Oilpatch endorsing climate-change plan to avoid shutdown, Brian Jean says

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean says oilsands companies backedthe NDP government'sclimate change plan because it is better than facing a total shutdown fromhigher taxes.

"I think most Alberta oilsands companies are just happy that they are going to be able to continue operating in Alberta," Jean tolda news conference Monday

A number of oilsands companies spokein favour of the plan, which was released Sunday by Alberta Premier Rachel Notley at a news conference.

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CNRL chairman Murray Edwards, whoattended the news conference, said Suncor, Cenovus and Shell were pleased that Notley had giventhem "the position of leadership on climate policy."

Jean suggested the companies decided to co-operate with the NDP rather than facehigher taxes that would have driven them out of business.

"Why they would stand up behind the NDP is up to them to explain. Not up to me," Jean said. "But I work for Albertans, I don't work for large oil."

The new Alberta plan includes a tax on carbon, a cap on oilsands emissions and phasing-out coal-fired electricity.

The carbon tax would make gasoline and heating oil more expensive. The government plans to use some of the money to offer rebates to people who can't afford the higher costs.

Jean said the carbon tax would, on average,raise the cost of gasoline by $365 each year and annual heating costs by $230. He said the extra costs, along withhigher taxes and minimum wage hikes,will make the Alberta economy even worse.

Phasing out coal will hit some Alberta communities hard

Under the plan, Alberta will phaseout all coal-fired electrical generation plants by 2030.

Jean said thatwill hit some communities hard, and it is unclear who will end up bearing the costs.

Instead, the Wildrose plan would gradually move towards natural gas generation, which emits greenhouse gases at a lower intensity.

Jean said Alberta is a world leader in environmental issues. Hesaid Notley is being needlessly aggressive with her new plan.

"To accelerate six additional [coal-fired] plants simply means that our economy is going to take a further hit," he said.

"We don't believe that's necessary at this stage. We need to be in lockstep with the Americans on our strategy and we are currently ahead of them."

Conservative leader Ric McIver said the carbon taxis a cash-grab in the name of the environment. He said the NDP has only offered vague promises about what the money will be used for.

"Their claim, their headline, is that it's a climate change policy," he said. "But it's not. It's a climate tax policy."

McIver said the resourcecompanies support the plan for a 100 megatonne cap on oilsandsemissions because they can vote the government out before they come into effect.

Rock star Neil Young, who was born in Canada but has lived in California since the 1960s, told CBC Vancouver any planthat reduces greenhouse gases is a good thing.

"If you're destroying a naturally pristine, beautiful thing to get fossil fuels out of the ground, instead of preparing for the future and trying to create a world that your grandchildren are not going to have to be working overtime digging their way out of, filling the holes that we dug, then anytime you can improve that, in my view, it's a better thing," Young said.

The CanadianTaxpayers Federationsaid the government-commissioned climate change report shows the average family's costs will rise by$900 per year by 2030, if the carbon price increases at the predicted rate.

"Where did the Alberta government get the idea that Alberta families had an extra $900 lying around they didn't want?" asked PaigeMacPherson, Alberta director of the CTF.

"A carbon tax is a tax on everything that moves, so on top of the direct cost, the cost of food and clothing will rise."

The Notley government has said the carbon tax will be "revenue neutral," but hasn't explained how.

"Revenue neutral always means revenue neutral for government, not for taxpayers," said MacPherson. "In B.C.the tax credits given back to taxpayers did not benefit as many people as the carbon tax hurt."