Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent announced the release of a new oil sands monitoring plan last week, saying he hoped to speed up approval of a pipeline designed to transport crude to the Gulf Coast. Kent said that the oil sands industry is willing to pay the costs of the program, a $50 million tab annually that, he said, was a small price to pay for an industry estimated to generate $80 billion next year. However, the president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said that it was "premature" to say that the industry would pick up the costs. Though he said that he hoped to see the proposed monitoring systems from the province and from Ottawa blend into one, he noted that the industry already pays for some environmental monitoring costs. Environmental groups called for greater regulation and limits, saying that projects should be curtailed until the results of monitoring are available. Kent said that the data would "prove to the world that this great resource is being developed in a responsible and a sustainable and constantly improving way," responding to mounting opposition to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. For the full story, see http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Ottawa+unveils+oilsands+monitoring+plan/5142480/story.html and http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/21/us-canada-oilsands-monitoring-idUSTRE76K71R20110721.