SASKATCHEWAN ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY CALLS FOR WILDLIFE HABITAT PROTECTION ACT AMENDMENTS TO BE WITHDRAWN AND REWRITTEN

MEDIA RELEASE

Saskatoon, May 17, 2010 -- The Saskatchewan Environmental Society today called on Environment Minister Hon. Nancy Heppner to reconsider her proposed amendments to the Wildlife Habitat Protection Act and withdraw the bill from deliberation during the current legislative session.

“Our Society has a strong preference for retaining as Crown land the 3.5 million acres currently under protection” said Allyson Brady, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Environmental Society. “We do not support the provincial government’s plan to sell off hundreds of thousands of acres of this land to private individuals. We believe the bill now before the Assembly will lead to further habitat loss and habitat fragmentation, thus adding stress on wildlife populations, such as grassland bird species, several of which are already in sharp decline.”

“Not only do these lands provide essential habitat for wildlife in our province, but they contribute to the provision of water quality, air quality, pollination of plants, cycling of nutrients and other essential ecological services” said Peter Prebble, Director of Energy and Water Policy with the Environmental Society. “One of the immediate impacts of the provincial government’s amendments is that between 200,000 and 350,000 acres of previously protected land will be available for sale very quickly, with all previous provisions of protection removed completely.”

Examples of changes the Saskatchewan Environmental Society would like to see the legislation include are:

1. No wildlife habitat lands belonging to the Crown should be sold in Saskatchewan’s forest fringe, where there are significant pressures to see wildlife habitat lands cleared for agricultural purposes or wood harvesting.
2. In other parts of Saskatchewan, when any provincial crown land with good wildlife habitat on it is sold, a conservation easement should always be attached and that easement should be enforced.
3. A policy of “no net loss” of Crown lands with good wildlife habitat should be retained in every eco-region of the province.
4. Wildlife habitat withdrawals should not be done by government regulation, as proposed in Minister Heppner’s bill. Rather, they should only be done by legislation.

For further information or interviews contact:

Allyson Brady, Executive Director, Saskatchewan Environmental Society
Telephone: 306-665-1915 in Saskatoon
or
Peter Prebble, Director of Energy and Water Policy, Saskatchewan Environmental Society
Telephone: 306-665-1915 in Saskatoon

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Sale of Crown Lands that Contain Native Prairie

Time and time again it has been shown that native grasslands out-produce their cultivated substitutes – plus the native landscape provides valued esthetics, builds soil, cleanses water, supports biodiversity and sustains a ranching livelihood on rangelands. SES called Premier Wall in April 2009 to celebrate Saskatchewan's prairie conservation. Today, SES renews that call and asks citizens to join us in this urgent call to protect Saskatchewan's grasslands.

THE SASKATCHEWAN ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY PROPOSES AN ACTION PLAN TO ACHIEVE DEEP CUTS TO GREENHOUSE GAS POLLUTION IN SASKATCHEWAN

MEDIA RELEASE EARTH DAY, APRIL 22, 2010


THE SASKATCHEWAN ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIETY PROPOSES AN ACTION PLAN TO ACHIEVE DEEP CUTS TO GREENHOUSE
GAS POLLUTION IN SASKATCHEWAN


Bert Weichel, President of the Saskatchewan Environmental Society today released a recommended plan of action aimed at slashing greenhouse gas pollution in Saskatchewan 40% by the year 2020. “Greenhouse gas pollution has been on a steady rise in Saskatchewan” said Weichel. “At 73.8 tonnes of emissions per capita, we are now one of the highest greenhouse gas polluting jurisdictions in the entire world. The international scientific community is recommending that Canada reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by the year 2020. The Saskatchewan Government should adopt that reduction target and implement the public policy changes needed to accomplish it.”

To date Saskatchewan climate change policy has focused on a proposal to achieve one million tonnes of reduction through a carbon capture and storage project at the Boundary Dam Power Station. “However, that reduction would only cut a tiny fraction of the seventy five million tonnes Saskatchewan now emits”, Weichel observed. The Province also plans to expand wind power by 200 MW and is considering regulating Saskatchewan emitters who exceed 50,000 tonnes of emissions at a single facility. “These steps have merit” said Weichel, “but they will not get us anywhere close to the reductions the international scientific community says are necessary if we want to avoid dangerous climate change.”

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society recommends the following additional public policy measures aimed at curbing and reducing greenhouse gas pollution in Saskatchewan.

