Albertans becoming wary of coal-fired electricity, want coal plants phased-out
Although Alberta is home to a growing renewable energy market—particularly in wind power—and has been working with private companies to develop clean-coal technology, many experts say that the prospects of Alberta significantly reducing the role of coal-fired electricity in overall production any time soon remains slim. Dave Butler, executive director for the Canadian Clean […]
No time for climate policy delay: IEA
Despite rapid growth in renewable energy deployment in the coming years, further policies are needed now for the world to have a fighting chance at holding global warming to two degrees Celsius, says the International Energy Agency. IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven said that policy uncertainty continues to be the challenge to […]
Canada ‘underselling’ renewable energy sector, say policy experts
Alberta’s oilsands continue to overshadow the renewable energy sector because the federal government doesn’t have a strategy for non- and low-emitting energy generation and is “underselling” renewables in Canada, say experts. “[O]ne of the things we’re missing in Canada, is that we’re not taking our renewable energy industry seriously and we’re not seeing the […]
Aglukkaq’s commitment to environment questionable, say critics
Leona Aglukkaq has yet to make a public statement as Environment Minister since she was appointed to the file in July, and some critics are concerned that her appointment signals a continuation of vague commitments and partisan attacks that have defined the national environmental debate in recent years. After years of intensely partisan debate over […]
Alberta stuck on coal as energy source continues to loom large in province’s energy, export sectors
As most provinces within Canada work to distance themselves from the use of coal-fired power plants for electricity production, the Alberta government is staying the course—for now—as the ancient energy source continues to account for nearly half of all electricity generated on the provincial grid. Coal mining for export to foreign markets is also […]
Natural Resources Minister Oliver defends strategy to promote Canadian oil abroad
Joe Oliver could be on the move in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s looming Cabinet shuffle, but he’s standing by the aggressive approach that the government has taken to promoting Canadian oil abroad in his two years as Natural Resources minister. The rookie MP and retired investment banker has taken a hardball approach to pitching […]
NEB gets stronger penalties for non-compliant pipeline operators
The National Energy Board now has the power to level daily fines on pipeline operators for regulatory non-compliance, but critics of the federal government’s approach to oil and gas development are questioning whether or not the energy agency has the ability to follow through on the tough new regulations. The new rules, which came […]
Inuit groups reject calls for end to Arctic oil and gas activity
Leaders representing Canada’s Inuit at the national and international level are calling for a cautionary approach to oil and gas development in the Arctic and rejecting a Greenpeace-led campaign demanding a ban on offshore drilling and a moratorium on onshore hydrocarbon extraction in the region. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the Inuit Circumpolar Council […]
Moves to overhaul provincial energy sector regulations in Alberta raises some concerns
Alberta Energy Minister Ken Hughes says the decision to establish the Alberta Energy Regulator, a single regulatory body in the resource-rich province, makes sense for a number of reasons—most notably by making the system more efficient. But Keith Wilson, a property rights lawyer and policy chair of the Alberta Landowners Council, says he believes […]
Canada should look at domestic energy markets first before worrying about U.S. protectionism, says Senator Neufeld
British Columbia Conservative Senator Richard Neufeld, chair of the Senate Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, says charges of energy market protectionism south of the border may be overstated and the U.S. appetite for oil and Canadian electricity will continue to be strong for decades, adding that it’s just a matter of time before the Keystone […]
