Hours after the operators of the province’s power grid warned that new federal electricity regulations could lead to blackouts, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government is preparing for the possibility of enacting her signature legislation in an effort to push back against Ottawa’s planned emissions reductions.

“We’re preparing a Sovereignty Act motion, and I’m hoping we don’t have to use it. That’s why we’re at the table having these negotiations,” Smith said, referring to a recently formed Alberta-Ottawa working group focused on emissions reductions.

“But we are going to defend our constitutional jurisdiction to make sure that we develop our oil and gas industry at our own pace, and that we develop our electricity system so that it achieves the goal of reliability and affordability.”

When asked at what point she would potentially invoke the act, Smith said she has continually said she would do so if Ottawa “comes through with emissions caps that are unconstitutional.”

  • Cobrachickenwing@lemmy.ca
    4·
    1 year ago

    If you want a taste of what happens when you run your own independent power grid just look at Texas, the state most closely in culture to Alberta. Power costs skyrocketing, unreliable power and no plan to increase power generation.

    • Farce Multiplier@mstdn.ca
      1·
      1 year ago

      @Cobrachickenwing Alberta already has market-driven pricing, resulting in large manufacturers shutting down operations when the electricity costs outweigh potential profits from the manufactured goods. AB’s management here costs jobs.

    • Phil_in_here@lemmy.ca
      3·
      1 year ago

      But we have a valuable natural resource that will only ever increase in value, can’t be found elsewhere, and will literally never run out that was given to us - the chosen people - by God!

      It’s our right to claim sovereignty against a country that has never done anything to help us along the way! Never built us a railroad, or a highway, nothing! We don’t need their ports or other resources! We can do everything we need right here! It doesn’t matter that we’ve only ever done one thing, that doesn’t make us whiny, insolent children threatening to run away from home because we’ve been treated like literal slaves doing chores!

      • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
        0·
        1 year ago

        I’m pretty sure we generate most of our own. I’m not sure what they’d cut us off on, come to think of it, although I’m sure there’s something.

          • Rocket@lemmy.ca
            2·
            1 year ago

            No reason for Alberta to be cut off, though. Even if we buy into some ridiculous idea that the other provinces are going to cut Alberta off out of spite, Montana isn’t going to care. I’m sure they’d be quite happy to supply more power to Alberta.

            • girlfreddy@lemmy.caOP
              11·
              1 year ago

              And charge Alberta taxpayers through the nose for it.

              If you’d rather go that route, have at it.

  • kae@lemmy.caEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    I’m shocked.

    We’re in for an interesting few years with Alberta. Anecdotally, some of my friends who live in rural Alberta voted for the UCP because the Alberta NDP allegedly cost them billions in oilfield investment.

    When I pointed out that all cars were going to be electric by 2030/35, this was news to them. They had no idea that now was the time to pivot the economy to solar/wind and prepare for the not so distant future.

    This is very much a get my friends rich scheme, while the people suffer. There is a precipitous cliff coming for Albertans, and ignorance won’t be an option.

  • NotAnArdvark@lemmy.ca
    3·
    1 year ago

    Two things:

    It’s easy to ask “why didn’t Alberta diversify a bit more so this wouldn’t have been so ‘impossible’ to do?” From this point of view, all the fuss being made comes off as Alberta whining because of their own short-sightedness.

    Second, the AESO is contradicting themselves now to match the UCP narrative? Sourced from here:

    Last year, an AESO report said there are multiple pathways to achieve net-zero emissions in the province’s power system by 2035, estimating the transition would require an additional $44 billion to $52 billion of investment.

    Now they’re saying:

    Alberta won’t have enough supply to ensure the reliability of the system in 2035 and the severity of a shortfall would increase over the years.

    ??

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
      4·
      1 year ago

      It’s easy to ask "why didn’t Alberta diversify a bit more

      It’s a harder question when we consider that diversification and diverse investments was the biggest plank of the platform Peter Lougheed won the province with and gave the Cons their first victory over the strong NDP incumbents in a long time.

      Like, the Cons took the province on that platform.

      Now ask why it didn’t happen. (hint: greed)

  • Max-P@lemmy.max-p.me
    2·
    1 year ago

    We’ve been headed that way for at least two decades, and they have another decade to figure it out, and they’re acting all shocked pikachu they finally will have to care about their emissions?

    The more you postpone acting, the more it’s gonna hurt when we have no choice but to cut emissions to survive.