BC's New Premier Says Development of a New Energy Economy Paramount
[Editor’s Update, May 12, 2011]:Christy Clark won her by-election by a narrow margin. She
defeated her primary candidate, the NDP’s David Eby, by 595
votes.]
Vancouver, May 11, 2011 - Christy Clark,
British Columbia’s new Premier has wasted little time affirming her
plan to build the province’s leadership in developing a new energy
economy.
In an
target=”_blank”>open letter to British Columbians [pdf], Clark
addressed two lingering questions left unanswered after her
ascenion to the top of the BC Liberal party. The first
question was whether or not to continue with the provincial carbon
tax.
BC’s carbon tax, which places a price on each tonne of
greenhouse gas emitted, has been lauded by environmentalists and
economists across the globe as one of the most progressive climate
change policies in the world. Nevertheless, it has received
mixed reviews from British Columbians, and has transformed into a
major electoral issue for the province.
In her letter, Clark says she will maintain the course laid out
by the target=”_blank”>carbon tax. “BC is on the leading
edge of the new, green economy, a decision that was reinforced by
the electorate in the 2009 election when it made a choice to elect
a government committed to moving ahead with courageous climate
change policies.” According to Clark, the carbon tax to date
has cut more taxes than it has collected.
Making no argument about the dangerous effects climate change is
wreaking on the environment, Clark said she will continue to work
ardently with other states and provinces to develop more
leading-edge policies to reduce carbon emissions.
“As we go forward, one thing is for certain: we will work to
achieve our targets to reduce carbon emissions and continue to be a
leader in North America on the green economy.” This pledge
seemingly addresses the question of whether, under her leadership,
the province would continue to morph its economic foundations
around sustainable business.
BC has set targets to reduce its emissions by 33% by 2020 and
80% by 2050. No economy exists in a vacuum, and in order for
British Columbia to transition into a green economy, cooperation
with other provinces and states will be necessary.
Therefore, Clark has promised to help establish the
target=”_blank”>Western Climate Initiative (WCI) – a plan
developed by an independent group of Canadian provinces and
American states to reduce emissions, while spurring economic
growth.
The backbone of the WCI is the creation of a regional
cap-and-trade system between partner jurisdictions. The WCI
is scheduled to come into creation in 2012; as of yet none of the
partners have passed the enabling legislation.
Despite the supportive tone of Clark’s open letter for clean
energy technologies, the question of whether she will follow
through on this mandate is still far from answered. First,
since she was not an elected member of the legislative assembly,
she must win a by-election before she can truly step into her role
as the province’s Premier.
Second, she must follow the rhetoric with action.
Considering the myriad of special interests, this is a tall order;
and one which could be further accentuated by the fact her top
transition team advisor, Gwyn Morgan, has been a long-time critic
of climate legislation.
Morgan, the former CEO of oil and gas giant EnCana, supported a
target=”_blank”>campaign that slammed former federal Liberal
leader Stephane Dion’s carbon tax plan in the 2008 federal
election. Additionally, Morgan, who has questioned the
science behind anthropogenic global warming, said the
target=”_blank”>Kyoto Protocol would do nothing to improve the
environment and could be potentially economically devestating to
Canada.
While there are still many unknowns, a cadre of green business
leaders, such as John Sheridan CEO of Ballard Power systems,
target=”_blank”>applauded [pdf] the direction the Premier
aims to follow. Sheridan says, “British Columbians have
everything to gain from a strong green economy. We will
continue to benefit in the form of jobs, investment, revitalized
communities, and a more liveable and sustainable province.”
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of
target=”_blank”>EnergyBoom. He has researched and
reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and
climate change for over two years. He has provided research
to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published
on different media outlets including, The Energy
Collective.
