Industry, research and government luminaries talk about Alberta energy and oil sands development
Alberta is filled with luminaries and forward thinkers, several of whom took the time to respond to Alberta Oil’s Share Your Vision survey. Here are select responses to survey questions provided by prominent figures in Alberta’s government, industry and research sectors.
Rob Renner, Environment Minister,
Government of Alberta
Q: How can Alberta’s energy industry best address its current environmental challenges?
A: Alberta’s energy industry has the opportunity to become a world leader in clean energy production. The key to making this transition rests with technology. Technology investment will provide long-term solutions to how we can make energy production more efficient. Technology will show the rest of the world that we take our responsibility as a global energy supplier seriously.
Q: What is your organization specifically undertaking to address the issues of environmental stewardship in the next five years?
A: From a $2 billion commitment to carbon capture and storage that supports our Climate Change Strategy, Provincial Energy Strategy and the Plan for Oil Sands in Alberta; to our renewed Water for Life strategy and transitioning our environmental planning to a cumulative effects model, the Alberta government is building a foundation on which our industry can meet the expectations of Albertans and our customers to be an environmental leader in energy development.
Q: What is Alberta’s greatest opportunity going into the next five years?
A: Our greatest opportunity is to take a strong leadership role with our transition to a cumulative effects environmental management process, as well as with our aggressive pursuit of low-carbon technology.
Q: What is your vision for the future of the energy industry?
A: Alberta will continue on as a responsible, global energy producer. The industry will remain a crucial economic driver that provides thousands of quality jobs as well as supplying royalties and taxes to government that allows Albertans to have one of the world’s highest quality of life. Our vision is to balance a robust economy with the need to ensure our environment is protected. We want current Albertans to take pride in the type of province that is being passed down to future generations.
Q: Is there an individual or project in Alberta that you believe will be significantly influential for the environmental direction of the energy industry within the next five years?
A: The three to five projects that will result from the $2 billion commitment to carbon capture and storage will provide a tremendous amount of knowledge and on-the-ground experience with low-carbon technology. These projects will kick-start the process to figure out how we can best implement this technology across Alberta industry. This is where Alberta has the most to offer, not only to make real, lasting greenhouse gas emission reductions in Alberta but to take what we learn in the coming years and share this valuable knowledge with others. For a province of three and a half million people to commit this significant amount of dollars is a tremendous commitment to the world, particularly in times like these.
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