CALGARY — AMANDA BRYANT, manager of the Pembina Institute’s oil and gas program, made the following statement in response to an agreement-in-principle between the federal and Alberta governments on methane regulation.
“Today’s agreement-in-principle between Alberta and the federal government signals an end to the roadblock that had been preventing progress on this crucial element of climate and energy policy. This new consensus means industry can begin to invest and hire with confidence to advance the next stage of methane mitigation work.
“The use of third-party modelling and emissions reduction assessments will allow Alberta to report its methane progress more credibly. We continue to urge both governments that this should also incorporate actual measurement of methane emissions, which will be vital both for an effective response to climate change and to ensure ongoing access to major international natural gas markets that are demanding provably low-emissions-intensity fossil fuel imports, such as the European Union, South Korea, and Japan. We are pleased to see that this agreement-in-principle acknowledges that the self-reported industry estimates used by Alberta in the past are no longer adequate on their own. Measurement studies have shown that Alberta’s methane emissions are almost twice as much as these estimates suggest.
“We will watch with interest for further details on the mutually agreed third party, and the nature of the assessment they will undertake. We will also be looking for Alberta to produce its draft regulations as soon as possible, so that Canadians have a full picture of what the forthcoming equivalency agreement is to be based upon.
“Alberta's regulations need to achieve the same emissions reductions as the federal regulations would, despite the discrepancy in targets. But this can be largely overcome by interim targets that require front-loaded reductions. We will be looking for signs that oil and gas companies in Alberta will be held accountable to making rapid emissions reduction progress over the next five years, not only over the course of the whole decade.”
Contact
Senior Communications Lead, Oil & Gas, Pembina Institute
587-328-1955
Background
Media release: Alberta methane data dramatically underestimates emissions levels
Article: Alberta’s oil and gas industry should be held to a fair methane standard
