“Today’s announcement is a step into the next economy but doesn’t abandon what has made Alberta successful”.
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Leach, whose organization represents mid-sized oil and gas companies, added that reducing methane emissions was one of the biggest issues for conventional oil and gas producers, along with higher energy input costs, as they try to comply with the government’s carbon policies.
Wall reiterated his concern that the Trudeau government has talked about setting a more ambitious target for emission reductions than the Harper government, which proposed last spring a 30 per cent reduction below 2005 levels by 2030 – a target Wall had already complained would be “onerous” for his province.
He says consultations on Ontario’s cap-and-trade regulations and rules are will wrap up in the spring and the first auction is expected to be in the first quarter of 2017.
He says the alternatives were more expensive, and more invasive.
The government will move to phase out the province’s coal-fired power generation by 2030.
Alberta has the world’s third largest crude reserves, but its oil sands industry is also pegged as Canada’s fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Karen Mahon, director of ForestEthics Canada, said in a statement that by establishing a price and a regulatory limit on carbon pollution, along with transitioning from coal to renewable electricity, Alberta’s plan moves the province “from climate laggard to climate leader”. “It was premature to do this before we see what other countries of the world will pledge to do” at the Paris summit on climate change, he said.
“I’m hopeful these policies will lead to a new collaborative conversation about Canada’s energy infrastructure on its merits and to a significant de-escalation of conflict worldwide about the Alberta oilsands”.
Canada is united on climate change.
“Our goal is to become one of the world’s most progressive and forward-looking energy producers”, Notley said in a speech to launch the Climate Leadership Plan.
“Responding to climate change is about doing what’s right for future generations of Albertans – protecting our jobs, health and the environment”, Rachel Notley, Alberta’s Premier, said in the press release.
The new plan also seeks to bolster Alberta’s renewable energy sector – currently, just 9 percent of the province’s electricity comes from renewable resources such as solar and wind.
Notley’s proposal will rouse an anticipated meeting in Ottawa on Monday between newly-elected prime minister Justin Trudeau and provincial leaders to strike a game plan for a United Nations climate summit next week.
Alberta’s plan includes what the government calls “achievable carbon pollution reduction measures”, while using revenues from the plan to help Alberta adapt and thrive in a lower-carbon economy.
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Federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair welcomed the Trudeau government’s new tone on climate change but warned that words have to be backed by real action. “So I think that frankly, the oil and gas industry did very well in this announcement”.
