Thousands return home in east Congo after volcano eruption

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Thousands of people are returning to Goma and a surrounding region in eastern Congo hoping to find their homes still intact weeks after a volcano erupted, but fearing the worst.

© Provided by The Canadian Press

The eruption on May 22 of Mount Nyiragongo forced tens of thousands of people to flee with no warning as lava flowed through their communities.

More residents living on the outskirts of the North Kivu provincial capital were forced to evacuate again a week later when fears rose there would be another eruption. Authorities sent buses to take a number of people to safety in the town of Sake and other places in the days that followed.

But as people now start the journey home, they are worried about what awaits them and what help they will get.


“We had evacuated and the people stole everything we owned,” said Matuso Sumbuo, from Kihisi, in the outskirts of Goma. She complained that authorities have promised aid but said that they have not received any help yet.

Video: Congo volcano leaves smouldering wreckage but major city spared (Reuters)


“We, who lived from day to day with the small businesses, how we will live now?” she said before boarding a bus with her family to return home.

The government of Nord Kivu said that those who lost their houses will remain in shelters in different regions but the rest can go back to their houses.

The situation in Sake as well as in other towns receiving those displaced by the eruption was challenging.

“Here we were living on our own because since we arrived, we only received food once from WFP (the World Food Program), but it was not enough” said Esperance Suzane, who carried her belongs in a bag as she prepared to return home.

The last eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world’s most active volcanos, was in 2002, leaving hundreds dead. The lava coated the airport runways and also left more than 100,000 homeless in the aftermath. The volcano also erupted in 1977, killing more than 600 people.

Justin Kabumba Katumwa, The Associated Press

 

Photographer captures shooting star falling into a volcano

VIDEO Duration: 00:50 

Why North Atlantic right whales are smaller now than they were 40 years ago
Shane Fowler

CBC

JUNE9,2021

© Submitted by Joshua Stewart A recent study shows a significant reduction of the length of the average North Atlantic right whales.

North Atlantic right whales seem to be shrinking: They are an average of a metre shorter today than whales of the same species were in the 1980s.

And some whales are as much as three metres smaller than their predecessors.

To put that into perspective, some of today's 10-year-old whales are only growing the size of a one- or two-year-old whale from 40 years ago.

That's the finding of a recent study looking at several decades of data. It's another blow to the endangered species, which has struggling to survive. The whales, which currently number less than 400, are dying after being trapped in fishing gear or hit by ships each year, despite efforts by both Canadian and American government interventions.

"I was pretty shocked," said Joshua Stewart, a research associate with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the study's lead author on the paper, which appears in Current Biology, a peer-reviewed journal.

Stewart started looking into the topic when field biologists would photograph what they thought was a one-year-old calf based on its size, only to realize later the whale was actually five to 10 years old.

With the help of various other researchers and biologists, Stewart amassed as much data as he could on the size of the whales dating back to the early 80s.

"The data was being collected before I was even born," he said from Mexico, where he's currently working.

For the study, the researchers compared decades-old aerial shots from planes to more recent shots from drones. Detailed field biologists' notes and measurements dating back to the 80's also proved crucial to their work.

When the research was completed, the size difference became clear.

Video: Rare beluga whale encounter off the coast of Nova Scotia (The Weather Network)

The likely culprit? Whales are getting caught in fishing gear.

"The big thing that we found were that whales that have these extended entanglements that last for months or years are stunted compared to whales that aren't entangled," said Stewart.

Most North Atlantic right whales become trapped in fishing nets and traps at some point in their lives.

"Over 85 per cent of the population has entanglement injuries, either scars or attached gear, so it's a pretty chronic problem for this population," said Amy Knowlton, co-author of the paper and a senior scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life based in Cambridge, Mass.

Knowlton contributed the entanglement data for the study after spending years documenting whale entanglements.

The toll being caught in nets and lines is extremely damaging to a whale's body and often leads to its death.

