Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said Wednesday his government will compare newly published data from the University of Alberta with research already done by government scientists on the impact of oilsands development on the Athabasca River.
In his first public comments about the results since they were released Monday, Stelmach said he respects study co-author David Schindler and his research and believes scientists should compare methods and statistics to see where the differences lie.
"We have been studying
monitoring the water in the Athabasca River since the oilsands first began. So we have a good baseline study and we can work from there," Stelmach said Wednesday at Government House in Edmonton. "In this particular case, we will compare the data and come to a conclusion. If it means that we have to do something more, we will."
While he was confident in his government's statistics, Stelmach said, a review should be done in the face of new contradictory information. "So, I'm saying, don't discount the data from a respected water scientist," he said. "Let's come together and share the information."
EDIT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/09/01/edmonton-stelmach-oilsands-water-study.html
IOW, "Let's study this some more." Sounds familiar . . .