Tag Archives: UCP

Alberta Grants Third Deadline Extension to Struggling ‘Foreign-Funded Radicals’ Panel

The Alberta government has given an inquiry into the funding of oil and gas industry critics a third deadline extension to complete its report.

The inquiry headed by Steve Allen was to have completed the report by Sunday.

Late last Friday, the United Conservative government released an order-in-council amending the inquiry’s deadline to May 31, The Canadian Press reports.

“Cabinet has granted the commissioner’s request for an extension to ensure he is able to complete a comprehensive investigation into a possible well-funded foreign campaign aimed at discrediting the province’s energy sector,” Peter Brodsky, press secretary for Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, wrote in an email.

“Cabinet allowed the extension to ensure that potential participants have a fair opportunity to provide input.”

Brodsky said no additional funds will be provided to complete the inquiry.

Premier Jason Kenney and his government contend that foreign interests have long been bankrolling campaigns against Canadian fossil fuel development. But the province had previously dialled back expectations for the panel’s results, one of its most venerable charitable foundations had found its claims “undemocratic” and “unfounded”, and extensive research from within the Alberta oilpatch has already debunked the wild assumptions on which the inquiry was based.

Allan, a forensic accountant, was tapped in 2019 to lead the public inquiry with an initial budget of $2.5 million and a July 2020 deadline.

Last summer, Allan was given a four-month extension and a $1-million budget increase.

In October, the inquiry got another 90-day extension, but no new money.

Savage must publish the final report within 90 days of receiving it.

Earlier Friday, the Opposition NDP called on the government to immediately release the results of the “overdue, over-budget, scandal-tainted, not-so-public inquiry” once it’s received.

“Albertans have waited long enough to hear back from this kangaroo court,” energy critic Kathleen Ganley said in a statement.

She noted that thousands of energy sector workers are without a job, projects have been cancelled, investment has fled, and new U.S. President Joe Biden has cancelled the Alberta-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline expansion.

Environmental law group Ecojustice filed a lawsuit in November 2019 that alleged the inquiry was politically motivated, biased, and outside provincial jurisdiction. Late last year, Ecojustice lost a court bid to have Allan’s work paused until there was a ruling in the lawsuit.

Eleven groups and individuals were granted standing to be a “participant for commentary” before the inquiry, but their identities are not being disclosed.

Participants were provided reading material, including links to reports commissioned by the inquiry that contained passages denying or downplaying the broad scientific consensus around human-caused climate change. Those materials no longer appear to be on the website.

One commissioned report, by University of Calgary political scientist Barry Cooper, argued that philanthropic foundations have been captured by ideological environmental activists. It mentioned “growing scientific skepticism regarding the so-called consensus view regarding anthropogenic climate change” and “apocalyptic” and “alarmist” “rhetoric” around the issue.

Another report the inquiry requested from T.L. Nemeth contended there was a “transnational global movement” afoot to replace the current capitalist world order with “a new global low-carbon, net-zero civilization.” In it, the author suggested climate change is not due to human activity, but natural phenomena, and that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, but “a gas essential to all life on Earth.”

The inquiry said on its website that the reports were meant to “obtain perspectives” from participants and didn’t represent any findings or positions it has taken. Allan does not consider the science of climate change to be part of the inquiry’s mandate, the website originally said.

Those comments were part of the same section that appears to have been taken down.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published January 29, 2021.

This article was reprinted with permission from The Energy Mix.

Related information

Climate-change denial, bias, and a Marxist under every bed of leaves characterize papers commissioned by energy campaigns inquiry

Alberta Coal Expansion Plan Raises Flags Over Past Toxic Contamination, Missed Monitoring

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Coalspur mine / Facebook

EDMONTON — Critics are asking why Alberta Environment has been sitting on years’ worth of data about pollution from coal mines while the government considers a dramatic expansion of the industry.

“It raises some important questions about our ability to trust what’s going on,” said New Democrat environment critic Marlin Schmidt. “The fact (Alberta Environment) hasn’t reported publicly is extremely concerning.”

On Monday, The Canadian Press reported on analysis of coal mine contamination in the Gregg and McLeod Rivers and Luscar Creek near Jasper, Alberta, dating back to the 1990s. It found toxic levels of selenium many times over the amount considered safe for aquatic life, CP says.

The Gregg and Luscar Creek mines closed in the early 2000s. Selenium levels from both declined, at best, only gradually over more than 15 years of remediation.

In the case of the Cheviot mine on the McLeod River, levels gradually grew between 2005 and 2017. The operation closed last June.

