Regulating methane emissions is one of the top priorities for the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce as they release their 2018 policy resolutions.
This year’s resolutions include reducing methane emissions, working with the City to create a hazardous good route around Lloydminster and pushing the City to create an economic development strategy. Executive Director for the Chamber of Commerce Serena Sjodin says Lloydminster’s economy is heavily based on the influx of oil.
“The businesses want more diversified economy so that when there is those boom and bust times, mainly the bust times that there are still some of the revenue streams within our community.”
The Alberta Government has not released its draft regulations for methane emissions, but Sjodin says the government has created an advisory committee made up of industry and environment groups to get their feedback before setting regulations.
The Chamber adds that they not only need to reduce the emissions, but also protect jobs and investment in that area. Sjodin says that there are potential draft regulations put together by Environment and Climate Change Canada that were asking oil producers to do specific things to reach the 45 per cent reduction target.
“We were hearing from industry that they were saying we’re not opposed to reducing our methane by 45 per cent. However don’t tell us how to reduce those methane’s, let us work with our business model.”
Sjodin says they expect the draft regulations to be announced any day now after being pushed back from their initial release date in December.
