Dion wants energy firms that miss emissions targets penalized

**Canmoore** · 15 Jan 07,, 00:37

Federal Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is calling for energy companies that don't reduce carbon dioxide emissions and water use to face penalties, especially in Alberta's booming oilsands region.

Dion, who is rounding up his first visit to the oil-rich province since becoming Liberal leader in December, told CBC Radio Calgary Friday that the measures would be reasonable for companies that wished to remain competitive.

"The ones who are able to decrease their emissions easily enough, yes, we'll have a reward, but the ones who are not doing it will pay more," Dion said. "At the end of the day, you will have a strong incentive to do the right thing."

Dion said a Liberal government would create a carbon trading market similar to one already running in Europe to allow companies that didn't meet emissions targets to buy credits from those that exceeded the standard.

"We will have a regulation to ask the industry to decrease their emissions by 10 per cent," he said. "The ones who are able to decrease it by 15 per cent will have the capacity to sell the extra cuts in the market."

"This is a very effective way to speed up innovation and to use the technology to go from the lab to the market."

Dion also took aim at oilsands companies, saying he would like to remove generous royalty incentives if firms didn't meet emissions targets that would be set by the government.

Energy companies have saved billions of dollars over the last decade under a program that allows them to pay a fraction of normal royalties until their giant oilsands projects are fully capitalized.

The new Liberal leader rejected suggestions that such tough regulations would kill investment in the oilsands — one of the main contributors to Alberta's record economic growth.

"I think Albertans want to be sure that our economic growth is sustainable …. The way we are doing it now is not sustainable," he said.

What do you think? Is Dion walking on very thin ice? Many albertans still have a bad taste in there mouth when it comes to Liberals, from when Trudeau sucker punched them way back when...

**Officer of Engineers** · 15 Jan 07,, 01:30

Boxcar's assurances aside, he won't get a chance to be PM.

**ZFBoxcar** · 15 Jan 07,, 03:16

I'm not saying he will be, I'm saying it is way way way to soon to claim he won't be.

**smilingassassin** · 15 Jan 07,, 04:32

Sure slap one of our best moneymaking industry's with penalty's, while its being heavily sought after on the world market potentially stunting future growth. Just brilliant....

**Canmoore** · 15 Jan 07,, 16:40

Originally Posted by smilingassassin

Sure slap one of our best moneymaking industry's with penalty's, while its being heavily sought after on the world market potentially stunting future growth. Just brilliant....

I'm sure many albertans are looking at this, and cant help but remember what happened after Trudeau implemented the National Energy Program, when Ottawa fixed oil prices below market value to subsidize the east, Ontario and Quebec in particular.

Although im sure it wasnt the only cause for it, but after the NEP was introduced, Canada fell into its worst Recession since the Great Depression, alberta was hit the hardest as one could imagine.

**ajtigger** · 16 Jan 07,, 00:53

Excellent. Finally, a Canadian politican that seriously cares about the environment.

I have always been supportive of Dion's policies to crack down on emissions from Canadian industries, and create a market for environmentally-sustainable technologies. Fossil fuels are finite resources, and the environment cannot defend itself. If we want to preserve the stability of the world climate and meterological patterns, it is essential that we take action against emissions--regardless of how harsh these measures seem.

Canada is becoming increasingly dependent on oil revenues, and this is dangerous. We need to diversify our economy further, reducing our large dependence on natural resources and fuelling the growth of the knowledge economy. We have our future, and the future of the planet and the next generation, to think about.

**Officer of Engineers** · 16 Jan 07,, 01:09

I hope you're hungry and you better get out your butcher knife because a significant percentage of our emissions comes from cattle farting.

**ajtigger** · 16 Jan 07,, 01:50

http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~tk/glob_warm_hurr.html

http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6633

http://www.mng.org.uk/green_house/threat/threat6.htm

Of course nothing is proven in stone, but overwhelming scientific evidence does demonstrate that this is a concern to be addressed. Emissions are not good for our health anyway. Not to mention the oil crisis either.

**Officer of Engineers** · 16 Jan 07,, 01:53

It's only been 10,000 years since the end of the Last Ice Age. Of course it's getting warmer.

**ajtigger** · 16 Jan 07,, 02:01

Originally Posted by Officer of Engineers

It's only been 10,000 years since the end of the Last Ice Age. Of course it's getting warmer.

The excessive accumulation of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, the decreasing size of the ozone layer, and the toxic chemical soups within our body (still related to the environment, although not to global warming) are not natural things.

This is getting truly dangerous. Truly dangerous.

Not all Global Warming and climate change concerns are related to warming problems as well. If the North Atlantic Current got out of whack, the vast majority of the Northern Hemisphere will cool significantly.

Regardless of the economic implications, is this really the kind of world you wanna live in?

Oh yes, I forgot to mention claims that many of the world's major coastal settlements will be under water. Watch An Inconvenient Truth.

You are being too passive about this.

**Officer of Engineers** · 16 Jan 07,, 02:07

1) You assuming the situation is man-made
2) You're assuming we could do anything about it.

I love when I'm right RE: "Global Warming"

**highsea** · 16 Jan 07,, 02:08

This Dion character sounds like a 'disaster-waiting-to-happen' for Canada's economy.

**ajtigger** · 16 Jan 07,, 02:15

Conservative policies are a disaster waiting to happen for Canada's environment. You should read those links I posted.

**ajtigger** · 16 Jan 07,, 02:20

We CAN do something about the environment. Whether or not you believe in the Global Warming hypothesis, the Ozone Layer, which can rebuild itself and is REALLY essential to human survival on the planet, and Emissions are also general environmental concerns. These things effect our health and our well-being. In academia, there will always be a debate. But the fact is, the majority of scientists do believe that this is happening.

here's more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Jun15.html

**highsea** · 16 Jan 07,, 03:11

Originally Posted by ajtigger

...You should read those links I posted.

I did. The argument is hardly convincing. The consensus statement from the NOAA site was revealing.

Anyway, you should pitch your case on the Global Warming thread if that's where you are going with this. We've already been round and round on this.

I'm not even convinced the historical data is accurate. I'm also not convinced that global warming it is man-made, or that we can really do anything about it.

I am convinced that it's bad policy to ruin an economy based entirely on speculation of a 1/2 to 1 degree rise in average temps over a century.