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.

    • Tarquinn2049English
      6•9 months ago

      Oil derricks and rigs look beautiful to conservatives, they would gladly have their vistas dotted with them. But looking at wind turbines makes them mad. If you ever want to see a conservative smile, just whisper “more money” in their ears. It’s a magic universal turn on for them, even crossing or not crossing as it were, gender boundaries. And you know how important those are otherwise to them, well at least in public. Behind closed doors they are exactly as likely as everyone else to be LGBTQ.