MLA Report: Ottawa’s Clean Electricity Regulations are unrealistic

By JUSTIN WRIGHT on August 16, 2023.

The federal government’s proposed Clean Electricity Regulations are yet another example of Ottawa overreaching into provincial jurisdiction.

As an Albertan and as the MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat, I fully support Premier Danielle Smith and Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz in their principled rejection of these unconstitutional regulations.

While all Albertans want to see progress on reducing emissions, the federal government’s draft regulations requiring a net-zero electricity grid by 2035 are completely unrealistic.

In an Aug. 10 interview with Rick Bell of the Calgary Sun, Premier Smith offered the following:

“We are simply not going to achieve these 2035 targets and we’re not going to pretend they’re achievable.”

Minister Schulz has rightly criticized these proposals as irresponsible – they do not align with Alberta’s own emission reduction plan that works toward carbon-neutral electricity by 2050. Alberta has provided feedback to Ottawa on why their proposed timeline is unworkable, but this has clearly fallen on deaf ears.

Premier Smith has been adamant that Alberta will not accept any federal plan that increases electricity rates or compromises the reliability of our grid.

I am an Albertan, a father and a small business owner, and in no world do these new proposals make sense for the future security and prosperity of all Albertans and our children. I stand firmly with her on this – we cannot allow Albertan families and businesses to suffer from skyrocketing power bills or blackouts because of poorly conceived federal regulations.

The draft regulations would make new investments in natural gas generation nearly impossible. This would require massive spending on alternative generation sources and transmission infrastructure to meet Ottawa’s arbitrary targets. These costs would ultimately be borne by Alberta taxpayers and consumers. A one-size-fits-all approach imposed by the federal government simply will not work in our province.

Let me be clear – I support reducing emissions and transitioning to carbon-neutral electricity generation in a prudent manner. What I cannot support is federal regulations that will drastically increase costs and undermine the reliability of our electricity system.

Alberta deserves a made-in-Alberta solution, not top-down directives from Ottawa bureaucrats.

It’s time for the federal government to work cooperatively with our province as partners. We need a practical path forward on electricity and emissions reduction that protects affordability for Alberta families while cutting emissions.

I will continue standing up for these principles alongside Premier Smith, Minister Schulz, and our entire United Conservative Party caucus.