Page 5 - NorthAmOil Week 35

NorthAmOil COMMENTARY NorthAmOil
Overblown
Concerns raised by critics of Bill C-69 and its implications have been described as overblown by experts in Canadian regulatory policy. e bill restores some of the regulatory framework that the former Conservative government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper eliminated with Bill C-38 in 2012. An associate professor of envi- ronmental and natural resources law and policy at the University of Calgary, Martin Olszynski, noted that the bill also requires federal lawmak- ers to explain how climate change and public health factor into the major infrastructure pro- jects they decide on.
Indeed, according to Olszynski, the consul- tation process required by the bill might actually cut down on litigation brought against future infrastructure projects. is is because it would bring potential critics into the decision-making process earlier on, rather than having them take already approved projects to the courts.
Industry concerns over the bill were also described as “enormously overblown” by an environmental studies professor at York Uni- versity and co-chair of the school’s Sustainable Energy Initiative, Mark Win eld.
“ e legislation is a relatively minor adjust- ment to what already existed,” he told Canada’s Global News. Indeed, he added that the new regulatory framework would be “vastly weaker than what existed for the 40 years before Stephen Harper adopted Bill C-38”.
What next?
Bill C-69 is an illustration of the Liberal govern- ment’s attempt to strike a balance between sup- porting the energy industry – which generates
a h of Canada’s exports – and protecting the environment. e move comes as construction resumes on the Trans Mountain pipeline expan- sion project, which the federal government bought from former operator Kinder Morgan last year in a bid to save the scheme from being scrapped.
But the attempts at balancing environmental goals with energy growth have come under re from critics on both sides that feel strongly about either issue. For example, while Alberta and oil producers have welcomed progress on the Trans Mountain expansion, they still focus on those pipelines out of the province that were blocked by Trudeau’s government. Environmentalists, meanwhile, have criticised any move to pro- mote an energy project as undermining Canada’s e orts to meet its commitments under the Paris climate agreement.
While these attempts to appeal to both sides could end up costing the Liberals votes, there are other issues that could have more of an impact on the election. Trudeau’s popularity has been waning since earlier this year, when what looked like a government attempt to interfere with the justice system came to public attention.
It is still too early to rely on what polls are predicting, but in recent weeks, voters were found by Ipsos to trust the Conservatives more on issues that a ect household nances, which are likely to have more impact in a federal elec- tion. Nonetheless, energy industry concerns remain a major factor, especially in Alberta and other oil-producing provinces. And the industry will be watching the CER closely to assess the impact of the overhauled regulatory approval process.™
Ottawa’s attempts at balancing environmental goals with energy growth have come under re from critics on both sides.
Industry supporters
are concerned that
Bill C-69 will make
it more dif cult to receive approval for new projects such as oil pipelines.
Week 35 03•September•2019 w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m
P5