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Hamilton Spectator
23-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Ford and Smith divided over Trump response at premiers' summit
Conservative premiers Doug Ford of Ontario and Danielle Smith of Alberta are at odds over how Canada should respond to US tariffs — especially when it comes to energy exports. At a premiers' summit in Huntsville on Tuesday, Ford refused to rule out an electricity export tax, while Smith firmly said no. 'We don't want to see export taxes on energy or export restrictions. It would have a devastating impact on Alberta and on Canada,' Smith said at a joint press conference. 'The Americans have a bigger hammer if they cut off [the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline]. Not only does that harm Ontario, it also harms Quebec.' Ford took a different view. 'Everything's on the table,' he said. 'We'll see how this deal goes and we'll see what he [Trump] has to say on August 1 .' President Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs of up to 50 per cent on dozens of countries, including Canada, starting Aug. 1. Prime Minister Mark Carney downplayed the deadline , saying Canada's focus is on getting the best deal possible, no matter how long it takes. Ford, however, urged an aggressive response. 'We need to make sure we match tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar, and hit them back as hard as we possibly can,' Ford said. 'There's one thing President Trump understands — it's strength. He doesn't understand or appreciate weakness. He will roll over us like a cement roller if we show an ounce of weakness. We need to send a strong message.' Ford and Smith, along with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday to build pipelines, rail lines and trade infrastructure aimed at reducing Canada's reliance on US markets. The premiers also called for repealing nine federal regulations they see as barriers to resource development, including Bill C-69, the tanker ban, the oil and gas emissions cap, federal carbon pricing and clean electricity rules. The federal government hasn't proposed an energy export tax, but experts say Canada should consider one. A 15 per cent levy on oil and gas could match Trump's tariffs, raise billions and support workers and green investments. Earlier this year, Ford briefly introduced a 25 per cent electricity export tax targeting Michigan, New York and Minnesota. He dropped it after Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and cars. Still, Ford says the tax could return if trade talks fail. 'We don't have to take a back seat to anyone in the world, and we sure as heck don't have to take a back seat to President Trump,' Ford added. Smith, however, says using Alberta's oil as leverage in a trade fight is not an option; the province exports most of its oil to the US and she wants that trade to remain stable. In 2023, Canada exported four million barrels of crude oil per day — 97 per cent of it to the US — and Alberta accounted for 87 per cent of that. The exports were worth $125 billion. Ontario, meanwhile, sends electricity to US states such as Michigan and New York, powering more than 1.5 million American homes and businesses. US governors have warned that new energy taxes could raise costs and damage cross-border energy ties. Fred Lazar, an economics professor at York University's Schulich School of Business, says Ford's tax idea is politically risky and argues this is a federal matter — not one provinces should try to handle alone. 'This is really a dispute between Canada and the US. The provinces are just bystanders,' Lazar said. 'Politically, they may have their own incentives, but practically, there's nothing they can do that would compel the US to change its policies. All it would do is make life harder for Ottawa.' Lazar believes the best move is for provinces to avoid taking action on their own and let Ottawa lead the negotiations. 'They're better off talking tough, doing nothing and letting Carney work it out.' Sheldon Williamson, a professor at Ontario Tech University, said the Ford–Smith split weakens Canada's bargaining power. 'While both leaders want to push back against US tariffs, diverging approaches — especially on energy exports — undermine any unified Canadian stance,' he said. 'Without cohesion, it becomes harder to exert meaningful pressure on Washington or to present a credible domestic front to Ottawa.' For Ontario, the stakes are high. Its auto sector is deeply integrated with the US supply chain. 'A broad-based tariff regime could be economically devastating,' Williamson said. He warned that although an electricity export tax may seem like an easy lever, 'it could backfire by raising prices for US consumers, inviting retaliation and damaging Ontario's own cross-border energy ties.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. 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Hamilton Spectator
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Alberta's Danielle Smith says new East-West pipeline is necessary as ‘back-up plan'
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says a new East-West pipeline is necessary as a 'back-up plan' if Michigan follows through on its long-threatened plan to stop Enbridge Line 5 from going through the state due to concerns about spillage and environmental damage. Smith tells CBC's David Cochrane on Power and Politics than Canada needs to lessen its reliance on the United States in getting its oil and gas to market. Line 5 runs about 1,000 km from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario via Michigan.
