DRAYTON VALLEY — The Pembina Institute says changes announced by the Alberta Government to the province's air emission standards for coal-fired plants are inadequate and will not require new power plants to use the best available technology to control emissions.
Mary Griffiths, an Environmental Policy Analyst with the Institute, compared these new emission standards with those in other regions, and found Alberta's to be much weaker.
"If new coal plants are permitted in Alberta, they should at least have to meet the stricter emission standards already in place elsewhere," said Griffiths. "With this recent announcement, Alberta is positioning itself as a pollution haven where generating companies can build low-cost, high-polluting plants to provide electricity for Alberta and then export power to U.S. markets later on."
"These new standards were developed behind closed doors without public input. They are the result of secret negotiations between the government and coal-fired power generators, such as TransAlta Corporation," said Tom Marr-Laing, Director of the Institute's Energy Watch Program. "It appears the coal lobby has succeeded in ensuring that these standards don't impose stringent conditions on pollution control technology for new coal plants. This is unfortunate because it will be individual Albertans who pay the price in terms of higher human health and environmental costs."
Marr-Laing said that Minister of Environment Lorne Taylor's offer to only allow public input on emissions standards after 2005 is an insult to Albertans. "It's akin to closing the barn door after the horses have left. This will be too late to influence development of the wave of coal-fired plants expected during the next few years as a result of Alberta's inadequate standards. It's the provincial government's responsibility to set standards, and it must consider the interests of all Albertans when doing so," said Marr-Laing. "The province needs to re-think its position on these standards by opening up the decision-making process to involve the public, and ensuring that such standards reflect what can be achieved with the best available control technology."
For more information contact:
Tom Marr-Laing
Director, Energy Watch Program, Pembina Institute
Cell: 780-621-2472
Email: thomasml@pembina.org
Mary Griffiths
Policy Analyst, Pembina Institute
Office: 780-433-6675
Email: maryg@pembina.org
For more information please see the backgrounder for this news release.