The Coal Injunction, Part 5: Saskatchewan Environmental Society and Citizens for Public Justice, and the conclusion. #saskatchewan #coal
Podcast on Sask NDP’s take on coal, minister response
Pipeline Online Podcast: Aleana Young Ep. 15: Would the Sask NDP reverse the coal decision? And what about nuclear?
It was a pretty lively and interesting podcast.
And here’s the minister’s response to this text story: Coal Revival: Would the NDP reverse the coal decision? And why are they now big on nuclear power?
Minister’s comments:
Coal Revival: Harrison says NDP will shut down coal plants immediately if they were to form government.
Would Sask NDP reverse coal decision?
The biggest threat to a major policy announcement is a change in government that then completely reverses that decision. So on that basis, I spoke to the Saskatchewan NPD and asked:
Coal Revival: Would the Saskatchewan NDP reverse the coal decision? And why are they now big on nuclear power?
Hudson Bay oil shipping?
Digging deep into the talk about shipping oil from Hudson Bay/James Bay and this week’s announcements
First good sleep in years
Coal Revival: “I’m going to stay,” one coal worker told IBEW. This is one union that is over the moon with the right wing government that just saved their industry and jobs.
More formal letter of support from IBEW:
Coal Revival: IBEW says coal announcement will ‘have a meaningful impact on the lives of our members and their families’
Part 5 of Upgrader series:
Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders, Part 5: Were the Regina and Lloydminster upgraders worth it? The two upgraders’ massive impact on provincial revenue
Pick up your jaws…
Here’s a union supporting a right-wing government’s move to rebuild its coal fleet. It has everything to do with the left wing wants their industry to disappear, and the SaskParty is moving to keep it going for decades to come. Interesting, that. As in the musical Hamilton – The World Turned Upside Down.
“Saskatchewan’s leadership in asserting provincial jurisdiction over its energy future deserves recognition. While the federal mandate to phase out coal-fired electricity by 2030 posed existential threats to entire communities, this new direction offers hope and continuity.”
I’ll have a more in-depth interview with the union in coming days, as well as a similar story from the other union involved, and a similar tale.
Also, in my series on the upgraders:
Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders Part 3: The Lloydminster Bi-Provincial Upgrader doubled the city in size
Minister explains why SK is rebuilding its coal fleet
Saskatchewan is rebuildings its coal fleet. Here’s a chance to hear from Crown Investments Corp and SaskPower Minister Jeremy Harrison explain how this came about. It’s the biggest energy decision in 10 years. If you work in the coal industry in take time this weekend to watch/listen.
Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders
In late June, Federated Co-operatives Limited will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Regina Refinery Complex. In September, 2022, Pipeline Online published a six-part series on the two Grant Devine-era heavy oil upgraders, and their lasting impact. One of those upgraders is an integral part of the Regina Refinery Complex, and thus, is a major part of the history of that refinery. To commemorate this momentous anniversary, Pipeline Online is republishing this series.
Regina Refinery at 90 and Devine’s Upgraders, Part 1: The two heavy oil upgraders built by the Grant Devine government had a tough opening act, but became anchors for Saskatchewan’s current economy
Also:
Saskatchewan premier says he can ‘get behind’ Ottawa’s energy superpower vision
Trump leaves G7 summit early amid escalations in Middle East
Strong wind led to more coal usage. Go figure
How a strong wind day led to coal exceeding natural gas power generation on June 8. This story ties in wind, coal, enhanced oil recovery, nuclear and natural gas and their relationships to each other.
Pipelines, pipelines, gas and wind
Poilievre says pipelines should be built even without consensus.
Eby says it’s not him blocking Smith’s oil pipeline, it’s lack of money and proponent.
Pipeline Online Podcast Ep. 11: Dr. Tammy Nemeth, energy analyst
Quebec government scraps gasoline floor price to boost competition
Nova Scotia’s ambitious ‘Wind West’ offshore energy plan wins support with conditions
How can you be an energy superpower without pipelines?
