Latest news with #KeystoneXL
National Observer
3 days ago
- Politics
- National Observer
Local climate activism leads to ‘remarkable' gains, report shows
This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration What do an offshore wind farm in New York, a campaign to install 275,000 heat pumps in Maine and the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline have in common? They were all the result of 'community-based strategies' with involvement or leadership from local grassroots groups. Advocates say this is a powerful and relatively cheap way of driving climate action, especially as the Trump administration rolls back as much progress as it can. A new report is the first to put hard numbers to that effectiveness in the United States and Canada. The analysis quantifies how much carbon a given law, protest movement, or clean energy project will keep out of the atmosphere. It also calculates the amount spent on the local efforts advancing each campaign to determine the cost of preventing each metric ton of CO2 equivalent from being released. (CO2 equivalent is a measurement that considers other greenhouse gases like methane.) 'The numbers really did show that these had meaningful impacts and a good return on investment,' said Sam Greenberg, a director at Redstone Strategy Group and a coauthor of the report. 'The benefits are not limited just to the quantifiable carbon impact — even though that's what we were focusing on — but also understanding the full picture of all the other co-benefits we saw coming out of this.' That wind farm in New York, for instance, will keep 7.7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent out of the atmosphere by 2030, at a philanthropic cost of just 3 cents per ton, the report notes. A solar farm on the Moapa River Indian Reservation in Nevada will avoid 4.2 million metric tons in the same period, costing 12 cents per ton. Both are slowing climate change and reducing the air pollution that usually comes out of coal or natural gas power plants. That, in turn, brings the added benefit of improving human health. The report considered the supply side of things as well. The Keystone XL pipeline would have ferried crude oil from Canada to refineries in the United States. But after 10 years of legal battles and fearsome opposition by environmentalists, Indigenous groups, and farmers along the route, the developer abandoned the project in 2021. The victory means that between 52 million and 105 million metric tons won't be released by 2030, the report finds. The local advocacy efforts cost $2.6 million, or 2 to 5 cents per ton. 'You can make a solid argument that both the supply-side efforts and the renewable energy development can both have a meaningful impact,' Greenberg said. Community activism for state policies, too, are majorly slashing emissions. In 2023, Maine blew past its goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps two years ahead of schedule. Now it wants to install another 175,000 by 2027. Because the devices run on electricity, the state can power them with renewable energy, avoiding 1.2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030, according to the report. Heat pumps are a good example of climate action not necessarily being branded as such. People might want to adopt the appliances because they're more efficient, or to avoid burning toxic gas in a furnace. Advocates can also pitch renewable energy projects like wind and solar farms as job creators. 'The additional benefits of climate action, those are usually the motivating factors for people,' said Dan Jasper, senior policy advisor at Project Drawdown, a climate solutions group that wasn't involved in the report. 'Things like employment, health, less pollution — these are the things that people most fundamentally agree on, and it helps to move conversations beyond the political deadlock.' Advocates say that "community-based strategies" driven by grassroots groups are a powerful and relatively cheap way of driving climate action, especially as the Trump administration rolls back as much progress as it can. With a lack of sufficient leadership on climate even before Donald Trump took office again, it's been up to states to set their own policies. In 2019, New York passed the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act after years of organizing and campaigning by the coalition NY Renews. It commits the state to 100 percent clean electricity by 2040. But even before that, the report notes, by 2030 the law will have canceled 58 million to 120 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. With $10 million spent on local philanthropic efforts, the cost comes to between 8 and 17 cents per ton. Cities, too, are crucibles for climate action. The report notes that in 2019, San Jose, California, became the biggest city in the U.S. to mandate that all new single-family homes, duplexes, and multifamily homes of three stories or less be built without natural gas hookups. That means occupants will be running conventional electric or induction stoves and heat pumps, all electrified with ever more renewable power on the grid. The philanthropic support for the effort cost $1 million, avoiding 887,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030. 'It's kind of remarkable how much mitigation you can get from community-based, grassroots-promoted activities,' said Rhea Suh, president and CEO of the Marin Community Foundation, which collaborates with donors and nonprofits. (Redstone prepared the report for them, as well as the MacArthur Foundation and Equation Campaign.) 'It is clear that policies that were created from the ground up tend to last longer than the top-down policies.' That's due to increased engagement, Suh adds. Whereas the federal government dictates broad policies across the whole country, mayors and governors are more in tune with what their people actually want. By working on a more granular level with communities, organizers and politicians can collaborate with residents, not dictate. 'The durability comes from just the equity sweat that is put into these things,' Suh said.
