Energy, Agriculture Need Joint Planning on Land and Water Use

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Climate Change, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
Energy, Agriculture
Need Joint Planning on
Land and Water Use
            LETHBRIDGE – Alberta’s energy and agricultural industries need to be jointly planning how they use land and water to ensure both industries are sustainable, speakers told a conference in Lethbridge.
            Energy production will continue to expand in the province, while Alberta will become increasingly important in providing food supplies to meet national and international demands, said Sandra Depoe, water quality monitoring specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.
            “Important decisions are going to have to be made about water allocation to both renewable and non-renewable industries,” Depoe told the Water, Agriculture and…
» Continue reading Energy, Agriculture Need Joint Planning on Land and Water Use

Water Use Transformation Required by Agriculture,

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Climate Change, Issue 2 & 3
 
Water Use Transformation
Required by Agriculture,
UBC Expert Says
By Elona Malterre
            LETHBRIDGE – The agriculture business must transform how it uses water in light of increasing demands for the diminishing resource and the climate change impacts, says an internationally recognized water expert.
            “Globally, agriculture uses approximately 70 per cent of all freshwater resources. Urban use is relatively small but is growing rapidly,” Hans Schreier, a professor with the Institute for Resources and Environment at the University of British Columbia, told the Water, Agriculture and the Environment conference in Lethbridge.
            For example, it takes between 15,000 to 70,000 kilograms of water, depending on various factors,…
» Continue reading Water Use Transformation Required by Agriculture,

Continental Energy Strategy Jeopardizes Alberta Landowners Victory

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Environmental Law, Issue 2 & 3
Continental Energy Strategy
Jeopardizes Alberta Landowners’
Victory on Pipeline Compensation
OPINION & ANALYSIS
By Barbara Janusz
            Sometimes there is more to a corporate vision statement than meets the eye. Even a hard-won victory, by a group of feisty landowners in front of the Alberta Surface Rights Board, may not be what it appears.
            In these volatile economic times, the formulation of a strategic plan, even by some of the world’s largest corporate players, can be particularly challenging and is usually done privately in the sanctum of their boardrooms. Not so for Enbridge Pipelines Inc., which lauds itself on its website as operating “. .…
» Continue reading Continental Energy Strategy Jeopardizes Alberta Landowners Victory

First Nations, Governments Urged to Negotiate Aboriginal Legal Rights to Water

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Environmental Law, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
First Nations, Governments
Urged to Negotiate Aboriginal
Legal Rights to Water
            Aboriginal rights to water is an unsettled legal issue that will lead to court battles unless First Nations and governments can negotiate the competing interests for water, lawyers say.
            There is a “dearth of any (court) decisions that have spoken to this issue,” which is becoming a “growing and ever increasingly important area of law,” Ron Maurice, a senior partner at Maurice Law, told Insight Information’s 4th annual Water & Land Management in Alberta conference, held in Calgary.
            “There is obviously a growing demand for water, a dwindling supply and there will be…
» Continue reading First Nations, Governments Urged to Negotiate Aboriginal Legal Rights to Water

Books & Meetings

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Books & Meetings, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18

 

B&M

            Water – How Alberta Can Do More With Less?: March 4-5, Calgary. FMI visit http://www.watsupsymposium.com/
            The Next U.S. Administration/Policy Directions & Implications for Canada-U.S. Relations: March 6-7, Calgary. FMI visit www.usinstitute.ucalgary.ca 
            MIT Energy Conference/Accelerating Change in Global Energy: March 6-7, Cambridge, Mass. FMI visit http://www.mitenergyconference.com/
            2009 Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference: March 6-8, Edmonton. FMI visit http://joomla.wildlife.org/Alberta/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=203&Itemid=327
            Independent Power Producers Society of Alberta 15th Annual Conference: March 8-10, Banff, Alberta. FMI visit www.ippsa.com
            ENERCOM: March 9-11, Toronto. FMI visit http://enercom.to/index.html
            32nd Solid Waste Association of North America Annual Landfill Gas Symposium: March 9-12, Atlanta, Georgia. FMI visit http://www.lfg.swana.org/
            19th Annual…
» Continue reading Books & Meetings

