It's Only Energy

Those who bleat about "green energy" don't walk anywhere in the winter:

The federal government is proposing to use an industry-specific cap-and-trade system or a modified carbon pricing system to set a ceiling for emissions from the oil and gas sector and drive them down almost 40 per cent by the end of this decade.

The two options are contained in a discussion paper Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will publish Monday. It is the first glimpse Canadians are getting of how the Liberals expect to implement the oil and gas emissions cap promised in last year's election.

The oil and gas industry accounts for more than one-quarter of Canada's total emissions — 179 million tonnes in 2020, or about what an average car would emit driving around the equator more than 17 million times.

"We simply cannot ignore the fact that the oil and gas sector is Canada's biggest emitter," Guilbeault said in April during a House of Commons committee meeting studying the proposed emissions cap on oil and gas.

What Guilbeault didn't say then, and what the discussion paper doesn't say now, is what the specific emissions cap will be. It's supposed to start at "current levels" — which going by the data that was available when that promise was made would mean 2019 levels, or 203.5 million tonnes.

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While the idea of using nuclear power to replace the fossil fuels burned in oilsands production has been bandied about for years, some experts say the reality could be just a decade or so away. On paper, at least, there is more potential to deploy small modular reactor (SMR) technology in the oilsands region of Alberta than anywhere else in the country.

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The board will also form a new committee to oversee a strategic review of Suncor’s downstream retail business, including the potential sale of its retail gas station network valued at between $5 billion and $8 billion, according to one National Bank of Canada estimate. Suncor’s retail group includes more than 1,500 gas stations and store locations operating under the Petro-Canada brand. The new committee is expected to report back to the board with its recommendation in the fourth quarter of this year.

“These actions build on Suncor’s ongoing efforts to enhance safety, reliability and operational excellence and to restore Suncor’s industry leadership,” the company wrote in the news release.

I'm sure the Liberal government couldn't be happier that no business will be done in Canada.