National energy corridor? Pipelines? Not mentioned in throne speech, but “energy superpower” is.
New Liberal Energy Minister sends different message
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, verbatim
In Pipeline Online’s continuing mission to tell you exactly what the federal Liberal government is saying on energy and environmental policy, this is the verbatim speech of the new Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson, who spoke at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on May 23. In this case, the ministry was kind enough to provide the transcript online, indicating this is a message they really, really want to get out there.
And it is worth taking in. This guy sounds NOTHING like Wilkinson or Guilbeault. He promises reviews in 2 years, not 5. Wilkinson wanted to keep it in the ground.
You can also watch it in the link provided in the story on CPAC’s YouTube channel. I encourage you to take the time to do so. It’s cued up to start at his speech, but if you want to hear his background, which including working on the financing for the Alliance Pipeline, rewind a bit and hear a glowing introduction from the CEO of Suncor.
Notably, the Alliance Pipeline he mentioned financing was the last major pipeline project I worked on. I started work three weeks after my wedding. And out of the 12 guys on my road bore crew, I was the only one married once.
—–
For giggles, if you want to see who the Anti-Zinchuk is, this is a video from Markham Hislop. He posts daily videos hating everything about the Canadian energy sector, from every angle imaginable. In this video he shoots down the idea Hodgson speaks of regarding Canada becoming an energy superpower. Didn’t Harper come up with that? That’s right, he did.
It got 14000 views in less than a day, and 255 comments.
Be sure to check out the Pipeline Online Podcast at 1 p.m. Monday, May 26, live on X, LinkedIn and Facebook, with guest Ken From, former CEO of SaskEnergy, TSASK, PTRC, and Prairie Hunter Energy.
Trudeau’s letters were all about climate change. Carney, not so much
Carney’s mandate letter to ministers is dramatically different than Trudeau’s, with climate change an afterthought. Trudeau mentioned climate 27 times in his letter to Steven Guilbeault, 20 times to Jonathan Wilkinson. Carney? Once, and almost in passing.
Another major nuclear announcement, this time in Tennessee, which will have impact on SaskPower’s nuclear ambitions.
Moe’s demands, breathing life into dying oil wells
Moe issues Saskatchewan’s demands, a week after Smith announces Alberta’s
Reaching for a million (or 600,000?), Part 3: Low Productivity and Reactivation Oil Well Program announced. What if you could breathe new life into an old, depleted well?
Wind and solar
SaskPower awards major wind and solar projects to Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Mistawasis Nêhiyawak and Potentia partnerships
All-of-the-above approach: SaskPower Minister’s speech at wind and solar announcement
Meanwhile:
Energy Realities Podcast: Spain and Portugal’s major blackout
Reliable energy?
Enbridge: Securing the affordable, reliable energy we need takes an all-of-the-above approach
Not half a per cent, but half of a tenth of a per cent
Alberta wind output falls to 0.05 per cent of capacity days before energy election. And the Clean Electricity Regulations, brought into force the last day Parliament sat, do not appear to be up for change according to the Liberal election platform. Read for yourself.
Where have they been?
Bronwyn Eyre: Canadian Oil Companies’ Flip Flop on CCUS…and Everything Else.
Eyre pulls no punches in this column, wondering where the oil & gas CEOs have been all these years?
National debate on energy
National leaders debate on energy, verbatim. You can bet pipelines were discussed.
Poilievre promises an energy corridor to the coasts
Poilievre’s key energy policy: a National Energy Corridor for pipe, power and rail. Here’s his speech, verbatim.
The reality is, we largely have a such a corridor already from Moose Jaw to a third of the way through Ontario. It’s Quebec and New Brunswick that are the issue.
And just a couple hours after Poilievre spoke, we recorded this with Andrew Scheer:
Pipeline Online Podcast, Ep. 6: Andrew Scheer on a National Energy Corridor and a whole lot more, including tariffs, Clean Electricity Regulations and coal-fired power.