1. Set target dates for phasing out each of Saskatchewan’s coal fired generating stations.
2. Launch a large investment in electricity efficiency in Saskatchewan, a measure guaranteed to save SaskPower ratepayers money within five years. 300 MW of savings by 2017 is readily achievable.
3. Begin replacing coal fired power with cogeneration (using natural gas), efficiency measures and a broad mix of renewable energy sources ranging from biomass and small scale hydro to a decentralized wind power network that could readily supply 15% of Saskatchewan’s electricity needs. Require SaskPower to target a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
4. Adopt regulations that require the oil and gas industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2020, including sharp cuts to the flaring and venting of methane.
5. Adopt energy efficiency codes for all new building construction in Saskatchewan. Energy Star construction should become the new standard.
6. Utilize proven designs developed in Saskatchewan to construct homes capable of reducing energy consumption 80% at an incremental construction cost of 12%.
7. Launch a major energy efficiency retrofit of Saskatchewan homes and businesses through SaskEnergy, with retrofits designed to pay for themselves within 8 years using solely the energy savings.
8. Offer financial incentives for the purchase of super energy efficient vehicles; also offer financial incentives for trucking companies to save energy by installing auxiliary power units. Reduce the speed limit to 95km per hour on all Saskatchewan highways, as a way to curb gasoline consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Actively discourage the purchase of large trucks and SUV’s when they are unnecessary to tasks that need to be performed. Support cities to construct a high quality network of bicycle trails and encourage cycling throughout the spring, summer and fall.
9. The Province and the federal government should work together to reinstate passenger rail service between Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert. A shift from road to rail should be strongly encouraged in the commercial transport sector.
10. District heating systems that run on waste heat and renewable energy sources should be installed in large urban downtowns; district heating systems based on solar, wind and biomass energy should be installed in new subdivisions.
11. SaskPower should offer carefully planned financial incentives for the adoption of super energy efficient technology by the commercial, agricultural and industrial sectors. In other jurisdictions, such as Vermont and California this has greatly increased efficiency and helped utilities avoid the expense of having to build more generating capacity.

“These measures will make our economy more efficient and create thousands of new, environmentally friendly jobs” Weichel said. Most important, they will allow Saskatchewan people to play our part in sharply reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a measure that is crucial to protecting life on earth as we know it. Once emitted, greenhouse gases are very long lasting in the atmosphere. Another 10-15 years of failure to act in Saskatchewan and in much of the developed world, will unleash changes in climate that will be irreversible and will cause much human suffering around the globe. So the time for action is now” Mr. Weichel concluded.

Saskatchewan’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution On The Rise

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Saskatchewan’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution On The Rise

Saskatoon, April 21, 2010 -- New data just submitted by the Government of Canada to the United Nations shows that greenhouse gas pollution in Saskatchewan is getting worse. Peter Prebble, Director of Energy and Water Policy with the Saskatchewan Environmental Society drew attention to the new data this morning, pointing out that while greenhouse gas pollution levels here deteriorated, there were small improvements in six Canadian provinces. The newly released data is contained in the April 2010 Canadian Government Submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and is for the calendar year 2008.

The Government of Saskatchewan has established 2006 as its baseline year for greenhouse gas emissions and has committed to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from that year – to be achieved by 2020. However, Prebble noted “there is so far no indication of any progress towards the provincial target.” Rather, the new emission data shows that in 2008 province-wide greenhouse gas pollutants had increased above both 2006 and 2007 levels, going up from 71.3 million tonnes in 2006 to 75.0 million tonnes in 2008. Saskatchewan’s per capita emissions rose from 71.9 tonnes per person in 2006 to 73.8 tonnes per person in 2008. Saskatchewan now accounts for 10.3% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. Data comparing Saskatchewan’s emissions with those of other provinces accompanies this news release.

“To put Saskatchewan’s per capita pollution numbers in perspective, they are the highest in Canada, are more than three times the Canadian average, are more than seven times the European average, and are more than twelve times the world average. At a time when the international scientific community is recommending deep greenhouse gas reductions to protect the future of all life on our planet, the Saskatchewan government has so far failed to implement any serious action. This is in sharp contrast to jurisdictions like Ontario, Quebec and B.C. where major investments aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions are being made” Prebble said

“The Saskatchewan Environmental Society believes Saskatchewan has an ethical obligation to join with other jurisdictions in acting decisively to reduce human produced greenhouse gas emissions before irreparable damage is done to life on our planet. The scientific data gathered by climate scientists over the past few years indicates that climate change is accelerating. Saskatchewan can no longer ignore its international obligations to act.” Prebble said.
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For more information contact:

Peter Prebble, Director, Energy & Water Policy, Saskatchewan Environmental Society, 306-665-1915 or 306-665-0085.

Background information below.


Recent Examples Of How Climate Change Is Accelerating

1) Annual rates of sea level rise are going up quicker than ever, as land based glaciers and ice shelves melt. The average rate of sea level rise is now 3.4 mm per year. 200 million people in the world live less than one metre below sea level. Thousands of people are already being forced to move from inhabited islands in West Bengal, India as their homes disappear beneath the ocean.

2) Average annual summer Arctic sea ice is shrinking much faster than expected, declining by more two million square kilometers in just four years.

3. Severe weather events are rising sharply. As the atmosphere warms and is able to hold more water, the intensity of storm systems is on the increase. The most common results are severe flooding, loss of property, injury and loss of life, especially among women and children. More than 140 million people per year are now impacted by flood disasters worldwide.


Saskatchewan’s Per Capita Greenhouse Gas Pollution Levels
Compared To Other Provinces

Saskatchewan 73.8 tonnes per person
Alberta 68.1 tonnes per person
New Brunswick 24.0 tonnes per person
Nova Scotia 22.3 tonnes per person
Yukon, NWT & Nunavut 20.0 tonnes per person
Newfoundland & Labrador 19.9 tonnes per person
Manitoba 18.1 tonnes per person
British Columbia 14.8 tonnes per person
Ontario 14.7 tonnes per person
PEI 14.1 tonnes per person
Quebec 10.6 tonnes per person

Source: National Inventory Report: The Canadian Government’s Submission
To the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 1990-2008, Part 3, April 2010.
Compilation of this table has been done by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society
using data on pages 51, 56, 60, 64, 68, 72, 77, 81, 86, 91 and 95 of Part 3 of the report.