People & Companies

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Issue 2 & 3, People & Companies, Volume 18
P&C
            The town council in Rocky Mountain House has established the Martha Kostuch Memorial Award in honour of the late Alberta environmental activist.
            Todd Becker, the town’s director of special projects, said the award is meant to celebrate environmental excellence and enhance awareness by recognizing individual, community and corporate successes in pursuing a sustainable future.
            Youths and schools could also be recognized through the award, which will be presented each year in association with the Mayor’s Awards. The first memorial award will be announced on March.
            Kostuch died in April at age 58 at her innovative cordwood, solar-powered home just outside…
» Continue reading People & Companies

Wastewater Nutrient-Recovery Technology Makes Fertilizer, Boosts Phosphorus Supplies

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18, Waste Management
 
            Vancouver-based Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. – with funding from the B.C. government – plans to build the first U.S. facility that will use municipal wastewater to make commercial fertilizer.
            Ostara says that the facility, to be built at an existing wastewater treatment plant near Portland, Oregon, will help address the problem of declining U.S. and global supplies of phosphorus – a vital product for agriculture and other industries.
            Ostara’s technology, licensed from the University of British Columbia, uses anaerobic digesters to recover nutrients from wastewater and recycles them into a trademarked, commercial-grade fertilizer product called Crystal Green. 
            “The Clean…
» Continue reading Wastewater Nutrient-Recovery Technology Makes Fertilizer, Boosts Phosphorus Supplies

Climate Change Industry Must Plan Now For Climate Change Impacts, Water Shortages, Experts Say

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Climate Change, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
By Mark Lowey
            Canadian industry should be drawing up plans now to adapt to climate change impacts such as water scarcity and paying for the water they use, says the head of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE).
            The province of Alberta will either be allocating or charging for water usage within the next five years, predicts Robert Page, chair of the national advisory group. “For businesses for the future, they’re either going to have to cut water consumption or pay for water,” he said in an interview.
            Businesses need to pay more attention to…
» Continue reading Climate Change Industry Must Plan Now For Climate Change Impacts, Water Shortages, Experts Say

Environmental Law

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Environmental Law, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
            A Court of Queen’s Bench justice in Calgary has found that an Imperial Oil Limited pipeline leak exposed a portion of a southern Alberta family’s cattle herd to hydrocarbon contamination.
            The Ball family, which owns the Ball Ranch near Bragg Creek west of Calgary, launched a lawsuit against Imperial Oil in 2004. The dispute began in the summer of 2002, when Agnes Ball, 72, returned from a weekend vacation to find a huge pit dug near a sour gas pipeline running through land where some of her cattle grazed. The leased land has been in the family since the 1940s.
            That year,…
» Continue reading Environmental Law

Syncrude Canada Charged Over Dead Ducks at Oilsands Tailings Pond

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Environmental Law, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
 
            The federal and Alberta governments have laid environmental charges against the Syncrude Canada Ltd. oilsands venture in connection with the deaths of nearly 500 ducks in a toxic tailings pond last spring.
            Syncrude could face fines of up to $800,000 in combined fines if convicted under federal and provincial legislation. The charges are the first of their kind against an oilsands company.
            Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice said that the government will be proceeding with legislative amendments that would significantly increase fines for environmental infractions. Penalties for large companies would range in the multimillion dollars, he said.
            Alberta Justice Minister Alison Redford said…
» Continue reading Syncrude Canada Charged Over Dead Ducks at Oilsands Tailings Pond

Oilsands Upgrader Approval Ignores Alberta Land-use Framework, Farmers Say

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Energy, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
 
