While I do not claim to be an expert on the politics of our neighbors to the north, the more I hear, since Harper and his Harlots got the boot, the better I like it. The foul oil that comes from the tar sands is Canada’s biggest blight on the continent, so I am encouraged by good news from Alberta.
Alberta’s carbon footprint, spurred on by the tar sands industry, has been steadily growing in recent years. So when the New Democratic Party took power in a surprise victory earlier this year, environmentalists hoped it signaled a turning point for Canada’s largest oil-producing province.
On Sunday, new Alberta Premier Rachel Notely lived up to those expectations. Notely announced new pledges to limit fossil fuels in the province, by phasing out all coal power usage by 2030, imposing a carbon tax beginning in 2017, and placing a limit on carbon pollution from the tar sands industry.
“This is the day we stop denying there is an issue, and this is the day when we start doing our part,” Notley said. “Climate change is real, it is caused by human activity.”
The announcement comes after months of statements by high-ranking government officials within Alberta signaling a change in the province’s approach to carbon emissions and climate change. In June, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips promised a “new era of responsible energy development and environmental sustainability,” suggesting that the province could as much as double its carbon tax by 2017. In September, Notley also told the Guardian that the province would look to diversify its energy portfolio in the coming years, steering away from fossil fuels and towards more renewable energy sources.
In the Guardian interview, Notley emphasized greater interest in regulating the tar sands industry’s carbon emissions rather than shutting it down altogether. But the industry itself has been battered in recent months by a slew of government rejections — from Keystone XL to oil tanker traffic in British Columbia — and thousands of lost jobs due to the falling price of oil…
Inserted from <Think Progress>
My one disappointment here is that the Tar Sands need to be shut down altogether. The environmental regulations protecting Canada mean that the only place left for the industry is to ship the filth to or through our country. I hope our government will ban shipping Tar Sands sludge here.
9 Responses to “Kudos to Alberta”
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I, too, wish they would shut down the Sludge Sands all the way! Any of that foul stuff will be sent through our rail lines and tanker trucks will have a chance to accidentally spill that environmental disastrous filth on our land! That's why the KXL was turned down here. And it was one of the best things that Pres. Obama has done in his time in office!!! That was a great day when KXL got the boot!
Agreed. Particularly since, if they can't have their pipeline (as indeed they shouldn't), shipping it means by rail, which means more potential for explosions. And yes, I do live close to a RR line, and it is one that is used now for shipping oil. One major explosion with tar sands oil which killed people would probably get the country's attention – but I am not volunteering to die for it.
Portland banned them. Move here.
This is good news, but I would echo the sentiment about Tar Sands not being shut down completely. At the same time, perhaps thatmight have been too draconian an act.
Good news for Canada, probably badnews for us, with so many Repubs in Congress. They will never go up against their large contributors!
Kudos to Alberta for their stance on Climate Change. I agree, it would be best if Rachel Notely would ban tar sand exploitation altogether, but it wouldn't surprise me if the previous government of Alberta had invested heavily in that industry itself, and completely banning it and so losing its income would be a financial disaster in the short term for Alberta.
That tar sands and oil in general is a dead end street has been in the cards for years. First because the supply of oil and was running low (but they solved that with Tar Sands and fracking) then because we're destroying ourselves with its emissions. The industry have seen this coming for a very long time, but instead of spending more money on research of alternative fuels they've limited themselves to alternative fossil fuels, probably because it was cheaper all round. Now fossil fuels are about to go out the window, those greedy and shortsighted oil companies are fighting for survival when they're already terminal and given up. Amd they're wreaking havoc on the environment and on economies in their death throws. They had their chance and didn't take it, only the money, now it's up to alternative energy industries to take over. And it would be wise of Alberta's government and many others to start investing in alternative energy.
Definitely more promising than while Harper was at the helm! Thanks TC.
I'd like to see the tar sands shut down, but at least this is a good start. This is not unlike Obamacare, a good first step towards universal healthcare. It also helps that the world oil price has significantly dropped and tar sands is quickly becoming no longer financially viable resulting in massive lay offs.
Thanks all. Late. Hugs!!