Decision by premier Danielle Smith further pits Canadian province against environmental groups pushing green energy

Decision by premier Danielle Smith further pits Canadian province against environmental groups pushing green energy

Alberta will block renewable energy projects on “prime” agricultural land and limit the placement of wind turbines to preserve “pristine viewscapes”, a decision that increasingly pits the western Canadian province against environmental groups pushing green energy – and the companies investing in it.

The decision, announced by the premier, Danielle Smith, and utilities minister, Nathan Neudorf, on Wednesday, follows a controversial six-month ban on new renewable energy projects that is due to expire on 29 February.

Alberta’s moratorium, announced in August, left energy companies uncertain about billions in future investment, even as the region, with its clear skies and an abundance of wind, led the country in new renewable projects.

Nearly a third of Alberta’s grid is now powered by renewables and the province has shifted away from coal at a far faster rate than expected.

  • partial_accumenEnglish
    18•10 months ago

    Future article:

    Alberta to add hydrocarbons to school lunch menus

    Lawmakers in Edmonton announced today that with the further declines in sales of Alberta tar sands products, the government will be directly purchasing hydrocarbons for consumption in school lunch programs. In speaking to reports today Premier Jones said “Our students need energy to learn in school, right? What better way to power our students than with the same energy our grandparents used in the past to power their cars? Oil! It seems obvious now that its in front of us. By putting oil directly into food for our students we ‘cut out the middle man’ and save Alberta taxpayers money while continuing our longstanding tradition of subsidizing the tar sands we all love. There’s really no downside when you think about it!” /s