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IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

Continuing the fight to stop Maxim Power

If you receive the Pembina Insider, you’ll know all about the fight to stop Maxim Power. Last month we asked you, our subscribers, to join us in speaking out against plans to build a new, high-emissions coal plant in Alberta.

Many of you responded by writing letters to Environment Minister Peter Kent and the CEO of Maxim Power, informing them that you don’t support this project, and challenging them to take action to make sure this coal plant is not built without the technology required to reduce its emissions.

Your responses have inspired us to continue the fight. Although we recently lost a court appeal against the initial decision to approve the Maxim Power plant expansion, we are researching other ways to oppose the project, and pushing Minister Kent to clarify how he plans to close the loophole that might allow Maxim to avoid the new federal coal regulations.

As the minister recently told the Calgary Herald, the start-date of the new regulations was designed “to allow the industry to prepare and put business plans in place to meet that compliance date. We didn’t do it to create a loophole for cheaters and shortcutters.”

We’ll continue to update you on this issue through the Pembina Insider. Now that the public consultation period on the federal regulations has closed, we need to keep the pressure on Minister Kent to make Maxim Power play by the rules.

PEMBINA SUPPORTERS

Each year, a portion of the Pembina Institute’s funding comes from the Pembina Foundation for Environmental Research and Education, a federally-registered charitable organization that contracts non-profit organizations to develop projects that align with its mission of supporting innovative environmental research and education.

The Pembina Foundation has just released its 2010 annual report, highlighting key projects the foundation supported last year and the donors who made those projects possible.

Alberta resident Roger Gagné is one of those donors — his contribution to the Pembina Foundation allowed a staff member from the Pembina Institute to attend a U.S. conference on carbon pricing and produce videos and blog posts featuring commentary from high-profile thinkers on the issue.

“I have known of Pembina for many years, but it was the release of their Greening the Grid report a few years ago that really caught my attention,” Gagné said. “That report inspired me to do more research in renewables and efficiency and caused me to ramp up my own environmental activism. I also want to accelerate the debate on carbon pricing in Canada and Pembina is a respected and credible contributor to that debate. I became a donor because I think Pembina’s voice needs to be at the table.”

The Pembina Institute thanks the Pembina Foundation for its ongoing support, and the generous donors who make the Foundation’s support possible. Learn more about the Pembina Institute’s funding model here.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

BRIEFING NOTES

Keystone XL in context: Oilsands, environmental management and climate change

There is a growing debate in the United States about the environmental impact of oilsands development, and the related issue of whether there are effective legal and regulatory frameworks in place in Canada to address these impacts. Filling the proposed KXL pipeline with oilsands will result in nearly a 50 per cent increase in oilsands production. Until environmental management of the oilsands is improved, KXL will cause significant environmental harm due to increased oilsands production. We recently produced two sets of briefing notes and fact sheets on environmental management and on climate change issues related to oilsands development. 

REPORT

Is natural gas a climate change solution for Canada?

Many people are asking whether natural gas can play a role as a "bridging" fuel that enables near-term reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. This report (available in both French and English) explores the role of Canada's federal and provincial governments in shaping future production and use of natural gas in consideration of both the climate and non-climate environmental impacts, and offers recommendations.

REPORT

Issues with shale gas development in British Columbia

The recent rapid growth in B.C.’s shale gas industry has exposed some critical gaps in the province’s regulation of the industry. In many cases, B.C.'s current approach to resource management and environmental protection are not adequate to deal with new pressures introduced by the anticipated pace of shale gas development. The Pembina Institute takes a closer look at those issues in two recent reports, examining how future growth in shale gas development could affect B.C.’s water resources and the province’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

REPORT

Behind the switch: pricing Ontario electricity options

This landmark report examines how scaling back Ontario's plans to develop renewable energy would affect electricity prices, using an integrated energy system simulator. Behind the switch finds that Ontario consumers would see virtually no relief from high electricity prices if the province cancelled its support for renewable energy under the Green Energy Act. In fact, the study indicates that investing in renewable energy today is likely to save Ontario ratepayers money within the next 15 years, as natural gas becomes more expensive and as the cost of renewable energy technology continues to decrease.

View more recent Pembina Institute publications online.

TOP BLOGS

Ottawa faces crucial test in the fight against coal

Cancelling the Green Energy Act would have little effect on Ontario electricity prices

Why the oilsands matter to climate policy in Canada

Geothermal energy: a no-brainer for Canada?

To hit climate target, Ottawa would have to work 10 times harder

PEMBINA PERSPECTIVES

Jennifer Grant, director of the Pembina Institute’s oilsands program, comments on the recent displays of civil disobedience in Washington, D.C., over the proposed Keystone XL pipeline:

The oilsands protests in the U.S. are evidence that Americans — and Canadians too — expect their governments to live up to their obligations to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and prevent environmental degradation. As another banner at the U.S. protest reads, ‘Climate change is not in our national interest.’ That statement is equally true on this side of the border."

Read the full op-ed. Published in the Calgary Beacon, Aug. 25, 2011.

IN THE FIELD

The Pembina Institute’s David Dodge, speaking on the "set" of the new Green Energy Futures pilot program in Dr. Tim Clugston's yard in Medicine Hat, Alta. The doctor recently installed his own solar energy and wind power system through the city’s innovative “Hat Smart” solar power and energy efficiency program.

Through the Green Energy Futures project, Dodge will produce a weekly multi-media series on green energy solutions being deployed by individuals, communities and businesses across Canada. Each episode will consist of a video story, an audio podcast, a blog post, slide shows and a range of green energy resources. The project is currently under development, with an expected launch date of early 2012. Take a look and let us know what you think!

Photo: David Dodge, the Pembina Institute.