Alberta envoy moves to Ottawa as pivotal new energy rules in the works
OTTAWA - As federal officials hash out how to control greenhouse-gas emissions from the oil and gas sector, Alberta is opening an office in Ottawa to make sure its voice is heard.
Allan Ross, a lawyer with a background in the energy industry, is setting up shop this week in the capital.
The appointment comes at a sensitive time, as Ottawa gears up to announce new rules this year on how oil and gas producers will have to curtail their emissions — and just as Alberta is demanding a larger say.
Some environmentalists fear Alberta may persuade Ottawa merely to reflect existing provincial regulations, rather than raising standards so that Canada will meet its international commitments to cut emissions significantly by 2020.
But in an interview with The Canadian Press, Alberta's intergovernmental affairs minister, Cal Dallas, says Alberta will continue to raise the bar on environmental performance.
