Getting to the heart of the Western energy debate – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
The federal government announced sweeping new legislation on Thursday that will govern how it will consider major energy projects. Exactly how the new legislation will affect the sector will become apparent as parliamentarians, energy companies and the public dissect and debate it. No matter what, the legislation is a step forward in the long-simmering debate over how to review a major interprovincial pipeline application. The announcement addresses the problem that has had the largest cost on the competitiveness of Canada’s energy sector.
One after another, government policies are piling on to affect the competitiveness of energy producers in Western Canada. Much attention has been paid to carbon taxes, but a lack of market…
Fenner Stewart – Oil Well Reclamation and the Redwater Decision
From: Fenner Stewart To: The Honourable Mr. Justice Clément Gascon CC: Concerned Albertans Date: February 07, 2018 Re: Oil Well Reclamation and the Redwater Decision Next week, you and other justices of the Supreme Court of Canada will begin hearing arguments in the Redwater case. Earlier rulings in this case struck down a central pillar […] Death by a Thousand Cuts? Western Canada’s Oil and Natural Gas Policy Competitiveness Scorecard
Government policies are piling on to reduce the competitiveness of energy producers in Western Canada, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In the first edition of the annual policy report card for the energy sector, “Death by a Thousand Cuts? Western Canada’s Oil and Natural Gas Policy Competitiveness Scorecard,” author Benjamin Dachis […] Kasumu, Jordaan, Li, Coleman, Liendo – The Greenhouse Gas Implications of Exporting LNG from B.C.
From: Adebola S. Kasumu, Sarah M Jordaan, Vivian Li, James W. Coleman, Jeanne Liendo To: John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia Date: January 30, 2018 Re: The Greenhouse Gas Implications of Exporting LNG from B.C. You’ve been off to Asia touting the benefits of B.C.’s liquefied natural gas (LNG). Back at home, some are questioning the environmental benefits […] Benjamin Dachis – Keep Clean Fuel Standard in Low Gear
To: The Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change From: Benjamin Dachis Date: January 18, 2018 Re: Keep Clean Fuel Standard in Low Gear In 2016, you announced plans to introduce a Clean Fuel Standard (CFS). Before going full-speed with regulations, it is worth pausing to remember that a CFS should, at most, […] Blake Shaffer – Alberta’s Renewable Auction Sets A New Low For Prices, But Tweaks Are Needed In The Future
To: Concerned Albertans From: Blake Shaffer Date: December 14, 2017 Re: Alberta’s Renewable Auction Sets a New Low for Prices, but Tweaks Are Needed in the Future The results are in, and the price is… low. At $37 per megawatt-hour, Alberta joins the trend of global renewable auctions delivering power at a fraction of the […] Dolter and Rivers – Connecting Canada with New High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission Lines
To: Canadian electricity system planners and government leaders From: Brett Dolter and Nicholas Rivers Date: December 7, 2017 Re: Connecting Canada with New High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission Lines Canada has one of the cleanest electricity sectors in the world. In 2014, Canada generated 78.4 percent of its electricity using low-carbon technologies such as hydropower plants […] Dachis, Tombe – The Full Costs of Carbon Pricing to Households
To: Canadian Consumers and Taxpayers From: Benjamin Dachis and Trevor Tombe Date: December 5, 2017 Re: The Full Costs of Carbon Pricing to Households Governments across Canada are getting serious about putting a price on emissions of carbon dioxide, which is the most cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gases. But each is taking a different approach […] Blake Shaffer – What’s the Real Deal with Keystone XL?
From: Blake Shaffer To: Concerned Canadians Date: November 21, 2017 Re: What’s the Real Deal with Keystone XL? Keystone XL – the 830,000 barrel per day pipeline to deliver heavy crude from Alberta’s oil sands to the US Midwest and Gulf Coast – just passed its last major regulatory hurdle, receiving approval from the Nebraska Public Service Commission by […] Blake Shaffer – Dam(ned) If You Do, Dam(ned) If You Don’t
From: Blake Shaffer To: John Horgan, Premier of British Columbia Date: November 3, 2017 Re: Dam(ned) if You Do, Dam(ned) if You Don’t The B.C. government has a tough decision to make. What to do about Site C? Should it continue with its 1,100-megawatt hydro project on the Peace River? Or should it walk away, despite […] Herrnstadt, Sweeney – What Lies Beneath: Pipeline Awareness and Aversion
From: Evan Herrnstadt and Richard L. Sweeney To: The Honourable Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency Date: November 1, 2017 Re: What Lies Beneath: Pipeline Awareness and Aversion According to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, new natural gas pipelines “are facing unprecedented opposition from local and national groups” despite the fact that […] Clay, Jha, Muller, and Walsh – External Costs of Transporting Petroleum Products by Pipelines and Rail
From: Karen Clay, Akshaya Jha, Nicholas Muller, and Randall Walsh To: Concerned Canadians Date: October 5, 2017 Re: External Costs of Transporting Petroleum Products by Pipelines versus Rail In the debates across North America about long-distance transportation of petroleum products, by rail and by pipeline, most of the attention has been paid to spill and accident costs. Relatively little […]