Canada's GHG system to be "comparable" to that of US
In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Canadian Envrionment Minister Jim Prentice said that Ottawa will be very mindful of Washington when enacting Canadian greenhouse gas emissions management regulations. The U.S. intends to establish a cap-and-trade system pursuant to the American Clean Energy and Security Act (more commonly known as the Waxman-Markey Bill,
The Waxman-Markey Bill contemplates the imposition of "border adjustment charges" on energy-intensive goods imported from countries without emissions caps that are comparable to the U.S. cap. When asked about the risk that such carbon tariffs posed for Canadian businesses, Mr. Prentice replied that "[t]he trade implications only apply if Canada does not have a commensurate system and, in fact, everything we are doing is to ensure we do have a commensurate system."
However, harmonizing Canadian regulations with those of the U.S. could prove to be a major political challenge for the federal Conservatives. Alberta in particular is concerned that the U.S. approach will result in huge additional costs for the emission-intensive oil sands sector. Albertans have a deep-seated suspicion of any federal energy policy that places a disproportionate burden on Alberta. Despite an avowedly great working relationship between Mr. Prentice and Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner, Ottawa and Alberta are likely to find themselves increasingly at odds over the issue of climate change.
The U.S. is cognizant of the issue. President Barack Obama articulated it as follows: "What we know is that oilsands creates a big carbon footprint. So the dilemma that Canada faces, the United States faces, and China and the entire world faces is, how do we obtain the energy that we need to grow our economies in a way that is not rapidly accelerating climate change?" Stay tuned to find out.
|
AuthorsArchives |
