Guilbeault applauds Alberta's early phase out of coal, gets proven wrong days later
Today, we journey back to a dark era in Alberta's history—a time when hope seemed lost, jobs were vanishing, businesses were closing, and despair was widespread. Yes, we're talking about the NDP years in Alberta.
In a fit of frustration over 40-plus years of Progressive Conservative corruption, and thanks to a vote split between the Wild Rose and the old PCs, Albertans elected the far-left, anti-fossil fuel New Democratic Party to lead one of the most right-wing, pro-fossil fuel regions in North America. The collective "we" burned the house down because we didn't like the wallpaper.
This ushered in one of the most economically devastating periods in Alberta's history, from which we're only now beginning to recover. Under Premier Rachel Notley's radical green agenda, the fabric of Alberta's economy began to unravel.
First came the carbon tax, then Bill 6, which attempted to regulate family farms like corporate factories. But perhaps the most damaging move was the accelerated phase-out of Alberta's coal-fired electricity.
The province sits on hundreds of years' worth of some of the world's cleanest burning coal, and yet, thanks to the radical socialists in power here and Justin Trudeau's Liberals in Ottawa, we were forced into an environmental one-upmanship game where Alberta always lost.
We're not off coal, you absolute dunce.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) July 6, 2024
We're off Alberta coal. And Alberta coal jobs.
We buy coal fired generation from Saskatchewan and Montana, thanks to the catastrophic NDP-facilitated/ Liberal-endorsed early phase out of clean Alberta coal. https://t.co/aB95UXCZjm
While Trudeau aimed to phase out coal-fired electricity across Canada by 2030, the NDP pushed for 2023. This decision wreaked economic havoc, costing Alberta taxpayers $97 million per year until 2030 to shut down six of 18 power plants early—a $1.4 billion hit.
The plan was to replace coal with natural gas. But investor confidence in Alberta was shaken by both provincial and federal governments' adversarial stance toward fossil fuels, leaving Alberta in a dangerous position.
Under Trudeau, anti-oil radicals were appointed to key positions, pipelines were blocked, and investment fled. Meanwhile, Notley’s government did nothing to stem the tide, scaring away investment to friendlier jurisdictions like North Dakota and Iraq. Anti-oil MLAs were placed in charge of crucial ministries, and activists like Shannon Phillips and Tzeporah Berman were given influential roles, further alienating the energy sector.
The result? Blocked pipelines, canceled projects, mass layoffs, and a gutted downtown Calgary.
They tried to decarbonize the Alberta energy grid and now we get emergency alerts during cold snaps.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) January 18, 2024
Decarbonizing electricity in Canada means more jobs for Montana and Wyoming coal miners so they can sell us reliable electricity when we need it. https://t.co/UZSbtr8f2D
With coal taken offline and natural gas slow to fill the gap, Alberta now faces grid alerts. This province, rich in natural resources, struggles to keep the lights on during peak times.
This past winter, during a deep freeze with temperatures plunging to -53°C, Albertans received Amber-style alerts warning of potential catastrophic grid failures unless we reduced our energy use. Our grid couldn't keep up.
On June 18, Alberta's last coal-fired generation station switched to natural gas, and a jubilant Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault praised the early phase-out on July 5. "To those who say we can't build a cleaner grid quickly, Alberta just phased out coal today six years ahead of schedule. When Canadians set their mind to it, we can accomplish anything," he boasted.
Except, three days later, as temperatures reached 28°C, Alberta faced another grid alert. The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) couldn't meet the demand caused by increased usage.
Alberta didn't get off coal; we just lost coal jobs. We still rely on coal-fired electricity from Saskatchewan and Montana when our grid fails.
The only thing Guilbeault accomplished was looking like an idiot, which would be amusing if Albertans weren't paying the price.
78% Alberta's coal production is sub-bituminous, meaning it's one of the cleaner burning electricity grade coals due to its low sulfur content.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) July 8, 2020
Definitely cleaner than Chinese solar panels. https://t.co/NgZYtq8a6l
GUEST: Michelle Stirling from Friends of Science explains what's really going on with Alberta's electricity grid.
