Feds to phase out coal-fired electricity by 2030

While he believes the government should spend money on research and technology to find ways to reduce coal emissions, Campbell also said the fossil fuel should continue to be a major player in power generation. Parliament last month ratified the Paris agreement to curb climate-warming emissions, bolstering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s bid to tackle climate change after a decade of inaction by the previous government.

The federal government said that it is working closely with provinces and territories to finalize the plan at the First Ministers’ Meeting, in December.

Wall wrote on his Facebook page Saturday “that a carbon tax was not the right approach before (Donald) Trump’s election and it is definitely NOT the right approach now”. “So that is a large amount of money that we could be investing in our communities”.

“Eliminating coal-fired power in Canada and around the world is one of the world’s best opportunity to improve air quality and fight climate change”, Pembina Institute executive director Ed Whittingham said in a release.

An environmental professor at the University of Saskatchewan Greg Poelzer said he wasn’t surprised by the Liberals decision.

The Canadian government has committed to accelerating the phase-out of coal power in favor of clean energy, including building smart, renewable electricity systems to deliver affordable power where it’s needed most.

“It will be challenging for voters who are progressive”, he added.

“We’re not going outside of the province and that’s what the plan is at this point, to keep it as an inside Nova Scotia solution, a solution that’s not going to be affecting people at the gas pumps or in their home heating oil”. This is in addition to the 10 megatonnes that Alberta’s early phase-out of coal represents.

But as President-elect Donald Trump looks to refire the ailing USA coal industry when he steps into the Oval Office, Canada now has plans to phase its own coal power out.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Monday the country would phase out traditional coal power by 2030, an acceleration of existing measures that the government says affects four facilities in Canada not already facing retrofit or shutdown by then.

Nonetheless, Campbell said the government has not consulted the association but he said he would be happy to work with the government on a strategy.

Hamilton said in a phone interview that the coal industry was not “cost-effective” and implied that there was little public policy could do about the industry’s trajectory.