Calgary Herald
17-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
U.S.-Canada trade talks back underway as Trump's wish list, from oil to DEI, keeps growing
Article content Article content While the USMCA was once touted by U.S. officials as the 'gold standard' of trade deals, possibly the reason the administration has talked of ripping it up 'was because Navarro sees that as Lighthizer's golden legacy, and he has reasons … personal bitterness, to rip it up.' Article content David Boling, a former deputy assistant USTR for Japan, said he never witnessed the two men in meetings together and couldn't comment on their working relationship. But they had very different styles, he recalled. Article content 'Lighthizer skillfully renegotiated NAFTA by building up trust with Capitol Hill Democrats. Coalition-building, however, is not Navarro's strong suit,' said Boling, who now works at the political-risk consultancy Eurasia Group. Article content Navarro recently said he didn't like negotiating with Canada, while Mexico's negotiators were a 'pure joy to deal with.' Article content Article content 'You know, they (Mexicans) were tough negotiators, but they were reasonable, fair negotiators. The Canadians were very, very difficult, and they've always been very difficult,' he said in a television interview last week. Article content It seems that the more Trump has pushed for concessions from Canada — on defence, on digital taxes, on fentanyl crackdowns — the more he's been able to get. Article content Sources say his senior economic team feels they have to sell the president on deal structures, but that Trump often feels he can press for more. Article content 'I think that this can be demonstrated pretty obviously by the Vietnam announcement,' says Smith, noting how Vietnam's team thought they would be getting a lower tariff rate than 20 per cent, but then Trump 'put out a different rate than had been negotiated or talked about by his team.' Article content Trump mentioned Canada's highly restricted market for dairy in his open letter to Carney. But he might also start pushing for Canada to commit to more things beyond trade, as he has with fentanyl and defence. Article content Article content 'The Trump administration has also leveraged tariffs in matters that go well beyond trade policy with a number of countries,' said Hale. In March, the president warned countries buying Venezuelan oil they would be punished with tariffs on all U.S. exports; in the last two weeks, he's threatened 'severe tariffs' on Russia if it didn't make peace with Ukraine, and tariffs on BRICS-aligned countries (meaning Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa as well as Iran and Indonesia) because he said they wanted to undermine the U.S. dollar. Article content Article content Article content So he may want to wield economic pressure to try getting Carney to commit to helping restart a new Canada-U.S. oil pipeline after Keystone XL was killed by the last American president, the source close to the White House said. 'They want the Keystone XL pipeline big time,' the source said. Article content Trump has never stopped wanting that pipeline since he approved it in his first term, and has raised it repeatedly since his re-election, noted Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at the Heritage Foundation.
