Calibrating Your Climate Change GPS – How to Navigate Alberta’s New Emissions Reduction Regime

Originally published in Blakes Bulletin on Energy - Oil & Gas, July 2007

As the first province to introduce legislation requiring large emitters to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Alberta is moving swiftly to implement its new regulatory regime. Approved by the provincial legislature in April 2007, Alberta’s Specified Gas Emitters Regulation (the Regulation) will come into force on July 1, 2007, requiring large emitters of GHG gases in the province to meet new intensity-based reduction targets. For facilities established prior to 2000, this means that as of July 1, 2007, they must have achieved emission reductions of 12% off their baseline emissions intensity (which is based on their average emissions intensity from 2003-2005). While there is no grace period for established facilities to achieve this 12% reduction, there will a ramp-up period for new facilities established after 2000. For more