"You could sort of imagine like if we were to strap a sandbag to you and you had to drag that around for a few months or a year," said Stewart. "You're going to have a lot less energy to devote to other things, especially if you're still growing. You might end up stunted just because you're burning so much energy dragging that sandbag around."

Stewart says there's a good chance other whale species that are often ensnared are experiencing a similar decrease in size. But as North Atlantic right whales have been on the brink of extinction for so long, they're one of the few species with such a detailed data set dating back decades that researchers can use to prove it.

It's not just the mature whales caught in gear that are getting smaller.

Whale calves whose mothers are entangled are also more likely to be stunted according to the study.

That's because mothers caught in gear are also trying to produce milk and feed their young. Spending energy on trying to survive takes away from energy that would otherwise be spent producing milk.

"For a female with severe injuries there would also be the energy she's needing to heal from those injuries and that's diverting energy away from nursing her calf so that she can try and heal and survive," said Knowlton.

Using weaker ropes for fishing would give whales a better chance at freeing themselves according to Knowlton. Better yet getting rid of ropes altogether, using ropeless traps, would prevent whales from getting caught in the first place.

Both scientists believe that if the whales given the chance to recover the species would eventually return to its normal size.

HUBRIS RESULTS IN IRONIC SCHADENFRUEDE 
Joe Manchin's Bill Demanding Equal Pay for Women's Soccer Could Be Blocked By Filibuster

UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Aila Slisco  

NEWSWEEK

JUNE 9,2021


West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a staunch defender of the filibuster and advocate for bipartisanship, could soon see his bill demanding equal pay for women's soccer players blocked by Republicans under the Senate rule he insists on preserving

.

© Susan Walsh/Getty Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) could soon see one of his own bills blocked by a GOP filibuster after introducing the GOALS Act without the support of any Republicans on Wednesday. Manchin is pictured during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C. on June 9, 2021.

Manchin and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the Give Our Athletes Level Salaries (GOALS) Act to the Senate Wednesday. Manchin proposed a similar bill in 2019. The GOALS Act was co-sponsored by 11 other Democratic senators. Since no GOP senators have expressed support for the bill, it appears unlikely to reach the 60-vote threshold required to avoid a filibuster.

The bill would block federal funding for the men's 2026 World Cup—set to be jointly hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada—unless the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) is given equal pay to the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (USMNT).

While introducing the bill on Wednesday, the Democrat congressman said that he was "disappointed" Senate Republicans were "unable to come together" and instead used the filibuster to block the Paycheck Fairness Act, another bill intended to combat gender-based pay discrimination, on the previous night.

"While we were unable to pass the much-needed legislation last night, today I'm introducing the GOALS Act with my Senate colleagues to ensure that, our phenomenal U.S. Women's National Soccer Team are paid equitably compared to their male counterparts in order to receive any federal funds for the 2026 World Cup," Manchin said in a statement.

"The first vote I took as a Senator was to support paycheck fairness, and to this day, I am proud to lead the fight for equal pay across all workplaces, including the soccer field," he added. "I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense bill to ensure a level playing field for everyone, including our top-notch U.S. Women's National Soccer Team."

The USWNT, the most successful team in the history of women's international soccer, has been fighting for equal pay with their less-lauded male counterparts for many years. The USWNT earns up to 89 percent less than the USMNT while playing the same number of games, while bonuses for World Cup games pay the men more to lose than the women get for wins, according to a 2019 article from The Washington Post.

Attempts to achieve soccer pay parity using the courts have been unsuccessful, with a 2019 discrimination lawsuit from 28 USWNT players being dismissed by a federal judge in May 2020, although the players have appealed the decision. The GOALS Act was initially introduced to the House by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in 2019. Manchin championed the Senate version.

After it failed to advance in 2019, Matsui and DeLauro reintroduced the bill to the House in March of this year. Although the federal government will not directly fund the 2026 World Cup, the GOALS Act would block funds going to host cities or local organizations facilitating the tournament unless the U.S. Soccer Federation agrees to pay the USMNT and USWNT equally.

