CARA CHELLEW: Aboriginal groups, environmentalists, and the media are considered to be adversaries to Canada’s oilsands industry. The news, revealed in a newly released Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade document was released to Canada’s Climate Action Network through access to information legislation.

The document outlines key goals for diplomats to promote the industry as well as lobbying against foreign climate change policies. Listed allies include energy companies, industry associations, and various government departments, like Natural Resources Canada, Environment Canada and the Privy Council Office. Also listed as an ally is the National Energy Board, which is supposed to be an independent federal regulator that monitors and regulates industry activity. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): A former employee of ForestEthics, a Canadian environmental group, is accusing the Prime Minister’s Office of threatening Tides Canada, the charitable organization that gives ForestEthics its funding. The claims come from Andrew Frank, who worked as the senior communications manager at ForestEthics until he was dismissed earlier this week over his plans to go public with his allegations. According to a sworn statement by Frank, the Prime Minister’s Office told Ross McMillan, CEO of Tides Canada, that it considered ForestEthics to be an “enemy of the state”.

ForestEthics is one of several groups campaigning against the Northern Gateway pipeline project. Frank claims that the PMO threatened to withdraw funding from all of Tides Canada’s projects if the organization did not stop funding ForestEthics. The Prime Minister’s Office denied making any of the statements referenced in Andrew Frank’s report. Tides Canada also responded to the claims, writing that Frank’s “account of our conversations with government is inaccurate.” [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Environment Minister Peter Kent has again refused to issue an emergency order to protect the woodland caribou. The species faces extirpation from large parts of their range especially in Alberta’s oilsands regions. Kent originally decided the woodland caribou did not face an imminent threat but Federal Court Justice Peter Crampton ordered him to revisit the decision because it seemed to counter scientific evidence.

This week, after six months of silence, environmental lawyers representing affected aboriginal bands filed a request with the court to force the minister to comply with the judge’s ruling. Unknown to the lawyers, Kent had made a decision on the matter two weeks ago on January 13 but did not publicize the information. Kent’s formal reasons for rejecting emergency protection will be posted soon but he believes the caribou are in sustainable population groups in vast areas of the country. Allowing herds to die out in some places damages the entire population warns caribou biologist Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): This week the federal government moved one step further with plans to bury nuclear waste at two sites in Ontario. The Department of Natural Resources is seeking an independent scientific review of Atomic Energy Canada’s proposal to bury low- and intermediate-level atomic waste in a repository two miles north of Ottawa. Meanwhile, Environment Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission have announced a joint review of a proposal to bury nuclear waste deep under the Bruce Nuclear Generation Station close to Lake Huron.

The buried waste would range from industrial garbage contaminated with low levels of radiation to the medium-level atomic byproducts of research and reactor operations. The burial of spent reactor fuel, which is extremely radioactive, would not be allowed. At the moment, most of the radioactive rubbish is stored aboveground at Ontario’s nuclear plants. If the plan passes the scientific assessment the waste will be buried 500 to 1,000 metres deep in tectonically stable bedrock. [ index ]

CARA CHELLEW: Local developers are trying to stop the National Capital Commission’s plan to increase Ottawa’s Greenbelt. Over the next 50 years, the commission wants to expand the Greenbelt by 10% or 2400 hectares by protecting nearby natural areas. The plan would also discourage new developments along routes that cut through the Greenbelt.

John Herbert, executive director of the Ottawa Builders’ Association, criticized the decision, saying there is a shortage of development land but no shortage of green space. Critics also fear if the plan is approved, it will put more pressure to intensify Ottawa’s urban areas. [ index ]

CHRIS GUSEN (read by Ariel Rabinovitch): Environment Minister Peter Kent announced today that Parks Canada will move forward with a plan to reintroduce wild bison into Banff National Park. The bison population has made a comeback since they were hunted to near extinction in the 19th century but they are still not widely distributed in the wild. There is a herd of bison at Banff, but they are contained in a “buffalo paddock” that is fenced off from the National Park.

Last year, an organization called the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation presented a proposal to reintroduce the bison into the wild. Now that Parks Canada is onboard, the plan will officially move forward. The first step will be a public consultation process to determine the logistics and implications of releasing the herd. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: A recent report commissioned by Chris Huhne, the Secretary of Energy and Climate in the UK reveals that moving to a tougher target on greenhouse gasses across Europe would actually not be as difficult as people think. Business thinktanks and lobbyists have been naysaying the potential for a cross-European target; but the report shows that , if Europe were to set tougher goals, it would save money in the long run.

The hope is to raise the goal to a 25% cut; which could save 20 billion euros annually. It would cost approximately 0.5% of the GDP of countries across Europe to meet a 30% target by 2020, which is much less than what was previously forecast; and does not take into account potential benefits like the development of a green economy. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: On Tuesday, President Obama’s State of the Union speech confirmed the United States has plans to impose new regulations on frakking. Frakking, the shale gas drilling method, is as common as it is controversial. In his speech, Obama talked about expanding domestic natural gas production through safer development and tougher regulations on frakking operations taking place on public lands. [ index ]

VANESSA PURDY: This week, Germany’s solar subsidy program will be in development. Lawmakers have been debating the support for developers in the solar energy market. Germany’s Environment Minister, Norbert Roettgen, is seeking to increase the frequency of subsidy cuts; whereas their Economy Minister, Phillip Roesler, has proposed a cap on clean energy support to curb costs. If his cut goes through, it could bring solar and other renewable energy source development to a standstill. [ index ]