RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: low
#1: "More money needs to be spent by the government to make sure that any foreseen or unforeseen clean up costs be addressed"
If you mean that more money should be spent by government to monitor activity as it is happening and afterwards so that issues can be addressed ASAP then absolutely. However, if you also mean that government should PAY for that clean up, absolutely not. This is called 'socializing the costs'. This is why bonds need to be created of sufficient size and scope and include legal recourse so that they can be increased so that COMPANYs not the public taxpayer is paying for the cleanup. They dirtied it, they pay for the clean up, it should be common sense. And that is not happening right now.
#2: Carbon tax.
You are correct Raven's coal is slated to be sold overseas. That does not mean the carbon tax should not apply. That's why I said "sold" not consumed or bought. If carbon is exported, then that export should include a tax to the importer on every tonne. The goal here is to reduce carbon emissions. Giving companies a free ride to export all the carbon to other jurisdictions is not solving anything.
#3: Sask Power/CCS
Yes, it is somewhat interesting at the surface. Dig a little deeper and it is full of uncertainty and contradictions.
a) Raven is not lining up to sell any of its coal to Sask Power or any other proposed (ie. they doesn't exist yet) CCS facility. Since there are no others. So the discussion is academic at best. Raven Coal will be emitting 100% of its carbon into the atmosphere as best we know.
b) Lets say for a minute Raven *did* sell its coal to a CCS equipped facility like Sask Power? Oh wait... why would Raven sell to a CCS thermal power plant? I thought Raven was selling 80% "Metallurgical". Though it is true also that they could sell 100% of their product as high grade thermal which would be fantastic to use somewhere like Sask Power. So again, why are we talking about CCS if little of Raven coal is supposed going to a thermal plant where CCS might be implemented?
c) Ok... so lets say Raven *did* use its alternate feasibility plan and sold its coal as 100% high grade thermal to a CCS equipped thermal plant like SaskPower. How is that CCS actually achieved?
- They capture the CO2 and compressed it into tank storage -- fine
- They load it onto trains to be shipped to its "storage" facility -- OK
- They use that CO2 to inject into new and old oil and gas wells so as to boost oil and gas production
Uh, wait, isn't the point of Carbon Capture and Storage to *sequester* the CO2 so that it is *never* released into the atmosphere? So what exactly are we accomplishing if we use that CO2 to extract MORE fossil fuels who's CO2 cannot be captured and so is released anyway?
In short. CCS is a sham.. at least at this point. And totally irrelevant to the current discussion. We cannot wait for CO2 panacea to suddenly appear. We have already waited too long 2guys and the Earth is changing very quickly because of it.
We must reduce our CO2 emissions *now* and unfortunately for Compliance Coal Corporation, they are on the wrong side of history right now.