coal

Tuesday December 19, 2017

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 19, 2017

Trump considers rolling back rules protecting coal miners from black lung disease

President Donald Trump’s mining regulators are reconsidering rules meant to protect underground miners from breathing coal and rock dust — the cause of black lung — and diesel exhaust, which can cause cancer. An advocate for coal miners said Friday that this sends a “very bad signal.”

The Mine Safety and Health Administration has asked for public comments on whether standards “could be improved or made more effective or less burdensome by accommodating advances in technology, innovative techniques, or less costly methods.”

Some “requirements that could be streamlined or replaced in frequency” involve coal and rock dust. Others address diesel exhaust, which can have health impacts ranging from headaches and nausea to respiratory disease and cancer.

“Because of the carcinogenic health risk to miners from exposure to diesel exhaust, MSHA is requesting information on approaches that would improve control of diesel particulate matter and diesel exhaust,” the agency said.

The Trump administration has said many federal regulations, including pollution restrictions, have depressed the coal industry and other sectors of the economy.

“President Trump made clear the progress his Administration is making in bringing common sense to regulations that hold back job creation and prosperity,” Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Thursday in releasing his agency’s regulatory and deregulatory agenda. “The Department of Labor will continue to protect American workers’ interests while limiting the burdens of over-regulation.”

The notices on coal dust and underground diesel exhaust had few details. Both were described as “pre-rule stage.” (Source: Associated Press) 

 

Wednesday November 23, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday November 23, 2016 Continental contrast with Coal Canada plans to phase out most coal-powered electricity plants by 2030, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna announced Monday. By speeding up the timeline for closing coal-fired plants, which spew more pollution than most other fossil fuels, the country expects to reduce its carbon emissions by 5 megatons, or the equivalent taking of 1.3 million cars off the road. Coal makes up nearly three-quarters of the Canadian electrical industryÕs greenhouse gas emissions, and over 8 percent of the countryÕs total carbon footprint. Roughly 80 percent of CanadaÕs electricity currently comes from zero-emission sources, McKenna said. Under the new regulations, that number should increase to 90 percent over the next 14 years. Other countries, including Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, have also accelerated their plans to wean themselves off coal, according to The Wall Street Journal. But the move comes as the U.S., CanadaÕs largest trading partner, seems set to scale back environmental regulations and bolster the coal industry once President-elect Donald Trump office next year. Trump campaigned hard in coal country, promising to put miners back to work by slashing pollution restrictions and scrapping President Barack ObamaÕs Clean Power Plan, which would have forced the utility sector to use more renewable energy. Most of the coal industryÕs biggest players have gone bankrupt over the last two years, in large part because of ill-conceived betsÊon the future of Chinese economic growth. Even coal barons who backed Trump admit the coal industry isnÕt coming back. (Source: Newsweek) http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-canada-coal-524098 Canada, USA, coal, pollution, climate change, air quality, environment, energy, wall, health, Donald Trump

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday November 23, 2016

Continental contrast with Coal

Canada plans to phase out most coal-powered electricity plants by 2030, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna announced Monday.

By speeding up the timeline for closing coal-fired plants, which spew more pollution than most other fossil fuels, the country expects to reduce its carbon emissions by 5 megatons, or the equivalent taking of 1.3 million cars off the road. Coal makes up nearly three-quarters of the Canadian electrical industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, and over 8 percent of the country’s total carbon footprint.

Roughly 80 percent of Canada’s electricity currently comes from zero-emission sources, McKenna said. Under the new regulations, that number should increase to 90 percent over the next 14 years. Other countries, including Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, have also accelerated their plans to wean themselves off coal, according to The Wall Street Journal.

But the move comes as the U.S., Canada’s largest trading partner, seems set to scale back environmental regulations and bolster the coal industry once President-elect Donald Trump office next year.

