Buffalo Lake plan faces new review

Buffalo Lake plan faces new review By ADRIENNE TANNER of The Advocate The controversial Buffalo Lake stabilization plan faces yet another environmental review — this time by the federal gov­ernment. Glen Hopky, a habitat biolo­gist at the federal Fresh Water Institute in Winnipeg, said the Fisheries and Oceans Depart­ment is screening the project, which proposes drawing water from the Red Deer River to sta­bilize Buffalo Lake. By law, the department must review all projects which could potentially affect fish habitat. Projects deemed to have signifi­cant environmental impact are then put before a full federal environmental review panel. " There are fish in the Red Deer River and in Buffalo Lake," Mr. Hopky said. The federal Transportation Department will also be in­volved in the screening. Mr. Hopky said a wide range of information, including a provincially- commissioned envi­ronmental impact study, will be used to assess the province's plans. Just as was the case with the Oldman dam, the federal envi­ronmental review on the Buf­falo Lake project is being con­ducted separately from all provincial reviews. And, once again, the federal review is judging a project which already has the province's blessing. A provincially- appointed three- member environmental review panel approved the Buf­falo Lake proposal Tuesday. And Alberta Environment Minister Ralph Klein said chances are good the $ 13- million project will go ahead. The province will likely allo­cate $ 1 million for engineering studies this year and complete the project next year, he said. New Democrat environment critic John Mclnnis said the two levels of government should have held a joint environmental review. " It doesn't make sense to have two reviews." Taxpayers will ultimately foot the bill to duplicate what's al­ready been done, he said. Rocky Mountain House envi­ronmentalist Dr. Martha Kos­tuch, who led the fight against the Oldman dam and opposes the Buffalo Lake project, said this time the province should wait for the outcome of the fed­eral review before starting work. " My hope is they ( the prov­ince) have learned a lesson and will not persist in breaking the law."