Thread by @mark_dorin

Rather than clarifying, instead of sticking to messaging that @PeterGuthrie99 is performing consultations with everyone except the public who will pick up the tab, the Premier adds to #RStar confusion on her Saturday morning show at 15:30.
Comments. 1/n
globalnews.ca/edmonton/progr…

To begin, perhaps the Premier didn't speak to her minister or is overriding his supposed shelving of the Pilot project as reported by @EmmaLGraney? Whatever reason, the Premier gave a full steam ahead impression the next morning on the radio.
2/n

https://twitter.com/EmmaLGraney/status/1629268466695024640?s=20

My late father was proud of a 1980 award by the courts for $7,500 for mental anguish related to drilling of an urban well. To hear the Premier publicly say that landowners suffer (compensable) stress would have pleased him. It will sure piss off industry & Tribunal members!
3/n

It is clear that the Premier is vowing, via an incentive approach, to clean up the worst old contaminated flare pits - and she has now added (drilling) sumps to the list. She vows to do so at citizens expense. It's just a "small" pilot program she maintained on the radio.
4/n

Small means $100 million. She then refers to urban sites in Calmar, Medicine Hat, and one in Calgary that could cost up to $300 million - to illustrate the huge size of the problem. The problem is indeed huge - up to $70 billion. But it's just not our problem to pay for.
5/n

The Premier says she has an obligation to figure out how to deal with the problem - that may be true. But in fact at law if any such obligation exists, it is to solve the problem at the expense of each well licensee, then industry as a whole if the licensee fails.
6/n

She continues to justify cleanup at public expense by referring to law changes and regulators allowing license transfers - the current owner did not make the mess so the public should pay under her flawed reasoning. The current owner accepted the liability.
7/n

I know the details of the contaminated Calmar site - on CTV W5 Dirty Legacy (so was I). A reclamation certificate was issued and cancelled because the site was not cleaned up. Premier's #RStar video buddy Shane Sutherland was with MAGA Energy Ltd., now responsible.
8/n

The Pilot is a prelude to what industry wants - to escape paying for the massive cost of cleanup that has been delayed - as per industry requests. The Premier can put lipstick on the pig but it's still a shit-covered pig.

Tell your MLA that polluter pay is the only way.
9/n