Trump campaigned hard in coal country, promising to put miners back to work by slashing pollution restrictions and scrapping President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which would have forced the utility sector to use more renewable energy. Most of the coal industry’s biggest players have gone bankrupt over the last two years, in large part because of ill-conceived bets on the future of Chinese economic growth. Even coal barons who backed Trump admit the coal industry isn’t coming back. (Source: Newsweek)

 

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday, December 2, 2015 Ontario to lose equalization payments as Alberta's economic fortunes fall Ontario will shed its status as a poor cousin of Confederation in the coming years, not because its economic fortunes are rebounding, but because resource-rich Alberta is falling on hard times. The federal government is expected to announce how much each province will receive in the fiscal year 2016-17 from transfer payment programs, which include equalization, before Finance Minister Bill Morneau meets with his provincial and territorial colleagues in Ottawa on Sunday evening. The equalization program redistributes national income to help poorer provinces provide services comparable to those of their richer counterparts. But equalization experts say the formula for calculating the payments is slow to respond to changes, including volatile commodity prices, which will leave Alberta carrying a disproportionate burden when the numbers are announced this weekend. Ontario began receiving equalization for the first time in 2009, a dramatic reversal of fortune for the countryÕs one-time economic powerhouse. It is now set to reclaim its status as a ÒhaveÓ province because the disparity between its economy and that of Alberta is shrinking. ÒWhat weÕre talking about here is the bad way of coming out of equalization,Ó economist Don Drummond said. The Ògood wayÓ to come out of the program, he said, is for a provinceÕs economy to rebound so that growth in its revenues offsets a loss of equalization payments. Because the equalization funding is based on a three-year national average of gross domestic product, next yearÕs calculation will still include times when oil prices were high and Alberta was booming. This means Ontario will not get Òkicked outÓ of the program for another two or three years, Mr. Drummond said. Alberta pulled up the overall standard of living in Canada when the countryÕs wealth was sh

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Ontario to lose equalization payments as Alberta’s economic fortunes fall

Ontario will shed its status as a poor cousin of Confederation in the coming years, not because its economic fortunes are rebounding, but because resource-rich Alberta is falling on hard times.

2005

The federal government is expected to announce how much each province will receive in the fiscal year 2016-17 from transfer payment programs, which include equalization, before Finance Minister Bill Morneau meets with his provincial and territorial colleagues in Ottawa on Sunday evening.

The equalization program redistributes national income to help poorer provinces provide services comparable to those of their richer counterparts. But equalization experts say the formula for calculating the payments is slow to respond to changes, including volatile commodity prices, which will leave Alberta carrying a disproportionate burden when the numbers are announced this weekend.

2008

Ontario began receiving equalization for the first time in 2009, a dramatic reversal of fortune for the country’s one-time economic powerhouse. It is now set to reclaim its status as a “have” province because the disparity between its economy and that of Alberta is shrinking.

“What we’re talking about here is the bad way of coming out of equalization,” economist Don Drummond said.

The “good way” to come out of the program, he said, is for a province’s economy to rebound so that growth in its revenues offsets a loss of equalization payments.

Because the equalization funding is based on a three-year national average of gross domestic product, next year’s calculation will still include times when oil prices were high and Alberta was booming. This means Ontario will not get “kicked out” of the program for another two or three years, Mr. Drummond said.

2008

Alberta pulled up the overall standard of living in Canada when the country’s wealth was shifting west to the resource-rich provinces. Now that Alberta’s economy is faltering, the reverse is happening. Ontario will no longer be eligible to receive equalization once its standard of living is aligned with a lower national average.

Any province that falls below the national average is eligible for equalization. In fiscal 2015-16, Ottawa distributed $17.3-billion in equalization payments to six provinces. Ontario’s share was $2.4-billion. (Source: Globe & Mail)

Canada, Alberta, Ontario, Rachel Notley, Kathleen Wynne, Christmas, Equalization, have, have-not, province, Christmas, stocking, coal