a bad week to be bad on the environment in alberta.

Starting the week off with nuclear Bruce Power hiring PC campaign manager Randy Dawson as their top government relations guru, to the appointment of a pro-nuclear expert to a "neutral" nuclear study panel, to Ed Stelmach's dinner date with Greenpeace, to the completely misleading allegations by Energy Minister Mel Knight that the Sierra Club is pro-nuclear, it's been a rough week for Ed Stelmach's Tories on the environment file as they begin their million dollar re-branding campaign.

In response to the false claim that their organization supports nuclear power, the Sierra Club is demanding an apology from Energy Minister Mel Knight.

For Immediate Release
April 25th, 2008

The Sierra Club Demanding Apology to Slanderous Comments Made by Energy Minister Mel Knight

(Edmonton) On Thursday April 24th, 2008 Alberta Energy Minister Mel Knight made untruthful comments in the Alberta Legislature regarding the Sierra Club.

Minister Knight, in responding to questions from the opposition regarding the bias of his governments appointed Nuclear Energy Experts Panel, stated that “It might be very interesting for the member opposite to understand that one of the ... major forces working with respect to environmental concerns globally, the Sierra Club, runs ads in Europe in favour of nuclear energy, Mr. Speaker, in favour of nuclear energy.”

“The Sierra Club Canada in addition to the Sierra Club US have clear policies which highlight our belief that Nuclear Energy is not clean, it is not green, it is not economical and it is not a solution to climate change,” said Lindsay Telfer, Director of the Sierra Club Prairie, “The fact that our Energy Minister Mel Knight is resorting to slander in an attempt to discredit our organization is simply unacceptable. Our positions on nuclear energy are based on sound science, clear evidence and a growing body of literature on the industry’s impacts.”

The Sierra Club Canada and the Sierra Club US are the only incorporated organizations using the Sierra Club name. There is no Sierra Club counterpart in any European nation.

“We expect a public apology in the legislature in addition to a meeting with Minister Knight to clear this claim on the Alberta Record,” concluded Telfer, “we believe we can work with the Government of Alberta to develop an energy policy that meets its own stated principle to lead in the post-oil economy, and we believe we can achieve this without resorting to the risks of nuclear energy.”

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For more information contact:
Lindsay Telfer - Director, Sierra Club Prairie (780) 710-0136