Canada Environment Minister warns oil companies against retaining emissions data

Canada's Environment Minister warned Wednesday that oil companies who withheld data on emissions would be violating federal law. This was after Alberta's Premier said the province had considered measures to stop a proposed cap.

Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta, said on Tuesday that her government will introduce a motion to the legislature to allow them to challenge Ottawa's proposed cap on oil and gas emissions.

Alberta, Canada's largest oil and natural gas province, is also looking into other ways to undermine the cap should it become law. These include restricting access to oil and gas installations in Alberta as well as access to emission data.

Steven Guilbeault, federal environment minister in Ottawa, told reporters that if companies stopped reporting to the federal governments they would be violating federal laws.

The latest spat in Alberta between Smith's conservatives and Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, highlights the province's opposition to a plan aimed at reducing emissions from Canada's most polluting industry.

Even if Trudeau wins the federal elections next year, there will still be opposition to Trudeau’s cap on oil and gas emissions. The Liberals appear to be on course for a disastrous loss, and the Conservative Party has stated that it will scrap the policy should they win.

Ottawa claims that existing technology can meet the proposed cap, which would require producers to reduce oil and gas emission by 35% below current levels by 2030. Alberta, however, argues that the cap will force companies to reduce production by 1 million barrels a day. This is nearly a quarter the province's oil output.

Emmett Mcfarlane, professor of political sciences at the University of Waterloo, says that while Alberta has the right to challenge federal legislation in court, other measures proposed by Alberta would be unconstitutional, if the cap on oil and gas emission becomes law.

Macfarlane stated that "banning federal officials from entering the facilities or trying block disclosure of emissions information... is unconstitutional absurdity if federal government is acting in its authority."

In any conflict between federal law and provincial law, the federal law will prevail. (Reporting and editing by SonaliPaul in British Columbia, Nia Williams)

(source: Reuters)