{"id":30253,"date":"2020-04-06T12:20:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T16:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=30253"},"modified":"2025-07-02T04:11:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:11:52","slug":"while-we-fight-covid-19-big-oil-rolls-back-environmental-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/30253\/while-we-fight-covid-19-big-oil-rolls-back-environmental-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"While we fight COVID-19, Big Oil rolls back environmental protection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Barely a month into Canada\u2019s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, big polluters are up to some old tricks.<\/p>\n\n<p>Alberta Premier Jason Kenney\u2019s government just issued an<a href=\"https:\/\/open.alberta.ca\/dataset\/0cc78dea-655e-4a28-8128-5f0310399b74\/resource\/d26172b7-7109-418c-bfbe-e9b049076581\/download\/aep-ministerial-order-17-2020.pdf\"> order<\/a> exempting all facilities (other than water treatment plants) from reporting requirements under the province\u2019s three main environmental laws. This makes the Alberta government the first Canadian government to use the public health emergency as cover for rolling back environmental protections (in the U.S., there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drillednews.com\/post\/the-climate-covid-19-policy-tracker\">almost two dozen<\/a> such initiatives).<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The federal COVID-19 bailout for the oil &amp; gas sector that was once &quot;hours, possibly days&quot; away has been delayed. <br><br>Your message is getting across, STAY LOUD &amp; add your voice calling for a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/JustRecovery?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#JustRecovery<\/a> &gt;&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EZfPyoearZ\">https:\/\/t.co\/EZfPyoearZ<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BailoutPeople?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BailoutPeople<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/cdnpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#cdnpoli<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zBMlnaDXVR\">https:\/\/t.co\/zBMlnaDXVR<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Greenpeace Canada (@GreenpeaceCA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GreenpeaceCA\/status\/1247188615572197382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>This move was only possible because the province has declared a public health emergency, which grants Cabinet minister extraordinary powers to suspend legislated requirements (though I doubt anyone anticipated it would be used to do away with environmental protections). The order was justified on the ground that \u201cthere is hardship in having to comply with routine reporting requirements\u201d and a government spokesperson claimed that the <a href=\"https:\/\/edmontonjournal.com\/news\/politics\/covid-19-kenney-projects-peak-of-crisis-to-hit-in-mid-may\/\">intent is simply to cut back on paperwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>The truth, however, is that exempting polluters from reporting requirements will weaken environmental protection. This action highlights how the Jason Kenney government is prioritizing oil company interests over public health.&nbsp; And it is consistent with a broader international effort by the oil lobby to use the pandemic to roll back environmental laws.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weakening environmental protections: Trumping Trump?<\/h2>\n\n<p>As University of Calgary law professor Shaun Fluker<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theglobeandmail.com\/canada\/alberta\/article-alberta-suspends-environmental-reporting-requirements-for-industry-due\/?platform=hootsuite\"> told the Canadian Press<\/a>, Alberta\u2019s regulatory system depends on self-reporting, so the move effectively suspends environmental enforcement in most of the province\u2019s industrial facilities. He also<a href=\"https:\/\/ablawg.ca\/2020\/04\/02\/covid-19-and-the-suspension-of-routine-environmental-reporting-in-alberta\/\"> pointed out<\/a> that it goes further than a comparable move by the Trump administration, where companies must be able to show a causal connection between the inability to report and COVID-19.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>In addition, reporting in the U.S. is simply deferred whereas in Alberta it is suspended (companies are expected to keep collecting data but will only have to submit it to the government upon request).<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prioritizing oil interests over public health and democratic participation<\/h2>\n\n<p>We are in a crisis, so suspending environmental enforcement might seem like a reasonable move if comparable moves were made elsewhere to lighten workloads. Yet, Alberta is going full-speed ahead with oil and gas project approvals and construction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>The leniency being granted oil companies on environmental reporting is not being extended to people who have concerns about potential impacts of new oil and gas projects on their land and water. The Alberta Energy Regulator has <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Anna_McIntosh1\/status\/1245527942098227201\">refused to extend deadlines<\/a> for public consultations on new energy projects, even though the pandemic has severely limited the public\u2019s ability to participate in a timely fashion.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>To make things even worse, the Alberta government announced that it would put up CDN $7.5 billion to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/calgary\/tc-energy-keystone-xl-pipeline-1.5515850\"> backstop Keystone XL pipeline construction<\/a>. It is telling that Premier Kenney is<a href=\"https:\/\/business.financialpost.com\/pmn\/press-releases-pmn\/business-wire-news-releases-pmn\/kenney-government-fires-school-employees-cupe-warns-of-brain-drain\"> firing up to 20,000 educational workers<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/calgary\/doctors-letter-government-alberta-health-care-cuts-pause-covid-1.5514573\"> attacking doctors<\/a> to save money during a pandemic, yet can still find $7.5 billion to prop up a pipeline project that even the private sector wouldn\u2019t back.