Statement: Pathways Alliance responds to Emissions Reduction Plan

Calgary – Kendall Dilling, Interim Director of the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero Alliance issued the following statement in response to the federal government’s tabling of the Emissions Reduction Plan today in the House of Commons: “Today’s release of the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) presents an ambitious challenge for all Canadian industries. The Pathways Alliance will…

Calgary – Kendall Dilling, Interim Director of the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero Alliance issued the following statement in response to the federal government’s tabling of the Emissions Reduction Plan today in the House of Commons:

“Today’s release of the Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) presents an ambitious challenge for all Canadian industries. The Pathways Alliance will continue its efforts to work collaboratively with governments to help Canada achieve its climate goals and ensure our country can be the world’s preferred supplier of responsibly-produced energy.

“We recognize climate change is a critical challenge of our time, and that our industry has an essential role to play in helping our country meet its climate goals.

“The Pathways Alliance took the initiative last year to announce our own unprecedented plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, with an interim goal of reducing oil sands production emissions by 22 megatonnes (MT) by 2030.

“We are already working closely with the government to achieve net zero, and we will review the ERP in detail to see how it aligns with our own plans. Although there are differences between the ERP and our plan, it’s clear we agree on the need to reduce emissions significantly by 2030 and that collaboration is essential for us to meet our goals. Together, we can show the world Canada’s leadership in addressing climate change.

“We also need to recognize the time required to build the infrastructure, deploy the necessary technology, secure appropriate regulatory approvals, and implement economic incentives to achieve these reductions.

“With the 2030 milestone only eight years away, we need realistic and achievable goals, to maintain and attract needed investment in Canadian energy and technologies to reduce emissions. While we recognize the federal government’s ambition to drive even faster results, the Pathways Alliance has been clear that the interim goals set for our industry must be flexible, realistic and achievable.

“Our unprecedented alliance of six oil sands companies is pursuing a variety of new approaches and innovative solutions and we have outlined an ambitious and achievable plan to meet our goal. That includes our foundational project to design and construct a world-leading carbon capture and storage network in Alberta.

“We’re pleased the ERP recognizes the Pathways Alliance as positive industry leadership and reaffirms the government’s commitment to developing an investment tax credit to encourage the development and deployment of carbon capture technologies.

“With positive industry and government collaboration, Canada has an incredible opportunity to help provide for global energy security while being a leader in producing clean energy.”

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