The Buzz
LATITUDE
PROVINCE ADDRESSES HUMAN COST OF PHASING OUT COAL A year after announcing a plan to phase out the use of coal to generate electricity by 2030, the Govern- ment of Alberta is promising $40 million in income support for workers facing job losses from mine closures. The province is also petitioning the federal government to allow coal workers to receive income from the new program without decreases in their Employment Insurance benefits. Along with support under the Coal Workforce Transition Fund, the province is offering resources for workers to retrain for new careers. These include: • direct support from facilitators who will meet with workers, their unions, and their employers to connect them with further support • vouchers to help cover post-secondary education costs • third-party programs for employment placement, job matching, and exposure to other jobs and careers • professional certification courses
COAL’S FUTURE The end of coal-fired electricity generation in Alberta will reduce the mining of this stuff in the province. The government does, however, have a number of programs and partnerships planned to help people and their communities make the transition. The new initiatives are in addition to those covered by the Coal Community Transition Fund. Project proposals under that fund, from First Nations and municipalities, are under review. The projects that earn approval will focus on regional partnerships and economic diversification in Alberta’s coal communities.
KEYSTONE XL WINS NEBRASKA APPROVAL — SORT OF APEGA Permit Holder TransCanada Corp. has cleared another hurdle in its quest to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, now that Nebraska regulators have granted it approval. The state’s Public Service Commission voted 3-2 in favour of the project. The vote follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s issuing of a permit in March, which reversed a rejection by the last administration. Rather than green-lighting TransCanada’s
Keystone XL would essentially duplicate but shorten an existing route to Steele City, Nebraska, from Hardisty, Alberta, with larger, 36-inch pipe. The crude oil pipeline would ship up to 830,000 barrels a day and connect to existing lines in the overall Keystone project, which extends all the way to the Gulf Coast of Texas. When XL was first announced in July 2008, the estimated cost was about $7 billion, and it was expected to be operational in 2009. Approvals — especially U.S. ones — have taken much longer than the company expected, however, and the total cost today is probably more like $10 billion, published reports suggest.
preferred route, however, the commission went with an alternative route that pushes the line further northeast. TransCanada is assessing how the change will affect the project’s cost and schedule.
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