GREY:MGMCF - Post by User
Post by
gregoooon Sep 07, 2010 2:59pm
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Post# 17420986
NEB
NEB
Hopefully this doesn't delay their approval of the MVP-politics suck.
CALGARY - The panel that reviewed the Mackenzie natural 
pipeline is refusing to discuss its recommendations with Ottawa behind closed doors.
Letters exchanged between the Joint Review Panel's chair and an Industry official suggest the two sides are at odds over whether a so-called "consult to modify" process should be kept confidential.
In December the federally appointed Joint Review Panel handed down a lengthy report with 176 recommendations after several years of work.
Environmentalists praised the panel for doing a thorough, transparent job, even though there were many complaints about how long the process took.
The federal government must consult with the panel on recommendations it has either chosen to reject or modify, but the legislation does not spell out how such talks should take place.
In one letter, chair Robert Hornal says the panel won't look at the government's response if it won't be made public, as it represents a "fundamental breach" of the review's basic principles.
© The Canadian Press, 2005