Oil-rich Canadian province to impose tax on carbon emissions

But she also made it clear that setting a new national tone is equally important.

Greenpeace Canada described the plan as a “historic first step” to slowing growth of pollution, but said more needed to be done by all jurisdictions to prevent risky changes to the climate. Quebec and Ontario have developed a system of cap and trade, British Columbia has a carbon tax and Alberta will now have a mixture of both systems.

Wildrose leader Brian Jean says during the election, the NDP assured Albertans higher taxes for businesses and the wealthy would be enough to solve Alberta’s fiscal situation. “So let us – industry and governments – build on what’s in place to ensure Canada can become a larger and leading supplier of responsibly produced energy to the world”.

“This plan recognizes the need for a balance between the environment and the economy”.

Canada emissions fell and are now creeping back.

Stephen Kretzmann, executive director of the environmental-advocacy group Oil Change global, said that Notley’s announcement signaled a “new day for Alberta”.

The prime minister’s get-together with the premiers, to be held in the Ottawa area, will be the first time in almost seven years that Canada’s first ministers have officially convened.

“Instead, different provinces – with their different circumstances – will be empowered to find their own best way to make their contribution and get us closer to achieving our national goal”. “Unfairly in my view, the President of the United States claimed that our production is some of the dirtiest oil in the world”. Major governments across Canada are planning to revive an ancient fiscal strategy they claim will achieve economic and policy miracles unseen in the country’s history.

Energy leaders had previously warned any onerous new costs would be disastrous for an industry under severe financial pressure.

“The framework announced will allow ongoing innovation and technology investment in the oil and natural gas sector”, said Murray Edwards, chairman of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. “Premier Notley’s new plan for Alberta is a real and vital contribution to that effort”.

An economy-wide carbon tax of CAD $20/ton will be introduced in January 2017 and rise to $30/ton in 2018.

They are pledging to make a change to alternative sources of energy, where two-thirds of the province’s power would eventually be provided by renewable energy sources such as wind power and natural gas. That still gives the controversial industry-the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions-room to grow, as it now emits 70 megatons each year.

Moreover, having Alberta, the primary oil-producing province, on side in the fight against climate change “is going to tell the world that we really are doing a lot”, Clark added.

Kudos were not universal, however.

The province is proposing rules for new facilities that it said would reduce methane emissions from oil and gas companies by 45 percent by 2025.

Calgary Alberta Premier Rachel Notley released a sweeping plan on Sunday for reducing carbon emissions.

Ontario’s Kathleen Wynne concurred: “What we’re looking for is support for the initiatives that we are taking province by province, territory by territory… not starting from scratch”.

Whatever the provinces want to do on carbon pricing is okay by Trudeau.

That message came in response to a note of caution around the collaborative table, as Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall had reminded his fellow premiers that tens of thousands of workers have been laid off across Western Canada as the low price of oil has taken its toll on the energy sector.

Some of the fund will be used to offset the accelerated shutdown of Alberta’s 18 coal-fired power plants, but there are no details how that will be done. “This unity is a departure from the past”.

Were current levels of coal burning to continue unabated through 2030, air pollution would cause more than 4,500 premature deaths and almost 16,000 hospital admissions in Alberta.