The Province
11-07-2025
- Business
- The Province
How a new Carney-backed pipeline could spoil Trump's plans for Canada's oil
Trump has called for a revival of Keystone XL. He may not appreciate Canada instead building a pipeline that offers Alberta's oil to China Hundreds of kilometres of pipes meant for the Keystone XL pipeline lie in a yard in North Dakota. Canada agreeing to go back to Keystone XL is 'sort of like going back to an abusive partner,' one observer says. Photo by Alex Panetta/The Canadian Press/File WASHINGTON, D.C. — It's 'build, baby, build' versus 'drill, baby, drill.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to transform Canada into an 'energy superpower.' His build-baby rallying cry for a construction boom even echoes U.S. President Donald Trump's drill-baby slogan for increased oil and gas. But when it comes to a new pipeline for Canada, their two visions could clash. 'Canada has a tremendous opportunity to be the world's leading energy superpower, in both clean and conventional energy,' Carney said in April. 'We can lead the energy transition while ensuring affordable energy at home and building the strongest economy in the G7.' The prime minister said this month that it's 'highly, highly likely' that a new oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast will be proposed as a nation-building project and fast-tracked under new federal legislation aimed at accelerating projects of 'national interest.' Boosters of the pipeline plan see Canada maximizing its oil export revenues and diversifying its customer base after decades of being captive to U.S. buyers, perhaps reshaping North American energy flows. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Trump, meanwhile, has said he wants to resuscitate the Keystone XL pipeline, the long-contested project that was supposed to carry nearly a million barrels of Alberta oil a day to the U.S. Midwest. He promised 'easy approvals' for investors willing to try it again, after it was blocked twice by two different Democratic presidents and its original backer, TC Energy, gave up. Any new pipeline will face political and regulatory hurdles on both sides of the border, and in March Trump hit Canadian oil imports with a 10 per cent tariff. The pipeline politicking could deepen the trade-war rift between Ottawa and Washington. It could also unexpectedly reshape the future of a North American energy market that has been increasingly tightly integrated since the middle of the last century. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Last weekend, while attending the Calgary Stampede, Carney said that Ottawa is prepared to prioritize a new pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific. During the recent federal election, he had promised to reduce Canada's reliance on the U.S. — a whopping 93 per cent of Canada's crude oil is shipped south of the border each year — by launching infrastructure projects and diversifying to new markets. Ottawa is keen to reduce Canada's dependence on a single customer, especially amid Trump's trade war. Building a new pipeline would signal that Canada is getting serious about reaching Asian markets with its oil. China has become the second-largest buyer of oil shipped through the new Trans Mountain expansion, which opened just over a year ago (the U.S. is still buying the most). And the extra market access has shrunk the typical discount Canadian oil long had to give its sole buyer by around a third. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Getting more efficient at producing crude oil while ensuring sales go to more than just one export partner gives Canada 'a little more stability,' said Graeme Thompson, a senior analyst with Eurasia Group's global macro practice. But it could also annoy Trump, who puts a premium on loyalty to the U.S., said Kent Fellows, a professor of economics at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy, who specializes in energy issues. Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to transform Canada into an 'energy superpower.' Photo by Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia If building the pipeline is all about supplying demand in new markets without disrupting the flow to the U.S., then 'that's not really threatening to the United States in any way,' said Dan Stein, a former senior adviser at the Bureau of Energy Resources for the U.S. State Department. But if the idea is to divert supplies away from the U.S., 'then it's a different story.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Washington 'might not love the politics of Canada saying 'Hey, we're going to find some other export partners',' added Thompson. 'But the amount being exported to the U.S. has gone up substantially in recent years, and there's no reason to think that would decline.' On the other hand, if China becomes one of those export markets for Canadian energy, that could cause a bigger diplomatic challenge, he warned. But Carney isn't the only leader with pipeline dreams. Keystone to success? Trump suggested in February that he wanted to revive the Keystone XL project. The president sees it as a way to strengthen the American energy security market by ramping up oil deliveries from Canada while reducing U.S. reliance on oil imports from volatile regions around the world. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But Trump's push for Keystone XL also fits with a broader strategy to create a bargaining chip in U.S.