The Kyoto Kult Krazies continue.

[Catdaddy]

Don't shoot the messenger...

Waugh: All in the name of Kyoto
The climate change cause is sure getting bandied around lately

By NEIL WAUGH -- Sun Media

The Kyoto Kult Krazies continue.

Montreal city councillor Marvin Rotrand issued a breathless press release last week.

Parking meter fees are going up again in Canada's second city.

Municipal politicians love nothing better than to nickel-and-dime their citizens, except in the case of Montreal, it's to loonie-and-toonie them.

But the reason Rotrand gave for Montreal city council's need to "diversify revenues" was totally wild.

"Given the context of the Kyoto protocol and international efforts to reduce greenhouse gases," Rotrand beamed, apparently with a straight face, "the new parking meter rates are fully warranted."

Montreal city council wasn't the only outfit drinking the Kyoto Kool-Aid last week.

Premier Ed Stelmach and the Alberta Tories took a double gulp as well. First, it was signing on with Stephen Harper's Pipeline to Nowhere - the dubious scheme to pipe carbon dioxide emissions from oilsands plants down old Alberta oil fields. That's either to enhance recovery or ruin the reservoir if the engineers overdo it.

Then it was tabling their long-awaited Climate Change and Emissions Management Act. It's a semi-tough piece of legislation that will force 100 big industrial complexes in the province to reduce the CO2 going up their stacks by 12%. And the deal goes into effect on Canada Day.

And if they don't, they will have to "invest" $15 per tonne into a "dedicated revenue fund" that will apparently research greenhouse gas abatement technology.

Not as bad as it sounds

The deal isn't quite as severe as it sounds because the reduction will only be applied to a plant's "emissions intensity."

Still, Canadian Chemical Producers Association president Richard Paton quickly spotted what's going on here.

He described Stelmach's Kyoto levy as "essentially a carbon tax." The Stelmach Tories just got in ahead of the Dion Liberals.

And Paton warned: "unless you shut down production, there's no way to reduce emissions in a dramatic way overnight."

So it's going to be pay to play in Alberta.

A day after Stelmach's Kyoto hammer came down, the premier spoke to the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors in Calgary.

"Albertans have long recognized that the environmental issues facing us are real," Stelmach boomed. "And a real response is needed with everyone doing their part."

Then Stelmach repeated his government's commitment to "integrity and transparency" and pledged to be "open and accountable."

Funny, there was nothing in the carbon tax background documents on how much electricity bills will be going up when the coal-fired power plants start flowing through the Tories' Kyoto charge to consumers.

Instead the Dirty 100 "could invest in projects outside their operations" to get their emissions levels down. An example is given.

"A facility may purchase offsets from a farming operation that has changed its tillage practices so as to release fewer greenhouse gases."

The Iowa Farm Bureau is acting as a broker for a similar scheme where it is trading Iowa farmers' carbon credits on the fledgling Chicago Climate Exchange. This Kyoto magic money has traded as high as $5.30US a tonne of CO2.

One of the few apparent restrictions to the carbon offset deals states they "must be Alberta-based."

At least Alberta farmers are going to get a cheque. But like I said earlier, power consumers are likely going to foot the bill.

It could get even worse

In the meantime the Citizens for Responsible Power Transmission were circulating a curious consultants report last week that appears to link the proposed Alberta/Montana tie line (subject of a vigorous NIMBY) with the planned Edmonton/Calgary 500KV line (which also comes with bitter landowner protest) as the key to exporting coal-generated Alberta power to juice-starved California.

"The bottom line is the United States will get our electricity," the CRPT release spat. "And Albertans will be left with the coal pollution, the holes in the ground and the eyesore of thousands of steel electrical towers."

Not to mention California power prices plus the cost of Steady Eddie's emissions offset tax on their utility bills.

Welcome to the Kookie World of the Kyoto Kult Krazies.

[imSINGLEruRICH]

Well I think these are very serious issue and reasons......, must be men who work in those greenhouses.........DUH

[Catdaddy]

imsinglerurich said:

Well I think these are very serious issue and reasons......, must be men who work in those greenhouses.........DUH

Climate change cash for Alberta
Mar 09 2007

Harper brings $156 million for projects to capture pollutants

EDMONTON (CP) — Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to the beating heart of Canada’s petroleum industry Thursday to announce almost $156 million for projects to bleed away greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

“The era of empty rhetoric on the environment is over. We’re taking real action that will produce real, tangible results,” Harper told reporters at a news conference with Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.

It was one of a number of announcements by both levels of government meant to signal the dawn of a new green day.

Harper also announced a joint federal-Alberta panel to recommend the best way to implement carbon capture technology.

Carbon capture, which is already being implemented on a small scale, allows carbon dioxide to be stripped from emissions and stored underground or used to squeeze oil out of depleted formations.

“Instead of pumping tonnes of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere, we may be able to collect it from our oil sands, our coal-fired electrical plants and other industrial emitters and pump it deep underground where it will remain for eternity,” said Harper.

The $156 million will be used for projects that could include the carbon capture or other trial projects such as converting municipal waste in Edmonton into electricity.

The funding came from the new Canada ecoTrust for Clean Air and Climate Change. Both Stelmach and Harper were careful to reassure industry that they will look toward new technology for ways to reduce emissions without harming business.

“All Canadians are looking for a balance between economic growth and environmental protection,” Harper said.

“Finding that balance is the fundamental challenge of our time.”

Alberta is considering a $1.5-billion carbon dioxide pipeline from the oilsands, but critics say such a project would be several years away.

Earlier, Stelmach’s government tabled a bill to force large scale carbon emitters to cut carbon emission intensities by 12 per cent by the end of the year or face financial penalties.

The proposed legislation will direct companies that emit more than 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases a year to begin cutting emissions by July 1.

Of the 100 facilities expected to be affected, those that don’t meet the new standards by year’s end can either pay for offsets from other Alberta projects or pay $15 for every tonne over the limit. The money would go into a special fund that would look for ways to reduce climate change.

Stelmach said the initiatives show that Alberta and industry are leaders in finding ways to cut emissions — and Canadians, he said, know that.

“They understand that Alberta is the engine that drives the national economy,” he said.

Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner said he expects few of the 100 will meet the targets in such a short time.

Alberta has been a flashpoint of environmental debate. Actual greenhouse gas emissions in the province have increased by 40 per cent since 1990, largely due to oilsands development.

Alberta opposition Liberal Hugh MacDonald applauded the carbon capture initiative but said true emission reductions have to be made rather than reductions in intensity.

“The intensity targets haven’t worked to date and they’re not going to work.

“There has to be a mandated solution here — solid mandatory numbers.”


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