Last week, Alberta’s government proposed changes to its industrial carbon pricing system that would allow high-emitting companies to avoid paying into a provincial fund or purchasing credits, and would also permit smaller facilities to opt out of the program. Documents reveal oil and gas lobbyists have been advocating for similar revisions to the emissions reduction program for years.

The Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program requires large emitters to reduce their emissions intensity or compensate for exceeding pollution targets by purchasing offset credits or contributing to the TIER fund. Under the reworked regulations, companies will be able to use the investments in emissions reduction projects at their own facilities to meet up to 90 per cent of their compliance obligations, Premier Danielle Smith said at a news conference on Sept. 16.