The Alberta tar sands have never had it so good since they got their people into power in Ottawa but they haven't got friends everywhere and especially not in California. The Christian Science Monitor reports that governments are beginning to say "no" to super-dirty oil:
"California has enacted new climate-change policies that make energy companies responsible for the carbon emissions not just of their refineries but all phases of oil production, including extraction and transportation. If that notion catches on – at least two Canadian provinces have already signed on to California's plan – then the futures of oil-sand, shale, and coal-to-oil projects may look less attractive.
The reason: Extracting these alternative sources of oil requires so much energy that their "carbon footprint" may outweigh their benefits.
"'As the US and the world move toward more controls on carbon to solve the problem of global warming, it is clear that the development of high-polluting fuels will incur a penalty and the support of and investment in such fuels will be a more and more risky business,' says Roland Hwang, a senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
"California's move came in January, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed a state executive order creating a new "low carbon fuel standard." The standard gives petroleum refiners 13 years to cut the carbon content of their passenger vehicle fuels by 10 percent. In May, Governor Schwarzenegger signed agreements committing Ontario and British Columbia to adhere to California's standard."
Next up, the Governator is heading to Ottawa to wrestle the same deal out of our boss, the Garburetor, Stephen Harper.
No comments:
Post a Comment