Environmental Minister Declines Meeting With Alberta’s Oilsands

This week, federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault was in Alberta to discuss carbon reduction and clean energy with stakeholders and other politicians.

However, he declined a request to meet up with important oilsand executives, despite industry concerns about government emissions policies and deadlines.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Pathways Alliance, a group consisting of 95 percent oilsands producers, requested a meeting with Guilbeault during his trip to Calgary.

“Minister Guilbeault was unable to accommodate a meeting with Pathways Alliance during this visit,” said a Pathways statement. 

“We are always willing to discuss with the minister ways we can collaborate to significantly reduce emissions from oilsands operations by 2030.“

According to Guilbeault’s office, the minister was only in the city for 36 hours, and that the Pathways executives met with an official from the department.

“I had a pretty packed agenda,” said the minister on Thursday. “I felt it would be important to meet with people I have less of a chance to talk to.“

However, one oil executive was disappointed that the minister didn’t include them in his itinerary, especially in light of the substantial decarbonization targets the minister is currently presenting.

“We are working well with the department, but it is frustrating when the minister is here he wants us to move faster but he doesn’t want to meet with us to discuss a plan,” said the group.

The Canadian government has pledged to achieve zero net emissions by the year 2050, a goal that includes companies and provincial governments. There is significant debate around the interim targets.

Due to the severe magnitude of the reductions needed to meet the federal government’s 2030 targets, the oil and gas industry and the province both referred to them as a de facto production cap and cautioned that meeting them would involve enormous economic sacrifices. 

Guilbeault met with his provincial counterparts, Rebecca Schulz (environment) and Todd Loewen (forestry), as well as the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the Business Council of Alberta, environmental organizations, small energy producers, carbon conversion technology workers, and others in the field.

At their meetings, they discussed ways to reduce emissions and create more sustainable electrical infrastructure. The federal government is requiring that every source of electricity become carbon-free by the year 2035. Many oilsands producers produce energy at their facilities by employing cogeneration.

“I informed Minister Guilbeault that our government remains resolutely opposed to any federal cap on oil and gas emissions or electricity regulations that are not expressly consented to by Alberta,” Schulz said in a statement. 

In 2021, the oil and gas industry was responsible for about 25% of Canada’s total emissions. Ottawa has set a goal of reducing yearly oil and gas emissions by 81 megatonnes by the year 2030. According to pathways, a target of 22 megatonnes is realistic.