By Geoff Smith - Lethbridge News Now

Phillips says 2018 will see more work on renewables, efficiency

Dec 31, 2017 | 6:04 AM

LETHBRIDGE – Environment Minister Shannon Phillips feels energy efficiency and renewable energy will be high priorities for the Alberta government in the year ahead.

In a year-end conversation with Lethbridge News Now, the MLA for Lethbridge-West said the province’s energy conservation programs had been a “real hit” with people, and the government is working with large industry on reducing carbon emissions.

“I’m really looking forward to doing a bit more work with big employers in the city, people like Richardson Oilseeds,” Phillips said. “We’ve been working with them a lot on the new rules for big industry in terms of how we price carbon; they’ve been really great partners with us, and I fully expect that they will continue to be so as we continue to look for ways to diversify the economy down here.”

Phillips said over the past year, balancing the environment with the economy has been a challenge the NDP government has taken on.

“We got pipeline approvals, and we’re seeing the oil and gas industry really rebound now,” she explained. “A day does not go by without another piece of good news about the energy economy in the province. And that’s been in the context of, and certainly the pipeline approvals have come, because of the climate leadership plan. Gone are the days when the two things were separate from one another.”

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Phillips added it’s a big opportunity for southern Alberta to assume its role in the renewable energy economy, as she accused the Opposition of closing the door on economy by denying climate change is real.

“We have a young well-educated population full of engineers and other clever people; we should be global leaders in energy efficiency. I fully anticipate that as we roll out a lot of our programs for industrial and commercial facilities, that we will become that.”

Phillips praised the City of Lethbridge for its work in the past year in making it possible for Cavendish Farms to begin a major expansion in the city, and for the work between the city and province that is leading to the establishment of a supervised consumption site.