The data also shows the provincial government knew about the levels for at least 15 years and did not report anything after 2006. The information was available in raw form, but Schmidt said it isn’t enough to simply collect information.

“There are numbers and then there are the numbers that the stories tell. That’s the piece that’s missing.”

The New Democrats were in power for four of those years. Schmidt said sitting on the information is worse now because Alberta is going through a wrenching debate over the present government’s plans to expand the industry by opening up the Rocky Mountains to open-pit, mountaintop coal mines—an option that did not exist under the NDP.

“This data’s relevance is more important now,” he said.

Alberta Environment has pointed out that the raw data has always been public. Spokesperson John Muir promised the province would soon release its own report on water downstream of coal mines.

Lack of action shows that monitoring often promised by industry and government as new projects are considered isn’t enough, said Katie Morrison of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

“On those rivers we’re seeing that monitoring hasn’t been enough to actually control selenium. We just continue to promise monitoring. We didn’t see action to bring those selenium numbers down.”

A 2006 provincial report found that selenium was already harming fish. As well, a 2005 published study co-authored by provincial scientists found rainbow trout were suffering facial and skeletal deformities from selenium.

The province has recently sold about 1.4 million hectares of coal exploration leases. Hundreds of drill sites and kilometres of new roads have already been permitted on previously unmined mountainsides. One new coal mine, Benga Mining’s Grassy Mountain project in the Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta, is before a joint federal-provincial review.

The information on the old coal mines shows what’s at issue for new ones, said Morrison.

“Those stakes are really high,” she told CP. Selenium release “has been happening other places and they have not been able to get the selenium under control.”

Benga says a new method should allow the mine to treat 99% of its selenium. As well, the mine has been designed to minimize contact between water and selenium-bearing rocks, the company says.

Morrison said that treatment is still unproven. She said if its efficiency falls to even 90%, selenium levels in nearby streams will cross thresholds safe for aquatic life.

Morrison said her group produced expert testimony at the Benga hearings suggesting the company doesn’t have a convincing long-term plan for controlling selenium long into the future.

“We have not seen that technology work at the scale that we’ll need it to or with the amount of selenium we’re likely to see.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published January 26, 2021

Reprinted from The Energy Mix with permission

Keystone XL legal risks highlight dangers of putting investors before climate change

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Kyla Tienhaara, Queen’s University, Ontario

The chickens have come home to roost for Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Kenney bet around $1.5 billion of public money on a very risky prospect — the highly controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

U.S. President Joe Biden, to the surprise of no one but Kenney, followed through on an election promise and cancelled a key permit for the pipeline on the first day of his administration. Now the premier is scrambling for a way to recoup some of Alberta’s losses, and he sees a trade agreement as offering some hope.

The former North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) contained a chapter on investment that allowed foreign investors to sue governments in international arbitration. The owner of Keystone XL — TC Energy (previously TransCanada) — used NAFTA to launch a US$15 billion lawsuit in 2016 after President Barack Obama cancelled the project.

At the time, some legal experts thought the company had a reasonable chance of winning. We will never know, because the case was dropped when President Donald Trump indicated he was willing to let the project proceed.

Donald Trump flanked by other lawmakers in the Oval Office of the White House. — President Donald Trump approves a permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline on Mar. 24, 2017.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

This time may be different if TC Energy chooses to proceed with a claim. NAFTA has been replaced by a new agreement — the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Unlike NAFTA, USMCA does not permit Canadian investors to sue the U.S. government (or American investors to sue the Canadian government).

Legacy claims for investments that had occurred prior to the USMCA coming into force are permitted until 2023. But TC Energy’s claim may now be weaker because the permit issued by the Trump administration explicitly stated that it could be rescinded, essentially at the president’s whim.

Nevertheless, many investors have proceeded with claims on the basis of much weaker cases. Investors bet on positive outcomes in arbitration, as much as they bet on governments not taking action to halt catastrophic climate change. This is because the anticipated rewards, in both instances, are high.

Risky business

One example of an incredibly dubious investor claim is the one launched by Westmoreland Mining Holdings against Canada in 2018. Ironically, this case concerns action that the previous Alberta government took to address climate change.

Alberta’s 2015 Climate Leadership Plan included a provincial phaseout of coal power, which left Westmoreland — an American coal mining firm — without a future market for its coal. The company is arguing that Alberta’s failure to provide Westmoreland with “transition payments,” like those that power companies received, is a breach of NAFTA.

The case is ongoing and outcomes of arbitration are very difficult to predict. But it demonstrates a concerning trend, as do other cases that have emerged in Europe.

