conclusion of a Canada-EU trade agreement that is now under negotiation.”
For a timeline of Canada’s lobbying of the European Union on this issue, please go to http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=7057.
The full article is at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/ottawa-fights-eus-dirty-fuel-label-on-oil-sands/article1958987/.