By Elona Malterre
            The Alberta Energy and Resources Conservation Board’s (ERCB) approval of a Petro-Canada oilsands upgrader near Edmonton ignores the province’s new Land-use Framework and the world’s need to grow more food, a group of farmers says.
            “Obviously we’re very disappointed,” says Wayne Groot, a potato and grain farmer whose land borders the planned upgrader in the County of Sturgeon northeast of Edmonton. The ERCB’s decision will mean a loss of “prime agricultural land” to industry, which isn’t in keeping with the province’s Land-use Framework, he said in an interview.
            Groot is a member of the          Northeast Sturgeon County Industrial Landowners…
» Continue reading Oilsands Upgrader Approval Ignores Alberta Land-use Framework, Farmers Say

World-Class Pipeline Industry Threatened by Proposed National Rules on GHG Emissions

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Energy, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
 
By Mark Lowey
            Energy regulation based on desired outcomes rather than prescriptive rules works and has helped make Canada’s pipeline industry a world leader in safety, best practices and innovation, says the head of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA).
            But Canada’s natural gas pipeline companies now face a proposed national regulatory framework for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that jeopardizes the industry and its ability to compete globally, says Brenda Kenny, CEPA’s president.
            “As things sit now, the national regulatory framework is of grave concern to the pipeline industry,” Kenny said in a wide-ranging interview with EnviroLine. “Not because we…
» Continue reading World-Class Pipeline Industry Threatened by Proposed National Rules on GHG Emissions

Renewable Energy’s Future Remains Bright, Despite Global Economic Downturn

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Energy, Issue 2 & 3, Volume 18
Energy
Renewable Energy’s Future 
Remains Bright, Despite  
Global Economic Downturn
By Elona Malterre
            Renewable energy has a bright future – despite the global economic crisis – especially in the face of declining water supplies, industry experts and financial analysts say.
            There is still strong interest in wind power development, says Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). “Two recent requests for (wind power) proposals in Ontario and British Columbia were substantially over-subscribed,” he said in an interview.
            In late January, the Ontario Power Authority and Renewable Energy Systems Canada announced the development of two new wind farms which together will cost $500 million.…
» Continue reading Renewable Energy’s Future Remains Bright, Despite Global Economic Downturn

Books & Meetings

Published by: System
in Books & Meetings, Issue 1, Volume 18
              CERI Training Seminars

.   Introduction to the Natural Gas Industry: Nov. 17-18, Edmonton & Nov. 20-21, Vancouver & Dec. 4-5, Calgary.

.   Business Analysis Program/Applied Risk Assessment (Advanced Seminar): Nov. 17-18, Calgary.

.   Introduction to the Upstream Petroleum Industry: Nov. 24-25, Calgary.

.   Canada’s Oil Sands Industry: Jan. 15-16, Calgary.

.   Natural Gas Market Fundamentals (Advanced Seminar): Dec. 1-2, Edmonton & Dec. 8-9, Calgary.

.   Electric Industry Fundamentals: Dec. 15-16, Calgary.

FMI visit www.ceri.ca or call (403)-220-2374 or email:

              ENFORM Training Courses

.   Lease Development and Reclamation: Nov. 17-20, Calgary.

. Environmental Sustainability in the Upstream Petroleum Industry: Nov. 26-27, Calgary.

. Drilling Waste Management: Dec. 2, Calgary.

FMI visit www.enform.ca…

» Continue reading Books & Meetings

People & Companies

Published by: System
in Issue 1, People & Companies, Volume 18

 

              Hal Kvisle, president and CEO of TransCanada Corp., has received the Canadian Business Leader Award from the University of Alberta School of Business.

