General

Will Big Oil catch a big break?

Ottawa considers giving oil industry permits to pollute

Some new fodder for the Canada-bashers in Copenhagen: Ottawa is considering granting the oil industry some extra leniency when it comes to climate-change regulations. Alberta’s export-driven oil industry has asked the Canadian government to grant it the kind of relief that the U.S coal industry will likely receive from its government. Nothing has been finalized, but Environment Minister Jim Prentice hasn’t ruled out giving the industry permits to exceed emissions caps. Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers  president David Collyer stresses that the “trade-exposed” oil sands need protection from environment regulations. “We need to make sure that climate policy doesn’t disadvantage the oil industry in terms of competitiveness.” Between 2006 and 2020, output from the oil sands is expected to triple.

The Globe and Mail

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