EDMONTON - A spokesman with the Canadian Energy Research Institute says the latest report by Greenpeace on the Alberta oilsands uses some unfair comparisons.
The report, by journalist Andrew Nikiforuk, says that by 2020, the oilsands will produce more greenhouse gas emissions than countries such as Belgium, Ireland and Denmark.
David McColl, a research director with the Calgary-based institute, says it's like comparing apples and oranges.
He says unlike those European countries, Canada is a producer of raw materials, such as energy, so naturally greenhouse gas emissions would be higher.
The Greenpeace report also blasts the cost of carbon capture and storage technology, saying it could cost taxpayers up to $3 billion per year over the next 20 years.
Scott Hennig, a spokesman with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says he thinks it was a bad decision by the Alberta government to continue funding for $2 billion worth of carbon capture and storage projects when it's faced with a large deficit.
