Federal Budget: where’s renewable energy?

The Conservative government is talking “green stimulus” but, in a surprise move, did not renew support to green energy production in its budget. Despite government promises to achieve 90% non-emitting electricity by 2020, the successful ecoENERGY for Renewable Power program was left to wither. Meanwhile dollars will flow to programs attempting to “capture and sequester” carbon from fossil fuel industries.

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Even with the ecoENERGY program, support to green energy only amounted to half what the U.S. provides to wind power and a small fraction of what is available in Europe.

All this comes as President Obama is doubling green energy production over the next 3 years.

The Canadian wind industry expressed “disappointment” and worried about being left in American dust:

“Our ability to compete with the United States for investment in wind energy projects and manufacturing opportunities will decline as a result of this budget. At a time when the United States has made measures to support renewable energy deployment a key component of its plans to stimulate the US economy, Canada is moving in the opposite direction,” said Robert Hornung, President of CanWEA.

Green energy companies in provinces like British Columbia and Ontario where will do better than elsewhere because of good provincial policies.