Since Manchin has steadfastly refused to eliminate or weaken the filibuster under any circumstances, the GOALS Act has virtually no chance of becoming law without the support of at least 10 Republicans in the Senate. Based on Wednesday's blocking of the Paycheck Fairness Act, expectations that bipartisanship will win out on equal pay for the country's soccer players only may be far-fetched.

Newsweek reached out to Manchin's office for comment.

Mandryk: Saskatchewan's low minimum wage is a long-standing constant

Murray Mandryk 

OPINION

REGINA LEADER POST

JUNE 9,2021

The Saskatchewan Party government announced on Friday a plan to increase what is close to the lowest minimum wage in Canada.

© Provided by Leader Post Fear of job losses remains one of the government's argument against more substantial increases to Saskatchewan's minimum wage.

It held another news event that same day singing the praises of Saskatchewan’s nation-leading May job numbers in the monthly Statistics Canada labour force survey.

So you might ask: If we are creating jobs, doesn’t that mean we might be able to afford to look at a higher minimum wage?

You’d think that would the case, but job politics in Saskatchewan gets complicated rather quickly — especially given that having to have a low minimum wage here is something that’s almost ingrained in our psyche.

Friday, Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don Morgan announced a meagre 36-cent-an-hour increase to $11.81 an hour (effective, Oct. 1) from the current $11.45/hour minimum pay.

By the fall, only New Brunswick will have a lower minimum wage. At that point, Saskatchewan minimum wage earners will finally surpass Manitoba’s minimum wage circa 2019, the minimum wage level of P.E.I., Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia in 2018, B.C.’s and Quebec’s minimum wage of 2017 and Ontario and Alberta’s minimum wage of 2016.

Morgan explained the paltry annual inflationary increase was more appropriate than ever because it is “supporting both businesses and workers as we move into recovery after the pandemic.”

Clearly, this government has no interest in departing from this formula that’s produced 13 similar minimal annual increases since the Sask. Party took over from the NDP in 2007 when the minimum wage was just $7.95 an hour.

Critics on the left, now demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage, were quick to condemn the government for ignoring the plight of minimum wage workers who’ve risked their health during the COVID-19 pandemic while working in the frontlines in retail, food services and hospitality industries.

However, it’s worth noting some of these same critics also argued restaurants and bars and places of commerce should have faced more restrictions and shutdowns during the pandemic that might have left even more such workers out of a job. Today, they have less to say about the Sask. Party government strategy that does seem to have produced a better employment outcome than elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Trade and Investment Minister Jeremy Harrison boasted Friday of having the lowest unemployment rate in Canada. He also noted Saskatchewan was one of the few provinces that actually created jobs from April until May — not as great an accomplishment as the minister’s spin would suggest.

A 4,100-job increase in the month when construction season starts, farmers are seeding and university students are landing summer jobs is more seasonal than spectacular. Moreover, Saskatchewan having the lowest unemployment rate (6.3 per cent in May) in the country is part of a long-standing conscious effort tied to having the lowest minimum wage.

There are valid reasons for the pushback by labour and the left, but our low minimum wage is nothing new. It has always been that way — or at least since the Allan Blakeney NDP administration in the 1970s. But the argument has always been that we are an agrarian-based economy where residents have traditionally enjoyed lower housing costs and utility rates.

Even when times got better here, the approach to the minimum wage didn’t much change.

According to Statistics Canada, in the 20-year span between 1998 and 2018 — years of acknowledged growth and prosperity here in Saskatchewan — the rate of workers earning minimum wage in Canada increased to 10.4 per cent from 5.2 per cent with urban workers surpassing rural workers because of the growth in retail jobs.

But the real argument in Saskatchewan for keeping the minimum wage low has always been the fear of businesses shutting down and an increased exodus to Alberta and B.C. (although no one ever leaves here for just a better minimum wage).