National Observer
22-07-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Ford and Smith divided over Trump response at premiers' summit
Conservative premiers Doug Ford of Ontario and Danielle Smith of Alberta are at odds over how Canada should respond to US tariffs — especially when it comes to energy exports. At a premiers' summit in Huntsville on Tuesday, Ford refused to rule out an electricity export tax, while Smith firmly said no. 'We don't want to see export taxes on energy or export restrictions. It would have a devastating impact on Alberta and on Canada,' Smith said at a joint press conference. 'The Americans have a bigger hammer if they cut off [the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline]. Not only does that harm Ontario, it also harms Quebec.' Ford took a different view. 'Everything's on the table,' he said. 'We'll see how this deal goes and we'll see what he [Trump] has to say on August 1.' President Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs of up to 50 per cent on dozens of countries, including Canada, starting Aug. 1. Prime Minister Mark Carney downplayed the deadline, saying Canada's focus is on getting the best deal possible, no matter how long it takes. Ford, however, urged an aggressive response. 'We need to make sure we match tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar, and hit them back as hard as we possibly can,' Ford said. 'There's one thing President Trump understands — it's strength. He doesn't understand or appreciate weakness. He will roll over us like a cement roller if we show an ounce of weakness. We need to send a strong message.' At a premiers' summit in Huntsville on Tuesday, Ford refused to rule out an electricity export tax, while Smith firmly said no. Ford and Smith, along with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday to build pipelines, rail lines and trade infrastructure aimed at reducing Canada's reliance on US markets. The premiers also called for repealing nine federal regulations they see as barriers to resource development, including Bill C-69, the tanker ban, the oil and gas emissions cap, federal carbon pricing and clean electricity rules. The federal government hasn't proposed an energy export tax, but experts say Canada should consider one. A 15 per cent levy on oil and gas could match Trump's tariffs, raise billions and support workers and green investments. 'The provinces are just bystanders' Earlier this year, Ford briefly introduced a 25 per cent electricity export tax targeting Michigan, New York and Minnesota. He dropped it after Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and cars. Still, Ford says the tax could return if trade talks fail. 'We don't have to take a back seat to anyone in the world, and we sure as heck don't have to take a back seat to President Trump,' Ford added. Smith, however, says using Alberta's oil as leverage in a trade fight is not an option; the province exports most of its oil to the US and she wants that trade to remain stable. In 2023, Canada exported four million barrels of crude oil per day — 97 per cent of it to the US — and Alberta accounted for 87 per cent of that. The exports were worth $125 billion. Ontario, meanwhile, sends electricity to US states such as Michigan and New York, powering more than 1.5 million American homes and businesses. US governors have warned that new energy taxes could raise costs and damage cross-border energy ties. Fred Lazar, an economics professor at York University's Schulich School of Business, says Ford's tax idea is politically risky and argues this is a federal matter — not one provinces should try to handle alone. 'This is really a dispute between Canada and the US. The provinces are just bystanders,' Lazar said. 'Politically, they may have their own incentives, but practically, there's nothing they can do that would compel the US to change its policies. All it would do is make life harder for Ottawa.' Lazar believes the best move is for provinces to avoid taking action on their own and let Ottawa lead the negotiations. 'They're better off talking tough, doing nothing and letting Carney work it out.' Sheldon Williamson, a professor at Ontario Tech University, said the Ford–Smith split weakens Canada's bargaining power. 'While both leaders want to push back against US tariffs, diverging approaches — especially on energy exports — undermine any unified Canadian stance,' he said. 'Without cohesion, it becomes harder to exert meaningful pressure on Washington or to present a credible domestic front to Ottawa.' For Ontario, the stakes are high. Its auto sector is deeply integrated with the US supply chain. 'A broad-based tariff regime could be economically devastating,' Williamson said. He warned that although an electricity export tax may seem like an easy lever, 'it could backfire by raising prices for US consumers, inviting retaliation and damaging Ontario's own cross-border energy ties.'
