CALGARY - An Alberta oil and gas industry expert says the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling that the federal carbon price is constitutional raises questions about Canada's ongoing ability to compete with other energy producers around the world. Richard Masson, an executive fellow at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy, says the ruling represents a shift in power to Ottawa from the provinces which produce most of Canada's oil and gas and have the most expertise in regulating, [Read more]

The Supreme Court of Canada says the federal carbon price is entirely constitutional. The split decision upholds a pivotal part of the Liberal climate-change plan, accounting for at least one-third of the emissions Canada aims to cut over the next decade. Chief Justice Richard Wagner says in the written ruling that climate change is a real danger and evidence shows a price on pollution is a critical element in addressing it. "It is a threat of the highest order to the country, and [Read more]

CALGARY - A University of Calgary study has found Alberta relaxed more environmental rules in response to the COVID-19 pandemic than any other government in Canada. Victoria Goodday at the university's School of Public Policy found that 143 environmental rules and regulations were loosened last year. Every jurisdiction in the country except Manitoba relaxed at least some. Goodday found that Alberta relaxed or suspended 54 regulations — far more than anywhere else — although she notes [Read more]

CALGARY - A partner in an Alberta carbon capture and storage project that recently celebrated storing its one millionth tonne of CO2 says it has an agreement with a northwestern Alberta chemical plant developer that could result in building a second large-scale system. Privately held Enhance Energy Inc. says it has agreed with Nauticol Energy Ltd. to work together on the capture and sequestration of up to one million tonnes of CO2 per year from Nauticol's $2.6-billion proposed methanol [Read more]