Canadian Oil Lobby Head Doesn't Even Bother To Pimp "Net-Zero" Or "Carbon Capture" - Just "Give Us More Money And STFU"
Have you ever wondered what Canada’s oil patch says behind closed doors? DeSmog had an opportunity to attend an energy and natural resource forum hosted by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, and in contrast to its public messaging emphasizing carbon capture and storage (CCS), oil industry leadership instead called for less regulation, more extraction and governments that would “kill” ambitious climate policies before they went into effect.
Held the day after President-elect Donald Trump threatened Canada and Mexico with 25 percent tariffs, the exclusive event featured a keynote speech from Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) president Lisa Baiton addressing hundreds of local industry representatives. Her message differed from the one repeated in ad campaigns from the Pathways Alliance and other oil industry groups touting how the oil patch is on a path of net zero carbon emissions through CCS projects – subsidized by billions of taxpayer dollars. Ms. Baiton did not once mention the impacts of climate change or highly-hyped solutions like CCS during her 25-minute address. Instead, she said, the oil patch should demand governments “proudly champion” fossil fuel expansion, “and we need them to kill value destroying domestic policies like the emissions cap.”
“For my industry, the most pressing challenge is the proposed federal and B.C. emissions cap regulations, which are an unnecessary policy layer on top of an already unwieldy stack of regulations on the oil and natural gas sector,” Baiton told the crowd. “The cap, if implemented, will limit Canadian oil and natural gas production and would threaten any ambitions we have for B.C. LNG.”
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Ottawa has already thrown over $1 billion in taxpayer’s money at LNG pipe dreams. An additional $5.4 billion in financial support was contributed by the British Columbia government, which works out to more than $2,600 per B.C. household. Naturally the head of a trade association of fossil fuel producers will continue to advocate for additional public largess in service of its members, but this does not mean it’s a wise investment. The lack of any mention of CCS projects like Pathways’ proposal also indicates that the oil patch is not as serious or confident about the multi-billion-dollar project as they are telling the public. As the largest trading partner to the U.S., Canada is undoubtedly in for a wild ride under the second Trump presidency. The predictable prescription from the oil patch to meet these challenges is – as always – to regulate less and extract more. Regardless of the facts, CAPP seems to be embracing the words of Winston Churchill: “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
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https://www.desmog.com/2024/12/03/capp-president-abandons-net-zero-message-at-exclusive-industry-event/