• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
Celebrating our 1,000th edition. The climate news you need
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  FEATURED
BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package August 7, 2022
Researchers Point To ‘Dangerously Unexplored’ Risk of Global Climate Catastrophe August 2, 2022
Koch Network Pressures Manchin, Sinema as Advocates Praise ‘Game Changing’ Climate Deal August 2, 2022
Coastal GasLink Cost Skyrockets 70% to $11.2B August 2, 2022
Ottawa Releases Regulatory ‘Frame’ for Net-Zero Grid by 2035 August 2, 2022
Next
Prev

Canada Sets Climate Test, Consultation Plan for Energy Megaprojects

January 29, 2016
Reading time: 2 minutes

Wikimedia Commons

Wikimedia Commons

 

Tar_sands_in_alberta_2008Canada will factor climate impacts into its assessment of major energy projects and take better account of First Nations’ and other community members’ concerns under a set of interim regulatory changes unveiled Wednesday afternoon by Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr.

“We believe it is important and, in fact, essential to rebuild Canadians’ trust in our environmental assessment processes,” McKenna told media. “We need to take into account the views and concerns of Canadians, respect the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples, and support our natural resources sector.”

“If we’re going to attract the investments we need to sustainably develop our energy resources, we have to better engage Canadians, conduct deeper consultations with Indigenous peoples, and base decisions on science, facts, and evidence,” Carr added.

The announcement translates into a four-month delay for the government’s decision on Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain expansion proposal and a six-month delay for review of TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline. Carr will also appoint three new members to the National Energy Board to take part in the Energy East review.

Ottawa attached five guiding principles to future project reviews. “No project proponent will be asked to return to the starting line,” according to the federal statement, but “decisions will be based on science, traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and other relevant evidence.” The views of the public and affected communities “will be sought and considered,” Indigenous peoples will be “meaningfully consulted” and their rights and interests accommodated, and “direct and upstream greenhouse gas emissions linked to the projects under review will be assessed.”

The announcement comes “in the midst of an acrimonious debate between environmentalists and oil industry advocates that has spilled into a nasty war of words between different regions in Canada,” the National Observer reports. “Environmentalists have said the existing process is rigged and putting the public at risk, while industry advocates have defended their environmental performance while arguing that their projects are needed to create jobs and growth.”

Environmental Defence Climate and Energy Program Manager Adam Scott welcomed the announcement but said it “doesn’t make sense” to include Energy East in the interim review process. “The adoption of a new climate test is significant,” he said. But “the NEB hasn’t yet deemed the Energy East application complete; the review has not begun. If the transitional process is just for projects under review, it shouldn’t apply to Energy East.”

Scott and Sierra Club Canada Foundation Executive Director Diane Beckett both said the climate test must be interpreted according to the country’s commitment to a 1.5°C limit on average global warming during last month’s United Nations climate summit in Paris.

Beckett called the new principles “an important reality check for pipelines and other energy megaprojects.” She added that “getting clarity on what is and is not acceptable in hydrocarbon development in Canada is also the first step in diversifying the country’s resource economy and ensuring a fair, smooth transition for people who work in the fossil fuel industries.



in Canada, Carbon Levels & Measurement, Climate & Society, Ending Emissions, First Peoples, Fossil Fuels, Jobs & Training, Jurisdictions, Legal & Regulatory, Pipelines / Rail Transport

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

openthegovernment.org
United States

BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package

August 8, 2022
50
jasonwoodhead23/flickr
Energy Politics

Fossils Dismiss Federal Emissions Cap as ‘Aggressive’, ‘Unrealistic’

August 8, 2022
4
Early stages of construction on the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in France
Nuclear

Failing French Nuclear Plants Drive Up Electricity Costs as Heat Waves Cut Production

August 8, 2022
11

Comments 1

  1. simblu says:
    4 years ago

    Sounds like a fairy story now doesn’t it? When the Canadian government wakes up from its disturbing dreams infected with Trumpist confusion of truth and reality, it should re-communicate these words and restore sanity to the actions it needs to take to work with the rest of the world in the necessary task of ensuring we do not trash the environment any further.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

/MaxPixels

‘Substantial Damage’, No Injuries as Freight Train Hits Wind Turbine Blade

May 25, 2022
5.5k
openthegovernment.org

BREAKING: U.S. Senate Passes Historic $369B Climate Package

August 8, 2022
50
Noah Berger/flickr

Researchers Point To ‘Dangerously Unexplored’ Risk of Global Climate Catastrophe

August 2, 2022
569
François GOGLINS/wikimedia commons

Corrosion Problem Shutters Half of France’s Nuclear Reactors

August 2, 2022
1.2k
flickr

‘Big Wake-Up Call’ as Energy Crisis Makes Fossil Hydrogen a Bad Investment

July 20, 2022
997
/MaxPixels

‘Substantial Damage’, No Injuries as Freight Train Hit Wind Turbine Blade

December 22, 2021
653

Recent Posts

jasonwoodhead23/flickr

Fossils Dismiss Federal Emissions Cap as ‘Aggressive’, ‘Unrealistic’

August 8, 2022
4
Early stages of construction on the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor in France

Failing French Nuclear Plants Drive Up Electricity Costs as Heat Waves Cut Production

August 8, 2022
11
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Canadians Share Stories of Fear, Vulnerability from 2021 Heat Dome

August 7, 2022
6
Joseph Brent/Flickr

Green Hydrogen Will Cost Less than Fossil-Fuelled ‘Blue’, Shell CEO Admits

August 7, 2022
10
David Wilson/wikimedia commons

U.S. State Treasurers Use Public Office to Thwart Climate Action, Investigation Finds

August 7, 2022
6
Brian Jeffery Beggerly/Wikimedia Commons

China’s Latest Renewables Plan Could Bridge Global 1.5°C Gap, Expert Says

August 7, 2022
9
Next Post
Long

Europe’s summers break 2,000-year record

The Energy Mix

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}