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Breaking News&#8211;Greedy, selfish TC Energy &quot;says&quot; they are moving forward with KXL pipeline after they got a $1 billion government bailout.<br><br>Thread of our statement for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BoldNebraska?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BoldNebraska<\/a> below&#8211;but first the faces of who TC is putting at risk given we in th middle of a pandemic. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NoKXL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NoKXL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G1QKYE3cVw\">pic.twitter.com\/G1QKYE3cVw<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Jane Kleeb???\ufe0f (@janekleeb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/janekleeb\/status\/1244999322560860162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 31, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>Kenney<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alberta.ca\/release.cfm?xID=69965D6D6EE7A-92F8-DD89-BBB9E1FE323BD2DDwith%20construction%20starting%20immediately\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alberta.ca\/release.cfm?xID=69965D6D6EE7A-92F8-DD89-BBB9E1FE323BD2DD\">announced<\/a> that pipeline construction would start immediately. Building a pipeline is much more complicated than submitting environmental reports, and a greater risk to<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/6750920\/first-nation-coastal-gaslink-pipeline-coronavirus\/\"> worker and community health<\/a>. The greenlight given to this pipeline puts into question the rationale for suspending reporting.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Oil industry shock doctrine<\/h2>\n\n<p>Corporate lobbyists have become adept at using moments of crisis to advance their agenda \u2013 what Naomi Klein called the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=niwNTI9Nqd8&amp;feature=youtu.be\"> Shock Doctrine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>In the U.S., a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/assets\/2020\/03\/20\/document_ew_02.pdf\"> coal lobby group is trying<\/a> to get out of paying royalties, reclamation fees, and the fund that covers treatments for coal workers left with black lung disease. Senate Republicans<a href=\"http:\/\/priceofoil.org\/content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/senate_royalty_letter.pdf\"> are fronting<\/a> a request from oil, gas and coal lobbyists to reduce or eliminate royalties, while those same companies <a href=\"https:\/\/earther.gizmodo.com\/how-fossil-fuel-companies-could-profit-from-the-covid-1-1842510430\">set themselves up to access<\/a> the multi-trillion dollar corporate bailout fund. The American Petroleum Institute<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/energy-environment\/489753-epa-suspends-enforcement-of-environmental-laws-amid-coronavirus\"> succeeded<\/a> in getting the Trump administration to waive enforcement of some environmental laws. And to top it off, Trump has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.desmogblog.com\/2020\/03\/31\/trump-safe-cafe-rule-health-climate-oil\">gutted vehicle fuel efficiency regulations<\/a> (which would have reduced demand for oil) at the behest of the oil industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-twitter wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In honor of the Oil CEOs who are going to the White House to beg Trump for corporate bailouts, here&#39;s a running list of  terrible things the fossil fuel industry has been doing during the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/COVID19Pandemic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#COVID19Pandemic<\/a> <br><br>Thread &#8211;&gt;<\/p>&mdash; Jamie Henn (@jamieclimate) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamieclimate\/status\/1245718326069751812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 2, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<p>The suspension of environmental reporting is the first evidence of this lobby\u2019s success in Canada, but the big prize remains: the Trudeau government\u2019s promised package for the oil industry.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What now?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Jason Kenney&#8217;s gifts to industry illustrate the health and environmental dangers of giving our economic recovery money to the oil industry. Right now, we need to make sure that everyone has access to food, shelter and healthcare. In the longer-term, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic needs to kickstart a clean energy economy that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/29800\/why-we-have-to-make-this-stimulus-green\/\">will provide sustainable livelihoods and reduce the risk of future shocks from climate risks<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Tell the federal government to <a href=\"https:\/\/act.greenpeace.org\/page\/58064\/petition\/1?locale=en-US&amp;_ga=2.100037657.689429763.1585576332-1815330202.1581015439\">bail out people, not polluters<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n<div class=\"EmptyMessage\">Block content is empty. Check the block&#8217;s settings or remove it.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Barely a month into Canada\u2019s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, big polluters are up to some old tricks. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney\u2019s government just issued an order exempting all facilities&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":5961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"not set","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"not set","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"p4-page-type":[16],"class_list":["post-30253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30253"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71057,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30253\/revisions\/71057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30253"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=30253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}