Fears about mercury are based on facts – The Telegram

March 21, 2016

In The Telegram’s March 14 Cheers & Jeers, the Nunatsiavut government was “jeered” for coming to the conclusion that it would not be constructive to attend a meeting about mercury in Lake Melville with Nalcor Energy, to be hosted by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was assumed that not attending a meeting with Nalcor meant that the Nunatsiavut government was saying “it’s our way or the highway,” implying that such an attitude was learned from the government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nalcor.

The Nunatsiavut government does not take cues from the provincial government or Nalcor with respect to decision-making or stakeholder relations. We have stated from the beginning that we expect regulatory decisions to be based on evidence, facts and honesty — reasonable expectations in our minds. We have repeatedly shared and explained results of independent peer-reviewed research by Harvard University to both Nalcor and the province, showing that Muskrat Falls will increase mercury levels in Lake Melville. Nalcor has repeatedly told us that they will only take direction from the regulators (i.e. the provincial and federal governments), so meeting with them has proven to be unconstructive.

Read More: http://www.thetelegram.com/Opinion/Letter-to-the-editor/2016-03-21/article-4470616/Fears-about-mercury-are-based-on-facts/1