Alberta government to unveil Sovereignty Act motion against emissions cap Tuesday

The Alberta government will be pushing back hard against the Canadian government’s proposed oil and gas emissions cap on Tuesday. The Calgary Herald reported Monday Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will announce details about an Alberta Sovereignty Act (ASA) motion at a press conference. Alberta government sources said to the Calgary Herald the motion will “make it virtually impossible for Ottawa to impose the cap in Alberta.”While the motion has not been unveiled, sources said it will allow increased production and easier access to US and world markets. In this motion, there will be a diversification strategy putting more power into Alberta government hands to ensure exports are unimpeded. The Alberta government will challenge the emissions cap in court, yet it cannot do that until the Canadian government passes the bill. To push back on the Canadian government, the Alberta cabinet issued an order in council on Friday to commence legal action against the revised Impact Assessment Act, which Smith has maintained is unconstitutional. The Alberta government invoked the ASA against the Clean Electricity Regulations in its first use. Despite the Alberta government having constitutional jurisdiction over energy and electricity, the Canadian government has continued to want to control its industries. However, this motion will see Smith bring forward a more direct, practical action. A source said the incoming measures will be the most provocative Alberta has used to date. While the Alberta government could engage in disputes and legal cases, it has said they can take years to resolve. Even if it does come out on top, the Canadian government can make minor changes defying the court rulings. Smith said the Liberals “haven’t worked toward wanting to find a compromise.”“So we’re kind of at the end of the negotiation, compromise phase, and we’re now in protection of our jurisdiction and protection of our industry phase,” she said to the Calgary Herald. Although she received a 91.5% approval rating in her leadership review at the Alberta United Conservative Party Annual General Meeting, certain delegates wanted her to do more. This is because these delegates voted for the Alberta government to scrap net-zero targets. While certain UCP members want net-zero targets gone, she has insisted her position on emissions has not changed. Her position has been to reach net zero in oil and gas production by 2050. If she failed to deliver on that, she predicted she would lose support from industry leaders. In this case, she said the problem is the Canadian government imposing cumbersome conditions on Alberta. “They want to bring through policies that are unachievable in the short term, which will result in a shut-in of our production, and we’re just simply not going to allow for that,” she said. “They can’t invade our constitutional jurisdiction to develop our resources, and they can’t invade our constitutional jurisdiction to manage our electricity grid, so we’re going to have to assert our rights to make sure that we can maintain control over our resources.”The Alberta government announced on Monday it would be spending $50 million on the Alberta Drilling Accelerator (ADA) to serve as a test site for advanced drilling techniques. It branded the ADA as a large step forward to expand Alberta’s energy sector and reduce emissions. Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz spoke about Germany going too fast with emissions measures and had to use more natural gas and coal. Industry leaders said new drilling techniques can lead to oil and gas production and geothermal energy being expanded. Smith sounded enraged about the oil and gas emissions cap the Canadian government brought forward on November 4, saying it violates the Canadian Constitution. .'I'M PISSED': Smith condemns federal emissions cap, warns of major economic impact .In a stern, annoyed voice, she pointed out Section 92A of the Canadian Constitution gives provinces exclusive jurisdiction over non-renewable natural resource development and that the emissions cap will require a production cut of about one million barrels of oil and gas per day by 2030 and 2.1 million barrels per day by 2035. “We will continue to defend our province and our constitutional rights,” she said.

Alberta government to unveil Sovereignty Act motion against emissions cap Tuesday

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