Updated Action! Stop Maxim Power's Sneaky Coal Plant

Environment Minister Peter Kent is about to finalize new rules for coal power that are supposed to clean up Canada’s coal power industry. But the regulations are riddled with loopholes, and worse - the coal industry is trying to cheat, and avoid the new rules completely by building a massive coal power plant just before they take effect.

Maxim Power’s new coal plant would pump out three million tonnes of pollution per year - which is like adding 600,000 cars to Canada’s roads. It is the only new coal power plant being proposed in Canada, and it’s far more dirty and dangerous than the new rules will allow.

Together, we have already sent thousands of messages to Environment Minister Kent, asking him to close the Maxim Power loophole. After receiving over 4,000 messages Kent publicly promised that Maxim Power would not be allowed to dodge the rules. On Wednesday, Minister Kent will close the comment period for the new regulations. Now, we need a big push to make sure he keeps his promise.

Please take a minute right now to send a message to Environment Canada Director Caroline Blais and Environment Minister Kent, calling on them to fix the loopholes in the new regulations and make Maxim Power play by the rules.

As he finalizes the regulations Minister Kent needs to make a choice: is he going to listen to the thousands of Canadians who have spoken out, and keep his own government’s promise to put real limits on coal pollution? Or, will he leave the regulations riddled with loopholes and hand Maxim Power a free pass to pollute our air and our climate for decades?

Please act now - even if you sent a message to Minister Kent previously. This new action directly targets the comment process for the new regulations, and will make sure your voice is heard.

In June 2010 the federal government promised Canadians they would phase out conventional coal in Canada. Then-Environment Minister Jim Prentice made a clear commitment: “We will guard against any rush to build non-compliant coal plants on the interim.” Yet the coal industry is now doing just that - rushing to break ground to avoid taking responsibility for its pollution.

The coal industry knows there’s no way this plant can meet Canada’s new environmental standards. That’s why they’re trying to sneak in under the wire and lock-in this polluting mega project before the new rules take effect.

Earlier this summer thousands of Canadians, from all across the country, sent emails, made phone calls, and wrote letters to your local papers demanding Kent close the “Maxim Power loophole” and prevent Maxim from dodging Canada’s new environmental standards. The response was phenomenal.

For weeks, Kent refused to comment on Maxim’s sneaky regulation dodging, but in an interview with the Canadian Press last month, he completely changed his position:

“It was never the intention to create a loophole for short-cutters to get in and get a half-century licence to emit greenhouse gases or to put other toxins into the air which have serious impacts on Canadians living downwind.” — Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent¹

...that’s a monumental shift from the documents Maxim Power’s lawyers submitted to the Alberta regulator showing they met with Kent and he’d assured them they could avoid the rules if they got their dirty, dangerous coal plant up fired up fast enough.

We have seen first hand how our people power can shift Minister Kent in the right direction, but the Maxim Power loophole won’t be closed unless he fixes the regulations before they’re finalized. The comment period for the new rules is about to close, and it’s vitally important that we let him know that we’re still here and we will be watching closely to make sure he follows through.

Send your quick message to Environment Canada Director Blais and Minister Kent now as part of the public consultation on the new regulations.

Sources:

Ottawa warns electricity firms not to sneak around pending emissions rules, Canadian Press
Coal power plant races against regulation, Globe and Mail
Ottawa faces crucial test in the fight against coal, Pembina Institute
Former Environment Minister Prentice’s commitment to “guard against” non-compliant coal projects, Environment Canada
Green groups appeal Alberta power plant ruling, Reuters
Alberta Utilities Commission’s decision to fast-track the Maxim project without public consultation, Alberta Utilities Commission
Greening the Grid - Powering Alberta’s Future with Renewable Energy, Pembina Institute

NEW ACTION! – We have just 48 hours to flood the comment process for the new rules with a strong demand. Tell Minister Kent and Director Blais to fix the regulations and close the Maxim Power loophole once and for all.

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Send To:

Caroline Blais, Director, Electricity and Combustion Division, Environment Canada
The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of the Environment

Message Subject:

Dear Director Blais and Minister Kent,

I am writing to express my grave concerns about the new rules for coal power (Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-Fired Generation of Electricity Regulations, Canada Gazette, Vol. 145, No. 35 - August 27, 2011).

In the Globe and Mail on September 9th, Minister Kent said:

I agree. Now it is time to fix the new regulations for Canadians, instead of giving free passes to pollute to coal companies:

1. Close the Maxim Power loophole: Make sure the standards apply immediately to any new coal plant built, including Maxim Power’s Milner Expansion Project.

The draft regulations do not apply until July 2015, allowing any coal-burning plants built before then to run for 45 years, but new dirty coal is completely unacceptable in Canada, today.

In June 2010 the federal government promised Canadians they would phase out conventional coal in Canada. Then-Environment Minister Jim Prentice made a clear commitment: “We will guard against any rush to build non-compliant coal plants on the interim.” Yet Maxim Power is now doing just that - rushing to break ground on a new 500MW unit before it would have to take responsibility for its pollution in order to dodge the regulations until 2060.

The coal industry knows there’s no way Maxim Power’s Milner Expansion Project can meet Canada’s new environmental standards as designed. That’s why they’re trying to sneak in under the wire and lock-in this polluting mega project before the new rules take effect.

When finalized, the new regulations must make Maxim Power play by the rules.

2. Close the loopholes for carbon capture and storage plants.

In the draft regulations, any new units built with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in mind are exempt from the standard until 2025, and don’t need to capture any emissions at all until 2024. There is no reason at all for allowing CCS-ready projects a decade delay before implementing their reductions.

3. Phase out existing conventional coal by 2025.

The draft regulations give every coal-burning unit built before July 2015 a free 45-year license to pollute. Each unit is allowed to operate for nearly half a century without any limits on their pollution, meaning that a unit entering service today would not be regulated until 2056. This sluggish pace is completely out of touch with the serious urgency of tackling climate change and transitioning to a low-carbon energy system in Canada. Existing units should be subject to a carbon fee, performance standard, or both, to cut emissions and accelerate the transition towards clean energy.

4. Don’t let big coal companies weaken the performance standard.

When the regulations apply to a unit they must meet a performance standard of 375 t CO2 / GWh or close down. The power sector has been lobbying to weaken this to 420 t CO2 / GWh, but really it should be much more stringent. The performance standard must require full capture from new plants, and the standard for existing plants should be no higher than 375 t CO2 / GWh initially and set to tighten over time.

5. Do more to advance clean energy solutions in Canada.

The draft regulations fail to have any meaningful impact on renewable energy. Much more must be done to transition our electricity system away from high-polluting fossil fuels and towards low-impact sustainable energy solutions. For example, a fee on carbon emissions from coal plants could raise significant revenue to direct to renewable energy and energy conservation programs in a time when public funding is scarce. This would accelerate the transition to clean energy and reduce the impact on power bills.

I trust you will address these concerns and - above all - close the Maxim Power loophole, as the regulations are finalized.

Sincerely,

Your Details will be added here.

C.C.
Your Member of Parliament
Megan Leslie MP, NDP Environment Critic
Kirsty Duncan MP, Liberal Environment Critic
Maria Mourani, Bloc Quebequois Environment Critic
Elizabeth May MP, Leader of the Green Party of Canada

Sources:

NEW ACTION! – We have just 48 hours to flood the comment process for the new rules with a strong demand. Tell Minister Kent and Director Blais to fix the regulations and close the Maxim Power loophole once and for all.

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