Trade between Canada and the United States (U.S.) is a pretty big deal for both countries. In fact, when you look at 15 of Canada’s top import partners, the US accounts for more than 75% of Canadian imports. So when national elections occur on either side of the border, those in business pay attention.
With the US Presidential election now in the books, what are the potential implications as they relate to environmental issues? While we’ll all learn more after appointments are made and the President Elect has begun to shape actual policies, here are a couple observations.
Fossil Fuels and Paris Agreement
An article in Canadian Business recently speculated what President-Elect Donald Trump might mean for the environment. The article states, in part, “He (Trump) loathes regulation and wants to increase the use of coal, offshore drilling and fracking.” The writer goes on to speculate the future of The Clean Power Plan (currently held up in legal challenges) and the Paris Agreement.
The U.S. course as it relates to the use of fossil fuels and global agreements on reduction of greenhouse gases will likely be very different under the new administration. This while Ontario is just beginning a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program and Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, recently announced a country-wide carbon emission tax (beginning in 2018).
I’ll leave the financial speculation of how this may impact trade to those with far greater economic acumen than I possess.
Keystone XL
One area of agreement between Trudeau and Trump will likely be their view of the on-again, off-again Keystone XL Pipeline project. Prime Minister Trudeau has, on several occasions, expressed support for the pipeline, which was mired in delays and eventually opposed by President Obama.
As CTV reports, “Trump has said that he would invite TransCanada to revive its application for the pipeline, which was vetoed by President Barack Obama. The pipeline would give Alberta crude a more direct route to refineries in the U.S.”
As with any election, campaign promises don’t always equate to actual policy. So like you, we’ll monitor developments in the coming months.
The 50,000-foot view aside, the regulated community in Canada has plenty to focus on here on the ground, including vapour intrusion, environmental compliance, and environmental site assessment and remediation.
If and when politics translate into changes in regulations that may impact the regulated community, we’ll do our best to inform you of those changes. In the meantime, if you need any assistance with issues such as environmental site assessment, environmental remediation, or environmental compliance, contact me (cpare@dragun.com) at 519-979-7300.