Alberta takes aim at emissions cap, proposes rules on trespass and data gathering

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is taking steps to challenge the proposed federal greenhouse gas emissions cap.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is taking steps to challenge the proposed federal greenhouse gas emissions cap.

Suggestions include a legal challenge to the cap, passing legislation to give the province exclusive authority over emissions data and banning federal employees from designated oil and gas facilities.

Smith says the federal cap would cripple Alberta’s oil and gas economy and the province has a constitutional right to develop its resources.

She says any of the suggested changes would first need to approval by a majority vote in the legislature under the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act.

The emissions cap aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by about one-third over the next eight years, and the federal government says it would not decimate the industry.

Alberta rolled out last month a $7-million advertising campaign across multiple provinces calling for the cap to be abandoned.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.