Global News
30-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
U.S. Army Corps analysis looks at Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel plan and potential environmental impacts
Building an underground tunnel for an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that stretches across a Great Lakes channel could destroy wetlands and harm bat habitats but would eliminate the chances of a boat anchor rupturing the line and causing a catastrophic spill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Friday in a long-awaited draft analysis of the proposed project's environmental impacts. The analysis moves the corps a step closer to approving the tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The tunnel was proposed in 2018 at a cost of $500 million but has been bogged down by legal challenges. The corps fast-tracked the project in April after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies in January to identify energy projects for expedited emergency permitting. A final environmental assessment is expected by autumn, with a permitting decision to follow later this year. The agency initially planned to issue a permitting decision in early 2026. Story continues below advertisement With that permit in hand, Enbridge would only need permission from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy before it could begin constructing the tunnel. That's far from a given, though. Environmentalists have been pressuring the state to deny the permit. Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are trying to win court rulings that would force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits for good. Construction could have major short-term, long-term impacts The analysis notes that the tunnel would eliminate the risk of a boat anchor rupturing the pipeline and causing a spill in the straits, a key concern for environmentalists. But the construction would have sweeping effects on everything from recreation to wildlife. View image in full screen In this photo shot from a television screen provided by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy in June 2020, shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline within the Straits of Mackinac in Mich. CREDIT: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy via AP, File Many of the impacts, such as noise, vistas marred by 121-metre cranes, construction lights degrading stargazing opportunities at Headlands International Dark Sky Park and vibrations that would disturb aquatic wildlife would end when the work is completed, the report found. Story continues below advertisement Other impacts would last longer, including the loss of wetlands and vegetation on both sides of the strait that connects Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, and the loss of nearly 300 trees that the northern long-eared bat and tricoloured bat use to roost. Grading and excavation also could disturb or destroy archaeological sites. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The tunnel-boring machine could cause vibrations that could shift the area's geology. Soil in the construction area could become contaminated and nearly 200 truck trips daily during the six-year construction period would degrade area roads, the analysis found. Gas mixing with water seeping into the tunnel could result in an explosion, but the analysis notes that Enbridge plans to install fans to properly ventilate the tunnel during excavation. Enbridge has pledged to comply with all safety standards, replant vegetation where possible and contain erosion, the analysis noted. The company also has said it would try to limit the loudest work to daytime hours as much as possible, and offset harm to wetlands and protected species by buying credits through mitigation banks. That money can then be used to fund restoration in other areas. 'Our goal is to have the smallest possible environmental footprint,' Enbridge officials said in a statement. The Sierra Club issued a statement Friday saying the tunnel remains 'an existential threat.' 'Chances of an oil spill in the Great Lakes — our most valuable freshwater resource — skyrockets if this tunnel is built in the Straits,' the group said. Story continues below advertisement 'We can't drink oil. We can't fish or swim in oil.' Julie Goodwin, a senior attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental law group that opposes the project, said the corps failed to consider the impacts of a spill that could still happen on either side of the straits or stopping the flow of oil through the Great Lakes. 