We didn’t see big increases to the minimum wage a decade ago when jobs were plentiful. Don’t expect to see things change now that times are less certain.

But do expect more days when government argues jobs numbers are great, but the minimum wage must remain low.

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

Exxon's board shakeup could force review of billions of dollars in spending

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The recent overhaul of Exxon Mobil Corp's board of directors could shift billions of dollars in spending and strategy over several years, but any changes likely will take time, analysts and investors say.

A quarter of directors last month lost their seats to outsiders, and the March appointment of activist Jeff Ubben puts a third of the 12-member board in new and more cost-conscious hands. Investors who rejected Exxon's view of a slow transition to lower-carbon fuels also want spending to be revisited, they said.

The Exxon boardroom contest shocked the energy industry and came after years of weak financial returns at the largest U.S. oil producer. Shares are up by about 50% this year as oil prices have recovered from pandemic lows.

Exxon's board has been a prestige post for former CEOs, typically without any energy experience. Critics said the practice led Exxon to miss industry shifts and play catch-up at the expense of its balance sheet. Exxon bought in to natural gas near its peak, leading it to reduce the value of properties in the United States, Canada and Argentina by more than $19 billion last year, and paid up to arrive late to the shale oil party.

New directors with energy experience likely will address Exxon's spending “far more vigorously,” said Anne Simpson, investment director at shareholder California Public Employees' Retirement System.

Investors want a "fundamental rethink on strategy," she said, with “the big measure" being its $16 billion-$19 billion annual project spending. The shakeup puts in play billions of dollars in shale, liquefied natural gas, refining and chemical projects.

Asked to comment on its new board and strategy, Exxon said only that it welcomed the new directors. "We look forward to working with them collectively to benefit all of our shareholders."

STRATEGY REVIEW

Exxon needs "a real review of its strategy" in the wake of last month's International Energy Agency report that challenges the need for new projects if the world wants to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, said Bess Joffe, head of responsible investment at the Church Commissioners for England.

"The board is going to have to adapt" by giving investors more information on projects and environmental, social, and governance issues, or ESG, said David Larcker, director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

"It's just not a company that can turn on a dime," Larcker cautioned, adding that this year's budget is set. It is midway into big outlays in Guyana, Brazil, U.S. shale and chemicals, analysts said.

Existing directors believe coupling oil and gas investment with a gradual shift to alternative energy is Exxon's best path forward, long-time director Ursula Burns said at a virtual event hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas last week.

Exxon failed to communicate the importance of that phase-in to investors, she said.

"It has not been well done by Exxon Mobil for sure and that's one of the things that we have to work on is how do we tell the story," said Burns, who has served in many roles including as former chairman and CEO of Xerox Corp.

She said Exxon did not pay attention early enough to public frustration over global warming and ESG. Investors, she said, "wanted a direct, in some cases, (and) in some ways, an impossible message to be given." Burns added that "most of the board" thinks an energy transition is needed and that companies like Exxon need to be engaged in how that happens.

LOCKED-IN PROJECTS

Energy analysts do not see Exxon slashing its biggest ventures - offshore oil in Guyana and Brazil, or liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Asia and the United States - due to long-term commitments. It already has cut spending in the United States and could lower further, they said.

Guyana and Brazil's offshore fields will be prioritized, said Ruaraidh Montgomery at researcher Welligence. LNG projects that supplant oil production also can help Exxon reduce emissions, said Tom Ellacott, at consultants Wood Mackenzie.

In the United States, Exxon has sharply cut drilling and reduced its shale output goals to 700,000 barrels per day from 1 million. But even there, Exxon's multi-year projects "are hard to undo," said Peter McNally, an analyst with investment research firm Third Bridge Group.

However, investors are not buying the poor-messaging explanation or belief that spending decisions cannot be revisited.

"This is a call to reassess fundamentals of supply and demand for energy in the long term, and to question whether Exxon's current thinking around renewables gaining market share is too modest," said Stewart Glickman, analyst at CFRA Research, in a client note.