Fossil fuel companies have been well aware of the damage their industry causes for decades, yet they have exerted substantial efforts to try to slow climate action. They have taken bets on risky investments in the hopes that governments would continue to dither as the planet burns. Now that climate action is starting to ramp up, they want to be “compensated” for their losses.

A news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House — President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, announces he’s rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline because he does not believe it serves the national interest, on Nov. 6, 2015.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

A global problem

Climate activists may be tempted to dismiss the threat that investment treaties pose to action on climate change. After all, the Canadian and U.S. governments have the resources to rigorously defend themselves in arbitration and they often win. Indeed, the U.S. has never lost a case. Furthermore, governments already subsidize the industry to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars per year, so is a few more billion in “compensation” really going to make much of a difference?

The problem is that climate change is a global issue and so too is the coverage of investment treaties. Many of the fossil fuel reserves that need to stay in the ground and assets that need to be stranded in order for us to remain below 1.5C of warming are in the Global South.

Number and percentage of foreign-owned coal plants protected by at least one treaty with investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in place, by host state.
(Kyla Tienhaara and Lorenzo Cotula), Author provided

For example, a large number of planned and newly operating coal-fired power plants are in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam. A recent study found that many of these plants are protected by investment treaties. These countries have fewer resources for fighting claims and a much poorer record of success in arbitration.

A real concern is that even the threat of a big investor claim could be enough to dissuade one of these governments from taking action to phase out coal.

A global solution

We need climate action to happen everywhere, not just in the countries where governments can afford to fight legal challenges. This is one of the reasons why many are calling for radical reform or complete abolition of international investment treaties.

In Europe, campaigners are making headway on efforts to remove protection for fossil fuel investments from the Energy Charter Treaty. Countries like South Africa are pushing for investment treaties to be aligned with the Paris Agreement and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Researchers have also suggested that the problems with investment treaties could be addressed with a Global Green New Deal.

In the meantime, the Canadian public should make it clear to TC Energy and Jason Kenney that they should drop any plans to pursue a legal challenge, and own up to the fact that they alone are responsible for their own poor investment decisions.

Kyla Tienhaara, Canada Research Chair in Economy and Environment, Queen’s University, Ontario

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Coal Mining in the Oldman River Watershed: What is happening and what are the long-term impacts?

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There is significant interest in establishing metallurgical coal mining operations throughout the eastern slopes of Alberta. The areas residing within the Oldman watershed are no exception. Currently, there are four companies exploring potential mining operations in the region. All of the currently proposed coal mines are open-pit “mountain top removal” mines and are located in the Crowsnest Pass area. Coal mining exploration is also happening along the Livingstone Range and in the Bighorn area west of Red Deer.

On May 15, 2020, the Government of Alberta announced it was rescinding the long-standing provincial Coal Policy, which was implemented by the Peter Lougheed Government in 1976. Since then, Crown coal rights have been sold on land where coal mining was previously not considered, in order to protect the watershed and wildlife. Coal companies are currently building roads and drilling exploratory holes to better understand the value of the coal to their business.

Of the four companies currently exploring the Oldman watershed, the Riversdale/Benga Grassy Mountain Coal Project is furthest along in the approval process. Benga’s Environmental Impact Assessment and Joint Review Panel public hearings are complete. The Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) participated in the public hearings last fall and has been sharing information publicly and with elected officials to support informed decision making. The speaker will detail what is currently happening in the Oldman watershed with regards to coal mines and what the long-term impacts of coal mining are likely to be.

Speaker: Shannon Frank, Executive Director of the Oldman Watershed Council

Prior to becoming the Executive Director of the Oldman Watershed Council in 2011, Shannon Frank completed her Environmental Science degree at University of Lethbridge. She previously worked for MULTISAR (Multiple Species at Risk) as the Extension Coordinator supporting agricultural producers with habitat restoration projects and leading youth education activities.

YouTube Live link: https://youtu.be/eXBxya2-fwQ

In order to ask questions of our speaker in the chat feature of YouTube, you must have a YouTube account and be signed in. Please do so well ahead of the scheduled start time, so you’ll be ready. Go the YouTube Live link provided in this session flyer and on the top right of your browser click the “sign in” button. If you have Google or Gmail accounts, they can be used to sign in. If you don’t, click “Create Account” and follow along. Once you are signed in, you can return to the live stream and use the chat feature to ask your questions of the speaker. Remember you can only participate in the chat feature while we are livestreaming.

