The federal government is out of step with leading thinkers on issues related to sustainability, energy and climate change, according to the results of a groundbreaking survey of more than 5,000 experts and government officials.

As part of the Green Energy Act Alliance, Pembina applauds Ontario's plans to spend $8 billion on renewable energy projects.

Pembina's analysis shows the U.S. is set to outspend Canada nearly 18:1 per capita on renewables, and more than 8:1 per capita overall on sustainable energy programs and projects in 2010.

The 2010 federal budget could hardly do less on renewable energy and climate change issues, said Tim Weis, Director of the Pembina Institute's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program.

Matthew Bramley, Director of the Pembina Institute's Climate Change Program, said today's federal Throne Speech fails to clearly signal an improvement in the government's poor track record on climate change and investment in the clean energy economy.

Tim Weis, Director of the Pembina Institute’s renewable energy and efficiency program, reacted to Michael Ignatieff’s speech today in Vancouver, saying the Liberal leader's committments to make significant investments in clean energy jobs and set a hard cap on carbon emissions are encouraging, but more details about targets and mechanisms are needed to make the plan workable.

Dr. Marlo Raynolds, Executive Director of the Pembina Institute, has been named a recipient of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 award for 2008.

A few critical additions, including mandatory public consultation and binding limits on cumulative impacts, are needed if proposed new provincial land-use planning legislation is to better manage development and its impacts on Alberta's landscapes and communities.

Royal Dutch Shell has abandoned its written agreements to significantly reduce greenhouse gas pollution at its Jackpine Mine and Muskeg River Mine Expansion oil sands projects.

The Energy Resources and Conservation Board released a new directive today that could help reduce the future creation of toxic tailings waste from oil sands mining. Since 1967, oil sands mining operators have been allowed to manage tailings on a voluntary basis with little government enforcement. The new directive will, for the first time, require operators to submit annual plans, including schedules, for reducing toxic fluid tailings waste.

The Government of Alberta has repeatedly failed to respond to questions regarding its ability to effectively monitor and enforce water withdrawal restrictions for oil sands companies, noted a number of Alberta environmental groups.

In response to today’s release of the new Alberta Land-Use Framework (LUF), the Pembina Institute and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Northern Alberta have provided the Government of Alberta with a checklist for its successful implementation.

Alberta’s new Land-Use Framework could become one of the government’s most important policy and legislative initiatives in several decades, but its success is not guaranteed. A new report released today by the Pembina Institute and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Northern Alberta provides the Government of Alberta with a proposed implementation roadmap for the LUF.

Environment groups and the energy efficiency industry are calling on provincial, territorial and federal energy ministers to begin a massive scale up of energy efficiency measures which could meet energy demands and make cuts in Canada's GHG emissions.

Environmentalists said that the electricity plan submitted to the OEB will not achieve the level of GHG reductions necessary for any of the four major parties to achieve the climate change targets they've put into their platforms.

A cheaper, cleaner, and less risky option than the current nuclear-reliant Ontario electricity plan is doable according to a state-of-the-art modelling analysis commissioned by WWF-Canada and the Pembina Institute and released today.

Groups from across the province blasted the Ontario government today for passing regulations that will weaken environmental laws and allow incinerators to be fast-tracked without an environmental assessment.

Plusieurs des principales organisations environnementales de l'Ontario ont rendu public aujourd'hui un programme d'action à l'intention du gouvernement provincial dans six domaines clé.

English 

An application was filed today for an inquiry by Canada's Competition Bureau into the Canadian Nuclear Association's high profile advertising campaign touting the benefits of nuclear power.