'My key takeaways are the Army corps has put blinders are in service to Enbridge and President Trump's fossil fuel agenda,' she said. Tunnel would protect portion of Line 5 running through straits Enbridge has been using the Line 5 pipeline to transport crude oil and natural gas liquids between Superior, Wis., and Sarnia, Ont., since 1953. Roughly six kilometres of the pipeline runs along the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. Story continues below advertisement Concerns about the aging pipeline rupturing and causing a potentially disastrous spill in the straits have been building over the last decade. Those fears intensified in 2018 when an anchor damaged the line. Enbridge contends that the line remains structurally sound, but it struck a deal with then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration in 2018 that calls for the company to replace the straits portion of the line with a new section that would be encased in a protective underground tunnel. Enbridge and environmentalists spar in court battles Environmentalists, Indigenous groups and Democrats have been fighting in court for years to stop the tunnel and force Enbridge to remove the existing pipeline from the straits. They've had little success so far. A Michigan appellate court in February validated the state Public Service Commission's permits for the tunnel. Nessel sued in 2019 seeking to void the easement that allows Line 5 to run through the straits. That case is still pending. Whitmer revoked the easement in 2020, but Enbridge challenged that decision and a federal appellate court in April ruled that the case can proceed. Another legal fight over Line 5 in Wisconsin About 19 kilometres of Line 5 runs across the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa's reservation in northern Wisconsin. That tribe sued in 2019 to force Enbridge to remove the line from the reservation, arguing it's prone to spilling and that easements allowing it to operate on the reservation expired in 2013. Story continues below advertisement Enbridge has proposed a 66-kilometre reroute around the reservation. The tribe has filed a lawsuit seeking to void state construction permits for the project and has joined several other groups in challenging the permits through the state's contested case process.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration orders Consumers Energy to keep Michigan coal-fired power plant open
The Trump administration has ordered Consumers Energy to continue operating a coal-fired power plant in west Michigan that was slated for shutdown May 31, citing the potential for an energy emergency due to heightened summer demand. But the chairman of the Michigan Public Service Commission says no energy emergency exists and the move will increase customer costs. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced the emergency order May 23, calling for Consumers Energy's J.H. Campbell plant in Ottawa County's West Olive to remain open beyond its slated closure May 31. The Campbell plant is the last coal-fired power plant operated by Consumers and one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the state. "(The) emergency order ensures that Michiganders and the greater Midwest region do not lose critical power generation capability as summer begins and electricity demand regularly reach high levels," he said. "This administration will not sit back and allow dangerous energy subtraction policies (to) threaten the resiliency of our grid and raise electric prices on American families." But Michigan Public Service Commission chairman Dan Scripps said there is no existing energy emergency either in Michigan or with MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the regional energy transmission organization that includes Michigan, 14 other U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. "We currently produce more energy in Michigan than needed," Scripps said. "The unnecessary recent order from the U.S. Department of Energy will increase the cost of power for homes and businesses across the Midwest." More: DNR halts state land leases for utility-scale solar projects More: Trump emergency order will expedite permitting process for Enbridge Line 5 tunnel The J.H. Campbell Complex began operating in 1962 and generates up to 1,450 megawatts of electricity — enough to serve a million people. The 2,000-acre facility was named after James H. Campbell, a former president of Consumers Energy from 1960 to 1972. The utility in recent years announced plans to provide coal-free power generation and reduce its carbon emissions by 90% by 2025, 15 years faster than earlier projections. By 2040 Consumers Energy officials expected 90% of their electric generation to come from cleaner energy sources. Consumers Energy officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Trump administration cited its emergency authority under the Federal Power Act, which allows the secretary of energy to require temporary connections of facilities and generation, delivery, interchange or transmission of energy as the secretary determines will best meet an emergency and serve the public interest during a time that the U.S. is engaged in a war "or when an emergency exists by reason of a sudden increase in the demand for electric energy, or a shortage of electric energy, or of facilities for the generation or transmission of electric energy" or other causes. Greg Wannier, senior attorney for the nonprofit environmental group Sierra Club, said in a statement that the emergency order "is an illegal abuse" of Trump's presidential authority. 'If Trump's made-up energy emergency had an ounce of truth to it, he wouldn't be banning wind energy and canceling renewable energy projects," Wannier said. "This so-called energy emergency is a sham and we will not stand by and let this administration prop up a dying industry so Trump's fossil fuel buddies can make more money at the expense of Americans." Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump orders Consumers Energy to keep coal-fired plant open
