Alberta premier proposes carbon tax, emissions cap to fight climate change

“Alberta’s new climate strategy, combined with a new federal government that is a true climate change partner for the provinces and territories, positions Canada to enter the Paris conference with a united voice”.

The Wall Street Journal adds that Notley described U.S. President Barrack Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline a “kick in the teeth” and a wake-up call for the province to improve its environmental protection.

In 2007, Alberta became the first North American jurisdiction to put a price on carbon- demonstrating that it could be a leader in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The government has said some of the new revenue will be used to provide a rebate to the bottom 60 per cent of income earners in the form of a credit.

A hard cap on Alberta oil sands emissions is set at 100 megatonnes per year.

In the short term, renewable electricity – mostly wind power – will replace two-thirds of the electricity now produced by coal-fired power generation in Alberta’s electricity supply mix, with natural gas making up baseload power supply.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a particular goal in mind – he wants to nail down a national plan to take down greenhouse gas emissions before an global climate change summit later this month.

“WWF Canada is pleased to see the progressive steps proposed by Alberta’s climate change advisory panel”.

As for the carbon tax, it will start at $20 per tonne in January 2017 and increase to $30 the following year.

But the government has changed, and in Alberta at least tar sands extractors will meet some tough times. “Collective will is what moves the needle on major issues like climate change”, said David Suzuki Foundation CEO Peter Robinson. They are proud to have worked with leading environmental organizations to better understand each other’s views and recommend solutions for the oil and natural gas industry that helped inform the policy. But one of the biggest players in the industry – Imperial Oil – says it isn’t ready to voice its support just yet.

Notley promised to work in co-operation with companies that generate, regulate and distribute electricity in Alberta to help east the burden of their transition away from coal, and she also pledged to make sure power prices remain stable for consumers.

In announcing the plan Sunday, Premier Rachel Notley said one option the government may consider further down the road is using a portion of the carbon tax to pay down the provincial debt.

Long criticized as a source for “dirty oil” because most of the reserves are heavy bitumen deposits found in the province’s oil sands, Alberta’s left-leaning government created an unlikely partnership between oil industry executives, indigenous leaders and prominent environmentalists to forge the accord. “It enables Alberta to be a leader, not only in climate policy, but also in technology, innovation, collaborative solutions and energy development”.