              Kvisle, who up in Innisfail, Alberta, and attended the U of A and the University of Calgary, will receive the annual honour in March. Since Kvisle became CEO in 2001, TransCanada has regrouped from a merger with NOVA and transformed itself from a well-known and respected Canadian pipeline company to a leading North American energy infrastructure company, investing $18 billion in its pipeline and energy businesses. CH Oct 11

 

 

              EnCana Corp. has donated $1 million to Ducks Unlimited to restore…

» Continue reading People & Companies

Corporate Social Responsibility Is a ‘Must’ to Compete, Nexen VP Says

Published by: Elona Malterre
in Green Business

              Practising corporate social responsibility is no longer just the “right thing to do,” it’s necessary for business to be competitive, says a senior executive at Nexen Inc.

              “Studies have shown that the share values of companies that are perceived to operate with a high degree of social responsibility outperformed those with no particular commitment to social responsibility,” said Randy Gossen, Nexen’s vice-president of environment and social responsibility and recently elected president of the World Petroleum Council.

              The growth in socially responsible investments funds shows that investors “do not just focus on the corporation’s financial bottom line, but also include…

» Continue reading Corporate Social Responsibility Is a ‘Must’ to Compete, Nexen VP Says

Skeptics Wrong in Doubting Human-Caused Global Warming, Geologist Says

Published by: System
in Climate Change, Issue 1, Volume 18

BANFF – Skeptics of human-influenced global warming or those who say we can simply adapt to climate change are ignoring basic physics and many years of scientific study, says a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada.

              “Geologists should be leaders in recognizing the problem” of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, James White told the Canadian Prairie and Northern Section (CPANS) Air & Waste Management Association’s annual conference. “Human adaptation is not guaranteed” to the rapid climate change now occurring, he said in a talk titled “Geological and Modern Evidence Relating to the Climate Change Controversy.”

              The Earth’s atmosphere…

» Continue reading Skeptics Wrong in Doubting Human-Caused Global Warming, Geologist Says

Businesses “Blindfolded” By Policy Uncertainty Around Climate Change

Published by: System
in Climate Change, Issue 1, Volume 18

BANFF – Policy uncertainty around climate change has left corporations “blindfolded in a closet” in terms of future spending and investors fearful, says an economist at the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE).

              Even though business is struggling with regulatory and policy uncertainty, companies that fail to change their spending and products in response to climate change won’t succeed, Michal Moore, a senior fellow at ISEEE at the University of Calgary, told the Canadian Prairie and Northern Section (CPANS) Air & Waste Management Association’s annual conference.

              Policy makers “(are) arguably least prepared to deal with climate change . .…

» Continue reading Businesses “Blindfolded” By Policy Uncertainty Around Climate Change

Industry, ENGO Officials Debate Pace and Cost of Greenhouse Gas Reductions

Published by: System
in Government

BANFF – Canada’s oil and gas industry needs realistic, affordable targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and a flexible plan that doesn’t hurt companies’ global competitiveness, says an industry expert.

              Achieving annual cuts in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is less important than getting industry onside to reduce emissions over the long run, Rick Hyndman, senior policy advisor on climate change for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, told the Canadian Prairie and Northern Section (CPANS) Air & Waste Management Association’s annual conference. “If you do it right, industry’s all for it. If you do it wrong, industry’s all opposed to…

» Continue reading Industry, ENGO Officials Debate Pace and Cost of Greenhouse Gas Reductions

Tougher Regulations, Push for Harmonization Expected on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Published by: Mark Lowey
in Climate Change, Issue 1, Volume 18

BANFF – Businesses should be prepared for tougher domestic regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, says a senior Environment Canada official.

              “If you think CO2 regulations are onerous now, be prepared for . . . tougher and tougher regulations,” with carbon prices expected to reach $65 per tonne by 2018, said Louise Metivier, director of air emissions priorities for Environment Canada’s Environmental Stewardship Branch. She was speaking at the annual Canadian Prairie and Northern Section (CPANS) Air & Waste Management Association’s annual conference, “Turning Down the Heat on Climate Change,” held in Banff.

              Canada’s regulatory system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions will apply…

» Continue reading Tougher Regulations, Push for Harmonization Expected on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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