Markham on Energy

Ditch coal, Buy Volts: A simple, Made in America plan to save the planet

Markham on Energy

Replace coal power generation with natural gas. Everyone drive Chevy Volt-style EVs. Ergo, the world consumes much less fossil fuels In his initial remarks at the COP 21 conference in Paris, President Barack Obama said America embraces its responsibility to “do something” about climate change. In the spirit of helping out, I hereby submit my […]

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How Canada failing to become an energy superpower doomed Alberta to a carbon tax

Markham on Energy

Canada did not become an energy superpower. Instead, it is what it has always been: a dependent supplier to the American behemoth Last Sunday, four Big Oil CEOs in expensive suits stood behind Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and cheered wildly as she clubbed their industry upside the head with a huge climate change two-by-four. Why

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David Suzuki jumps the shark by likening Albertans to slave owners

Markham on Energy

Many observers, including President Barack Obama, believe transition from Age of Fossil Fuels to Age of Clean Energy has already begun David Suzuki’s recent comments equating the Alberta oil and gas industry to American slavery are offensive, demonstrating why it’s time for the grand old man of Canadian environmentalism to quietly retire. Suzuki was interviewed Monday on

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American model of substituting natural gas for coal should be promoted by Obama in Paris

Markham on Energy

Power generation emissions have fallen dramatically because of American model, will fall more under Clean Power Plan Barack Obama doesn’t often take advice from Big Oil, but the American Petroleum Institute has an idea ahead of the COP 21 conference in Paris next month that the President should seriously consider. As American Energy News reported last

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Gerson is wrong, Notley climate strategy sets table for energy deal making

Markham on Energy

Aggressive climate strategy gives Alberta – and Notley – leverage to cut political deals with Obama, Eastern premiers The National Post’s Jen Gerson, echoing far too many Albertans, says the province’s new climate strategy is just an expensive PR strategy. Fortunately for Alberta, she’s wrong. “The proposal is largely an exercise in public relations, a bid to buy moral

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Oil sands access to American markets unspoken goal of radical Alberta climate strategy

Markham on Energy

Alberta’s new climate strategy goes much further than Obama – includes carbon tax, oil sands emissions cap Something momentous happened in Canada yesterday. No, it had nothing to do with hockey or moose. But it had everything to do with the American energy industry and President Obama’s climate change agenda. I wrote two weeks ago that

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Froma Harrop couldn’t be more wrong about Keystone XL, Alberta oil sands

Markham on Energy

Canada supplies 45% of American crude oil imports, forecast to increase in coming decades, even without Keystone XL Yesterday I wrote about how climate activist opposition to Keystone XL was part of a larger campaign to destroy the social license of fossil fuels. Right on cue, American syndicated columnist Froma Harrop proved my point. Her Nov. 11

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Keystone XL rejection setting stage for new pipeline deals?

Markham on Energy

New governments in Alberta and Ottawa will cut energy-based GHG emissions in return for pipelines, market access Let’s get one thing straight: President Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline is not about facts or science. It’s about symbolism and the role he thinks America should play fighting climate change on the global stage. Unfortunately,

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