-Canada trade relations. By signalling support for the pipeline, Trump is offering Carney a potential win — with expanded access to the U.S. market — in exchange for concessions. President Joe Biden cancelled Keystone XL in 2021 (after Trump approved it in his first term, after president Barack Obama blocked it in his second term). So promoting it again has the added benefit for Trump of undermining his predecessor's legacy. In February, Trump urged TC Energy to come back to the plan and 'get it built — NOW.' But TC has since spun off its oil business and the subsidiary has said it's not interested. Resurrecting Keystone XL would be a 'tougher decision for Carney than it would be for (Alberta Premier Danielle) Smith,' says Fellows, because Carney is supposed to balance the interests of all provinces. Smith, meanwhile, is representing Alberta's interest, and crude oil is the province's biggest sector. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Thompson isn't so sure. 'If there was an economic case for (Keystone XL), if there was a private actor who came and said 'let's resuscitate this project,' in the current environment, maybe there's a better chance of it getting done,' he says. Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alberta for a G7 meeting, June 16, 2025. Photo by Gavin Young/Postmedia Even if Trump and Carney could agree on a path forward for Keystone XL, it would still be a struggle to get the pipeline built. Government permits have expired and initial construction has been dismantled. Still, with the plan well advanced, it wouldn't start from scratch. But Canada agreeing to go back to Keystone XL is 'sort of like going back to an abusive partner,' Fellows said, given the political football it was made into by Democratic and Republican presidents. And something else Carney and Trump have in common is it seems they're both racing to maximize their country's strategic position as they tussle over trade. For Trump, a revived Keystone XL pipeline locking in more Canadian oil for U.S. use must look like an advantage. With no one eagerly stepping up to build it, Carney might be just as happy if it stays dead. National Post tmoran@ Read More Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here. Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Local News CFL News
Vancouver Sun
10-07-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
How a new Carney-backed pipeline could spoil Trump's plans for Canada's oil
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It's 'build, baby, build' versus 'drill, baby, drill.' Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to transform Canada into an 'energy superpower.' His build-baby rallying cry for a construction boom even echoes U.S. President Donald Trump's drill-baby slogan for increased oil and gas. But when it comes to a new pipeline for Canada, their two visions could clash. 'Canada has a tremendous opportunity to be the world's leading energy superpower, in both clean and conventional energy,' Carney said in April. 'We can lead the energy transition while ensuring affordable energy at home and building the strongest economy in the G7.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The prime minister said this month that it's 'highly, highly likely' that a new oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast will be proposed as a nation-building project and fast-tracked under new federal legislation aimed at accelerating projects of 'national interest.' Boosters of the pipeline plan see Canada maximizing its oil export revenues and diversifying its customer base after decades of being captive to U.S. buyers, perhaps reshaping North American energy flows. Trump, meanwhile, has said he wants to resuscitate the Keystone XL pipeline, the long-contested project that was supposed to carry nearly a million barrels of Alberta oil a day to the U.S. Midwest. He promised 'easy approvals' for investors willing to try it again, after it was blocked twice by two different Democratic presidents and its original backer, TC Energy, gave up. Any new pipeline will face political and regulatory hurdles on both sides of the border, and in March Trump hit Canadian oil imports with a 10 per cent tariff. The pipeline politicking could deepen the trade-war rift between Ottawa and Washington. It could also unexpectedly reshape the future of a North American energy market that has been increasingly tightly integrated since the middle of the last century. Last weekend, while attending the Calgary Stampede, Carney said that Ottawa is prepared to prioritize a new pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific. During the recent federal election, he had promised to reduce Canada's reliance on the U.S. — a whopping 93 per cent of Canada's crude oil is shipped south of the border each year — by launching infrastructure projects and diversifying to new markets. Ottawa is keen to reduce Canada's dependence on a single customer, especially amid Trump's trade war. Building a new pipeline would signal that Canada is getting serious about reaching Asian markets with its oil. China has become the second-largest buyer of oil shipped through the new Trans Mountain expansion , which opened just over a year ago (the U.S. is still buying the most). And the extra market access has shrunk the typical discount Canadian oil long had to give its sole buyer by around a third. Getting more efficient at producing crude oil while ensuring sales go to more than just one export partner gives Canada 'a little more stability,' said Graeme Thompson, a senior analyst with Eurasia Group's global macro practice. But it could also annoy Trump, who puts a premium on loyalty to the U.S., said Kent Fellows, a professor of economics at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy, who specializes in energy issues. If building the pipeline is all about supplying demand in new markets without disrupting the flow to the U.S., then 'that's not really threatening to the United States in any way,' said Dan Stein, a former senior advisor at the Bureau of Energy Resources for the U.S. State Department. But if the idea is to divert supplies away from the U.S., 'then it's a different story.' Washington 'might not love the politics of Canada saying 'Hey, we're going to find some other export partners',' added Thompson. 