Link to SACPA’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFUQ5mUHv1gfmMFVr8d9dNA

For further info visit the SACPA website: http://www.sacpa.ca

Protect Our Parks – Edmonton

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2020 has been a crazy year to say the least. I am honoured by the amount of support that this event has raised and delighted to see just how many people want to stand up for our provincial parks.

This fight is only just beginning. We now have the official opposition taking a stand for our parks with their \"Don\'t go breaking my Parks\" campaign, along with the CPAWs \"Defend Alberta Parks\" cause. This issue is only being brought further into the spotlight here in Alberta.

I understand that many of you will be disappointed by the prolonging of the date for this event again but for multiple reasons we just are not ready to make it happen. The government recently passed a new bill that makes protesting more dangerous and more difficult. For this reason among others, including COVID-19, we will be postponing the event once again. This will no doubt frustrate many if you who just want to stand up for this cause.

I promise you however, that this event will happen this winter, and when it does, we will make a big impact. Myself and the other admins will once again be working to plan this event and gather a diverse group public speakers from conservation and recreation backgrounds. I too am disappointed that this is once again postponed, but it will all be worth it when this eventually happens.

If you know of someone who is qualified and willing to speak at this event, please send me a private message.

One other change to this event is that we will now allow targeted signs to the UCP that explain why this \"Parks Optimization\" plan is bad for Albertans and bad for our ecology. We do ask however, that we keep it \"kid friendly\" and refrain from any extreme vulgar language. If you, like many of us, see the obvious connection between Parks closures in the Rocky Mountains and the cancellation of the Coal Policy, feel free to speak up on that issue as well. It is very obvious that the government wants to dissolve parks status and then allow coal mining in the Livingstone Range and the Bighorn area. SPEAK UP ON THIS!

I thank you for your continued understanding and support.

Get dressed up in your best skiing, climbing, or hiking gear and come down to the Edmonton Legislature Grounds to protest the proposed changes to our Alberta Parks! We are hosting a peaceful and apolitical protest to fight the proposed budget cuts. We want this event to be about our parks, not our parties.

The Alberta government is planning to fully or partially close 20 provincial parks. In the process of doing this 164 sites will be removed from provincial designation and left vulnerable to third party management.

These closures are accompanied by campground fee increases and cuts to services, such as trail maintenance in many prominent cross country skiing areas.

As Albertans, we are privileged to have access to some of the most beautiful and well maintained natural spaces in the world. Environment Minister Jason Nixon says that Alberta can no longer support the \"retail\" side of parks. Nixon has not confirmed whether the 16,000 Hectares proposed by this movement will be sold off, and has asserted that conservation will still be the main priority. However, the proposed changes leave these sites vulnerable, and the future of our parks uncertain. If the Government can threaten 16,000 acres of parkland within their first year of power, imagine the losses that can occur in the next three years.

We believe that everyone should have access to these spaces and we want to make our voices HEARD. We are hosting a peaceful protest in order to bring awareness to this issue. Please join us on March 29th to respectfully share your story of why these natural spaces are important to you and why we should always continue to protect them. In doing this we hope to raise awareness regarding the cruciality of protecting our parks while directing people to forms of action.

Please get in touch with us, if you would like to share your story about why the parks are important to YOU!

FOR THE LOVE OF OUR PARKS!
#protectourparksalberta #protectalbertaparks

some notes-

If you are planning to bring a sign, please make sure to avoid \"political bashing\" and make a sign on recyclable materials. some suggestions for slogans are: we love Alberta parks, protect our parks and don\'t leave us in the dark about our parks.
-this event will go on snow or shine, please be prepared to be outside and bring what you need to be comfortable for an extended period of time (i.e food, water, warm clothes, chairs etc.)
please respect the space we are presenting in as well as the spirit of the event.
please use a pack it in, pack it out mentality and leave the site spotless, recycle your signs etc.

If you would like to sign the petition follow this link:
https://act.leadnow.ca/dont-let-kenney-privatize-nature/

If you would like to do some more reading on the issue check out these articles:
https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/alberta-releases-list-of-parks-to-be-closed-or-partially-closed
https://globalnews.ca/news/6623820/alberta-parks-closures/

If you would like to write a letter to your MLA please check out this awesome template.

Steve MacLellan

Ramble On

Tag Archives: UCP

Alberta Grants Third Deadline Extension to Struggling ‘Foreign-Funded Radicals’ Panel

Alberta Coal Expansion Plan Raises Flags Over Past Toxic Contamination, Missed Monitoring

Keystone XL legal risks highlight dangers of putting investors before climate change

Coal Mining in the Oldman River Watershed: What is happening and what are the long-term impacts?

Protect Our Parks – Edmonton