Jun 30 2023 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — As the calendar flips to July, a long-awaited federal policy will kick in aimed at cutting the amount of pollution from cars and trucks, while trying to keep prices at the pump affordable. The clean fuel regulations were first proposed in 2016, but they’ve faced delays and revisions along the way. Although the new policy […]
Jun 19 2023 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — ‘We’re going to grow in the United States because that’s where it makes sense,’ says company CEO. The timing couldn’t have been better for Calgary-based Kanin Energy to open an office in Texas last year. It was just as the U.S. government unveiled its massive climate bill, including tens of billions of dollars in new […]
Apr 20 2023 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — On a sunny spring afternoon, Shell’s massive Scotford industrial complex northeast of Edmonton heaves with activity. There are dozens of smokestacks in every direction of the plant, which churns out not only gasoline and jet fuel, but propane and other materials, on a site that’s larger than downtown Edmonton. Grey and brown steel pipes snake […]
Mar 24 2023 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — The Alberta government may have to return $130 million in leftover funding to the federal government after not spending the money to clean up old oil and gas wells. The cash is part of the federal government’s $1.7-billion program in 2020 aimed at addressing the environmental risk of the aging oil and gas infrastructure, while […]
Mar 8 2023 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — Green energy investment could pour into the U.S. from around the globe. U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate bill is only six months old, but its impact on the energy industry around the world continues to grow as pressure mounts on countries to offer similar subsidies toward green energy or risk losing out on valuable investment […]
Feb 17 2023 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — One by one, oil companies in Canada and around the world are releasing their latest financial results, which show 2022 was the most profitable year in the history of the oilpatch. Commodity prices have softened to start 2023, but this year is already shaping up to be nearly as rosy as demand for gasoline, diesel […]
Dec 1 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — On the 15th floor of a downtown Calgary office tower on Wednesday, a new clean-tech fund was launched with an aim of decarbonizing the energy sector. But much of the talk at the event was about the Alberta government’s controversial Sovereignty Act, which was introduced in the provincial legislature less than 24 hours earlier. Some […]
Oct 17 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — Canadians are feeling the pinch of higher prices these days. But that isn’t the case with provincial budgets. Coffers are filling, with many provinces slashing the size of their deficits or growing surpluses, leaving most of those governments in a much better position than they were earlier this year. The red-hot economy is a common […]
Aug 18 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — The Canadian oilpatch is basking in its most lucrative year ever. Hefty prices for both oil and natural gas that have pained consumers are delivering a bounty of riches for the industry. That bounty was reinforced over the past few weeks as companies again posted extraordinary profits. While commodity prices have softened slightly, there is […]
Aug 11 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — For much of the last few years, watching the price of lumber has been painful for anyone working on their home. Lately though, the cost has come sliding down alongside many other commodities — yet another sign that rampant inflation could be coming to an end or at the very least, offer some reprieve for […]
Jun 13 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — Sky-high energy prices are causing inflation and affordability problems. With so much pain at the gas pumps these days and the extraordinary price of oil around the globe, it’s almost unfathomable to think a barrel of crude was worthless two years ago. The price of oil even briefly turned negative in the spring of 2020 […]
May 31 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — For several years, Luis Virla would hop on a bus and then transfer to a train as part his commute to work in Calgary. But like many, once the pandemic began, he hit the brakes on using transit. Even now with pandemic restrictions nearly gone and his anxiety about catching the virus easing, the 36-year-old […]
Apr 29 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — It’s a Wednesday morning in June 2021, and executives from the five largest oilsands companies are ready to make their big splash, unveiling an unprecedented collaboration on a project with sky-high ambitions and a price tag in the tens of billions. The ultimate goal is to tackle the problem that has dogged the sector for […]
Apr 26 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — Global ambitions to tackle climate change are being confronted by rising concerns about energy security, according to a new report by RBC, which is why oil and natural gas are going to be used for quite a while. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sent energy prices soaring, as there are supply concerns for many […]
Apr 15 2022 — Kyle Bakx — CBC — Electric cars are increasingly common on streets and highways across the country, but spotting a battery-powered truck is rare, especially anything larger than a pickup. Slowly, that’s starting to change. This week, Calgary-based Enmax showed off a pair of new service trucks that workers will use to help keep the power on in the city. […]