XPost: can.politics, edm.general, ab.politics   
   XPost: bc.politics   
   From: "@nyet.ca   
      
   Edmonton Journal - May 23, 2014   
      
      
   Albertans want strong action on climate change: poll   
      
   World is watching new monitoring agency, environment minister says   
      
      
   EDMONTON - The Alberta government should listen to the large majority   
   that is calling for strong action on climate change — not just the   
   intense closed-door lobbying effort by oil industry, says the Pembina   
   Institute.   
      
   A new poll by Ipsos-Reid shows that 76 per cent of Albertans want to see   
   tough action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas   
   industry, says the Pembina’s Simon Dyer.   
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   Only six per cent were opposed.   
      
   â€œIt’s clear Albertans think we can have strong climate legislation   
   and a robust energy industry,” said Dyer.   
      
   â€œThe government has a strong mandate to act.”   
      
   Instead, thanks to oil-industry lobbying in the past 12 months, the   
   government has watered down its proposals to replace the current levy on   
   excess greenhouse gases, said Dyer.   
      
   The levy — $15-a-tonne on emissions that exceed a required 12-per-cent   
   reduction per barrel — expires in September. Talks are underway for   
   new regulations expected this fall.   
      
   Under the latest proposal, the levy would double to $30 on emissions   
   that exceed a required 24-per-cent reduction per barrel — dubbed the   
   â€œdouble-double” plan.   
      
   That’s weaker than proposals made last year for a $40-a-tonne levy and   
   40-per- cent reduction in emissions per barrel, said Dyer.   
      
   The “double-double” proposal is low cost to industry — an   
   estimated five to eight cents a barrel — according to recent analysis,   
   Dyer noted.   
      
   â€œThere is wide support for this, there’s no economic downside, so   
   let’s get it done,” said Dyer, adding he’d like to see an   
   escalator in the plan.   
      
   Environment Minister Robin Campbell said the province must improve its   
   environmental performance in the oilsands to meet international   
   expectations.   
      
   â€œWe know that everyone watches what we do in Alberta,” said   
   Campbell   
   at the official startup of the province’s new arm’s-length   
   monitoring agency that will track pollution levels in air, water and on   
   land.   
      
   The new agency “will look at the oilsands but also the refineries east   
   of Edmonton that people have lots of questions about,” said Campbell,   
   adding that its $50-million budget is not necessarily a hard cap.   
      
   The Alberta Monitoring, Evaluating and Reporting Agency, headed by   
   former environment minister Lorne Taylor, will provide scientific data   
   on pollution levels across the province. It will make no recommendations   
   for action; that’s up to Alberta Environment.   
      
   Greg Stringham, spokesman for the Canadian Association of Petroleum   
   Producers, said the new monitoring agency is a critical step to improve   
   environmental performance in oilsands by providing “credible,   
   transparent data” on pollution levels that will lead to action.   
      
   â€œAbsolutely it is. That’s how this works,” said Stringham.   
      
   â€œWe want to know what the trends are, then you can react, find out   
   what’s causing it and what needs to be done (to reduce the   
   pollution),” he said.   
      
   Stringham said it’s not yet decided whether the provincial agency will   
   replace the Joint Oilsands Monitoring (JOSM) agency set up by the   
   federal government three years ago.   
      
   CAPP would like to see the federal government continue to have a role in   
   environmental monitoring, he said.   
      
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