By Canadian Press

Freeze carbon tax, delay new climate regs during virus crisis, oil lobby asks

Apr 17, 2020 | 2:05 AM

OTTAWA — Canada’s oil and gas producers are asking the federal government to freeze the carbon tax, postpone environment reporting requirements, and delay new climate change regulations while the industry weathers the storm of COVID-19.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says in a letter to Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan that Canada’s energy sector is facing an unprecedented fiscal assault from a global collapse in oil prices.

Western Canada’s heavy crude is selling for under $5 a barrel this week, less than a tenth of the price it garnered a year ago.

CEO Tim McMillan says the sector wants to be able to survive the immediate crisis so it can keep pumping out products Canadians need, and then also be part of the economic recovery.

The association is asking for credit help to finance companies through the crisis but also wants nearly three dozen delays to everything from climate change regulations and air-pollution monitoring to reporting on lobbying activities and rail-safety training.

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Dale Marshall of Environmental Defence says the industry is trying to use a global pandemic to ram through demands it hasn’t been able to get the government to agree to before.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2020.

The Canadian Press