Cap and trade programs steeped in secrecy

The NDP MLA for the North Coast is calling for a little bit more transparency when it comes to the Liberal government's cap and trade emissions programs. Part of the overall approach to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act.


Coons' describes sections of the program as secretive and calls on the Liberals to be more accountable to the public with their plans. He joined with fellow NDP MLA's in a call to have the bill moved to an all party committee, where they will try to fix the flawed parts of the bill, and eliminate the secrecy surrounding the cap and trade system.

He outlined his concerns in Wednesday's edition of the Daily News.

'Secretive' climate change bill attacked
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Pages one and three

The government's new cap and trade legislation is empty of details and riddled with secrecy, said North Coast MLA Gary Coons.

"I support cap and trade legislation," Coons said, "but I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a bill that our Information and Privacy Commissioner thinks is secretive and open to abuse by government and corporations."

British Columbia introduced the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Cap and Trade) Act last month and was the first province to authorize hard caps on greenhouse gas emissions.

The legislation will provide the framework to participate in the Western Climate Initiative cap and trade system currently under development.

However, Coons noted that David Loukidelis, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, has sent letters to the Minister of the Environment and the Minister responsible for Energy and Mines to express his concerns about section 36 of the Cap and Trade Act.

"When David Loukidelis says that a law is going to be bad for British Columbians, I sit up and listen," said Coons. "His job is to ensure the government stays accountable to the people of this province."

Coons said he is frustrated that the government is playing politics with climate change instead of working to solve the problem in a way that includes all British Columbians.

"It is really disappointing to me that I have to vote against this legislation. I want to be able to vote these sorts of measures into law, but this bill is setting up cap and trade to fail," said Coons.
"I'm not naive; I know that if you set up a situation where companies and government keep everything secret, out of the eyes of the public, you get a situation where lies and half-truths are told, and what needs to be done, isn't done," said Coons.

Cap and trade regulatory systems establish an overall cap or limit on emissions, while the "trade" part of the system allows regulated emitters to buy and sell emissions allowances or buy offset units. Those who can reduce emissions more efficiently are able to sell their surplus units to those who find it more challenging to do so. This system transfers emission reduction responsibility and management to emitters, while market forces help determine the distribution of reductions.

"Cap and trade programs have proven to be very difficult to design in a way that actually reduces emissions and provides incentives to companies to clean up their acts," Coons noted. "The most detailed part of this legislation is the section which outlines what the public won't be told. How can you have cap and trade legislation that doesn't tell the public what the caps are and how the government will regulate and enforce them? This might as well be called the corporate emission secrecy act."

Coons supported a motion made by New Democrat Environment Critic Shane Simpson to move the bill to an all-party committee for detailed review, in order to fix the flawed parts of the bill, and eliminate the secrecy surrounding the cap and trade system.

"If we are to achieve the goals that have been set forth in law by legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent in the year 2020, we don't need a good bill; we need a great bill," said Coons. "It must be ambitious, and it must be a bill that's supported on both sides of the House and by the vast majority of British Columbians."