Do you remember a few days back when it was reported that the Saudis figured that if the world ever actually got serious about reducing carbon emissions, and as a result, starting using less oil, they should be forced to pay the producers of oil compensation for all the oil they will no longer be able to sell? I believe the term chutzpah was bandied around a fair bit, and it seems that the Canadian version of the Saudis have learned the lesson well.
Alberta's oil sands producers should be allowed to significantly increase their greenhouse gas emissions, even if that means forcing other sectors to take on additional expensive obligations to meet Canada's climate change targets, an industry executive says.
. . .
Mr. Coutu � whose company owns 36.7 per cent of the Syncrude oil sands project � acknowledged other sectors would have to take up the slack if the oil sands have only intensity-based requirements and Ottawa imposes a national cap on emissions.
. . .
Driven by its need to keep the oil industry growing, Alberta has set regulations that will see emissions continue to grow between 2006 and 2020, even as Ottawa attempts to cut levels by 20 per cent over that period. With Alberta representing more than a third of Canadian emissions in 2006, the failure by that province to cut back will require the rest of the provinces to reduce their emissions by more than 35 per cent from 2006 levels over the next 10 years.
Yep, make other people pay for your pollution so you can keep raking in the big profits.
I�m not actually surprised that Mr. Coutu is trying to keep his gravy train running. After all, it is in his own best interest. I am surprised at how blatantly it is now assumed that the government�s preferred oligarchs can force everybody else to pay for their problems.
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