Sticks and stones…Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz is calling out her federal counterpart, Steven Guilbeault, for misleading statements he made in a Twitter (“X”) rant accusing her and Premier Danielle Smith of spreading “misinformation” on the veracity — and usefulness — of his proposed emissions cap.Guilbeault launched the assault after Schulz went to the airwaves last week in a six-minute video calling the move nothing more than a dishonest attempt to keep Alberta’s oil and gas resources in the ground. In it, she called Ottawa’s climate policies the biggest “existential threat” to Albertans since the National Energy Program that will throw thousands of people out of work..An apparently irked Guilbeault replied by calling it a “pollution cap” aimed at preventing forest fires and then posted various photos of gas flares to somehow make the connection to his methane reduction limits.The irony is that Alberta virtually eliminated non-essential flaring in 1998 — voluntarily — after studies determined that even small amounts could have negative health impacts. It was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to do so.The flaring that does occur today is primarily for safety purposes at gas plants to relive pressure or prevent methane emissions that would otherwise be directed vented to the atmosphere..In a statement to The Western Standard, Schulz noted that Alberta reached its 45% methane reduction target three years early “while Ottawa has never hit an emissions target to date.”“We’re focused on reducing methane emissions using technology that’s being advanced right here in Alberta,” she said. “Unnecessary flaring has fallen rapidly, but Minister Guilbeault clearly doesn’t understand that it can be a critical health and safety practice during production. Any regulation that completely prohibits this is putting lives at risk.”As for the overall emissions cap, Schulz continued to assert that “the federal oil and gas production cap is a cap on the prosperity and livelihoods of every day Albertans.”Rather than working to reduce overall emissions, it is simply an unconstitutional assault on one specific sector of the economy — Alberta’s — that penalizes responsible energy production and economic growth. In her video, she said that was Guilbeault’s intent even before he became a Liberal cabinet minister.“Our government is committed to reducing emissions while creating jobs and maintaining a strong economy. We will always stand up for our province, protecting jobs and the value of our responsibly produced energy exports while ensuring we get a fair deal for Albertans, this legislation is not a fair deal, it is a cap on Alberta’s prosperity,” she said.
