The question for political moderates is how to reconcile those two facts into practical policy. One organization that wrestles with that question is the Pembina Institute. The institute, an environmental think tank, presents its mission as reducing the negative impacts of fossil fuels while supporting the transition to a clean energy system by advancing solutions from various approaches.
Earlier this year, a former executive director of Pembina, Ed Whittingham, was appointed by the then NDP government to the Board of Directors of the Alberta Energy Regulator. The regulator's mandate is to ensure the "safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of oil, oil sands, natural gas, and coal resources ... This includes allocating and conserving water resources, managing public lands, and protecting the environment while providing economic benefits for all Albertans." Having an experienced environmentalist on the board would seem appropriate, particularly one of Whittingham's calibre. The New York Times once referred to him as "one of the country’s most prominent environmentalists."
Some Albertans vigorously disagreed. The Calgary Herald referred to him as an "enemy of Alberta’s oil and gas industry" and at least one Calgary businessman labelled him an eco-terrorist. The United Conservative Party (UCP) called a press conference slamming the appointment and accusing Whittingham, falsely, of opposing pipelines. One UCP notable claimed he was unfit to be on the board because he rode a bicycle to work. The party's election platform referred to only one private citizen by name and that was Ed in a promise to fire him. When they won the election, Whittingham immediately resigned prompting a catty message from new Premier Jason Kenney who tweeted, "It was gracious of Ed Whittingham to resign a day before we could fire him. Our government will never appoint people like him who are avowed opponents of Alberta jobs." In fact, Whittingham supports the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
In any case, he also had his supporters, including in the oil industry. Michael Crothers, president of Shell Canada, said Whittingham "provided a balanced voice to help bridge the divide in the economy versus environment debate." As for the Pembina Institute, a spokesperson for Cenovus Energy said his company had "a strong and constructive relationship with the Pembina Institute." The Financial Post concurred, saying Pembina had "deep knowledge of the [energy] business based on science, and knew its way around executive offices." It added, Pembina "collaborated with industry for decades to improve environmental practices rather than demand its demise."
Whittingham has also had his detractors on the environmental side where, like Rachel Notley, he has been criticized for his proximity to industry. In his words, "The hard left never likes the fact that I proactively work with Fortune 500 companies, including those in resource extraction, on market-based solutions to environmental challenges. The hard right doesn't like the fact that I've also sued some of those very same Fortune 500 companies."
Ed Whittingham is a true moderate. He seeks the middle ground. But is the middle ground enough? Many environmentalists would say that compromising with fossil fuels today is like compromising with the Nazis in the 1930s. Chamberlain tried that and we all know how it turned out. They are probably right. But the extraordinary action they advise isn't going to happen. Forget it. Some kind of compromise is the best we are going to get. If it isn't enough, we fry. So I wish Ed and his fellow moderates all the best.
Meanwhile, in Alberta we are doubling down on oil. Under Premier Kenney, like the U.S. under Trump or Brazil under Bolsonaro, we have decided to give the world the finger.
1 comment:
Those whom the Gods would destroy they first make mad. There seems to be a lot of madness making the rounds these days.
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