Dr Eric Newell has been appointed chair of the newly struck Expert Panel on Understanding the Potential Impacts of Energy Technologies on the Oil Sands Development. The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) panel was requested by Natural Resources Canada to answer the question: How could new and existing technologies be used to reduce the environmental footprint of oil sands development on air, water, and land? Newell currently serves as chair of Climate Change and Emissions Management Corp, which is responsible for investing money collected by Alberta's emissions reductions regulations to improve the province's ability to adapt to climate change. He is also board chair for Alberta Innovates - Energy and Environment Solutions. Newell is a former chancellor of the Univ of Alberta and former chairman and CEO of Syncrude….