'But the amount being exported to the U.S. has gone up substantially in recent years, and there's no reason to think that would decline.' On the other hand, if China becomes one of those export markets for Canadian energy, that could cause a bigger diplomatic challenge, he warned. But Carney isn't the only leader with pipeline dreams. Trump suggested in February that he wanted to revive the Keystone XL project. The president sees it as a way to strengthen the American energy security market by ramping up oil deliveries from Canada while reducing U.S. reliance on oil imports from volatile regions around the world. But Trump's push for Keystone XL also fits with a broader strategy to create a bargaining chip in U.S.-Canada trade relations. By signalling support for the pipeline, Trump is offering Carney a potential win — with expanded access to the U.S. market — in exchange for concessions. President Joe Biden cancelled Keystone XL in 2021 (after Trump approved it in his first term, after president Barack Obama blocked it in his second term). So promoting it again has the added benefit for Trump of undermining his predecessor's legacy. In February, Trump urged TC Energy to come back to the plan and 'get it built — NOW.' But TC has since spun off its oil business and the subsidiary has said it's not interested. Resurrecting Keystone XL would be a 'tougher decision for Carney than it would be for (Alberta Premier Danielle) Smith,' says Fellows, because Carney is supposed to balance the interests of all provinces. Smith, meanwhile, is representing Alberta's interest, and crude oil is the province's biggest sector. Thompson isn't so sure. 'If there was an economic case for (Keystone XL), if there was a private actor who came and said 'let's resuscitate this project,' in the current environment, maybe there's a better chance of it getting done,' he says. Even if Trump and Carney could agree on a path forward for Keystone XL, it would still be a struggle to get the pipeline built. Government permits have expired and initial construction has been dismantled. Still, with the plan well advanced, it wouldn't start from scratch. But Canada agreeing to go back to Keystone XL is 'sort of like going back to an abusive partner,' Fellows said, given the political football it was made into by Democratic and Republican presidents. And something else Carney and Trump have in common is it seems they're both racing to maximize their country's strategic position as they tussle over trade. For Trump, a revived Keystone XL pipeline locking in more Canadian oil for U.S. use must look like an advantage. With no one eagerly stepping up to build it, Carney might be just as happy if it stays dead. National Post tmoran@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here .
Calgary Herald
10-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
How a new Carney-backed pipeline could spoil Trump's plans for Canada's oil
WASHINGTON, D.C. — It's 'build, baby, build' versus 'drill, baby, drill.' Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to transform Canada into an 'energy superpower.' His build-baby rallying cry for a construction boom even echoes U.S. President Donald Trump's drill-baby slogan for increased oil and gas. But when it comes to a new pipeline for Canada, their two visions could clash. Article content Article content Article content 'Canada has a tremendous opportunity to be the world's leading energy superpower, in both clean and conventional energy,' Carney said in April. 'We can lead the energy transition while ensuring affordable energy at home and building the strongest economy in the G7.' Article content Article content The prime minister said this month that it's 'highly, highly likely' that a new oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast will be proposed as a nation-building project and fast-tracked under new federal legislation aimed at accelerating projects of 'national interest.' Boosters of the pipeline plan see Canada maximizing its oil export revenues and diversifying its customer base after decades of being captive to U.S. buyers, perhaps reshaping North American energy flows. Article content Trump, meanwhile, has said he wants to resuscitate the Keystone XL pipeline, the long-contested project that was supposed to carry nearly a million barrels of Alberta oil a day to the U.S. Midwest. He promised 'easy approvals' for investors willing to try it again, after it was blocked twice by two different Democratic presidents and its original backer, TC Energy, gave up. Article content Article content Any new pipeline will face political and regulatory hurdles on both sides of the border, and in March Trump hit Canadian oil imports with a 10 per cent tariff. Article content Article content The pipeline politicking could deepen the trade-war rift between Ottawa and Washington. It could also unexpectedly reshape the future of a North American energy market that has been increasingly tightly integrated since the middle of the last century. Article content Last weekend, while attending the Calgary Stampede, Carney said that Ottawa is prepared to prioritize a new pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific. During the recent federal election, he had promised to reduce Canada's reliance on the U.S. — a whopping 93 per cent of Canada's crude oil is shipped south of the border each year — by launching infrastructure projects and diversifying to new markets. Ottawa is keen to reduce Canada's dependence on a single customer, especially amid Trump's trade war.
