In what is believed to be the first case of its kind in Canada, the Alberta government has criminally charged a private company for falsifying emissions data..Calgary-based Amberg Corp., along with its senior environmental regulatory coordinator Olga Kiiker, has been charged with 25 counts of: providing false and misleading information; providing functions of a third-party assurance provider without the required qualifications; and failing to comply with the rules and requirements set out in the government’s ‘Standard for Validation, Verifcation’..The charges were laid under the Emissions Management and Climate Resilience Act and the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) regulation on May 3. Kiiker will appear in a Calgary courtroom to answer to the charges on July 19..The TIER is essentially Alberta’s industrial portion of the carbon tax. Since 2007 Large facilities that emit 100,000 tonnes or more per year of carbon dioxide equivalent — includes oil and gas, landfills and food processing facilities — are regulated under TIER rules to determine payments and credits..In 2020 it was brought into line with the federal carbon levy and is set to rise to $170 per tonne by 2030. According to provincial sources, in 2020 it raised about $548 million when the carbon tax was $30 per tonne of emitted CO2; it is now $65..The provincial government in turn uses the monies generated to fund innovative technology projects and research to further reduce emissions. .Emissions Reduction Alberta, an arm’s length board under the Environment and Protected Areas Department has dispersed almost $1 billion under the program to date. Earlier this week it handed out more than $60 million to fund new projects..Thus, compliance and accuracy of emissions reporting is central to the integrity of the program..According to court documents, the charges related to a series of undisclosed incidents in April and June of 2021. It’s not clear the nature of the offenses or which industry they apply to..In January of this year, the federal department of Environment and Climate Change Canada enacted new reporting requirements under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting program covering the calendar years of 2022 and 2023 which are based on the UN framework convention (to which Canada is a member)..It’s not clear if the charges are specifically related to the older requirements — agreed under the original Kyoto Protocol in 1997 — or the newer requirements that ended exemptions (including Alberta) for smaller emitters in 2022..According to the Alberta Carbon Registry website: “Amberg Corp provides businesses with technical knowledge and industrial expertise that is necessary for accurate environmental management. The majority of our projects are related to the oil and gas industry and power generating industry in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.“.It’s mission statement reads: “We operate in a fast paced and ever changing world. We will strive to be leaders and innovators in our industry and be proactive in meeting change and adapt to meet opportunity.”.Western Standard attempted to reach the company for comment. However, Amberg Corp.’s website is offline and emails to its listed president bounced back as undeliverable.