(Reporting by Jennifer Hiller in Houston; Editing by Gary McWilliams and Matthew Lewis)

Police say nearly 250 arrested in Minnesota pipeline protest


FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Nearly 250 people were arrested when protesters attempting to stop the final leg of the reconstruction of an oil pipeline across northwestern Minnesota took over a pump station, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes said that 43 workers at the Enbridge Energy Line 3 pump station were trapped inside the site for some time Monday morning when demonstrators locked them in behind the front gate. Protesters also put up barricades and dug trenches across roads, “presumably in preparation" for a standoff with law enforcement, Aukes said.

The workers were eventually able to leave the site. No injuries were reported.

"This is unacceptable, and we will seek the full prosecution of all involved," Enbridge Energy spokeswoman Juli Kellner said.

Aukes said 179 people were arrested and charged with gross misdemeanor trespassing. An additional 68 people were cited for public nuisance and unlawful assembly. It was the largest show of resistance since protesters set their sights on the project.

The sheriff said demonstrators caused “a large amount of damage” to equipment “and other assets." Kellner said damage included vandalism of contractor equipment, as well as slashed tires, cut hoses, rocks and dirt in engines, forced entry into offices and destroyed electrical wiring in equipment. She did not give a damage estimate.

Demonstrators hauled in a large boat to block the main entrance to the pumping station and about 20 people barricaded themselves to it, Aukes said. The final four protesters were removed from the boat by midday Tuesday, when Kellner said some employees returned to work at the site near Park Rapids, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) east of Fargo.

Monday was billed as the Treaty People Gathering. As protesters made their move on the pump station, a separate group held a prayer service near the headwaters of the Mississippi River, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) away, before an estimated 1,000 people marched to the site where the pipeline crosses under the river. That peaceful meeting including music, prayers and speeches, including one by environmentalist and author Bill McKibben.

“The thing about climate change, it’s a timed test,” McKibben told The Associated Press before the march. “If we don’t get it right soon we will never get it right.”

Another protest against the pipeline is scheduled Thursday in Minneapolis outside the office of Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The group TakeAction Minnesota says Klobuchar should pressure President Joe Biden to halt construction of Line 3.

Environmental and tribal groups say Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace Line 3 would worsen climate change and risk spills in sensitive areas where Native Americans harvest wild rice, hunt, fish, gather medicinal plants, and claim treaty rights. The line would cross the Mississippi River while carrying Canadian tar sands oil and regular crude from Alberta and across North Dakota and Minnesota to Wisconsin.

Enbridge says the original pipeline — built in the 1960s — is deteriorating and can run at only about half its original capacity. It says the new line, made from stronger steel, will better protect the environment while restoring its capacity and ensuring reliable deliveries to U.S. refineries.

Dave Kolpack, The Associated Press

Opinion: Time to reframe the question around our energy needs

Jim Elliott, OPINION

REGINA LEADER POST

The recent “fight” over Line 5 in Ontario presupposes a narrative that is unproductive and pushes us into the game of whack-a-mole. If it isn’t Line 5, then it is Energy East. If it isn’t Energy East, then it is Keystone. If it isn’t Keystone … you get the picture.

© Provided by Leader Post A view of the Imperial Oil refinery, located near Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline, which Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered shut down, is pictured in Sarnia, Ont., on March 20, 2021. PHOTO BY CARLOS OSORIO /REUTERS

I believe we need to change the language and the question. Most politicians and the fossil fuel industry would want you to believe that energy = fossil fuels. We need energy, therefore, we need fossil fuels. If it isn’t coal, then it is natural gas. If it isn’t natural gas, then it is oil or bitumen. The fossil fuel industry wants you to believe there is no other path.

I will admit that most of what happens on this planet is based on energy use. But here is a scenario and different language: If you are a plant, you get your energy through photosynthesis with the source of that energy as the sun. You don’t need fossil fuels. If you are a human, then you need to eat plants and animals for energy. Energy is a service provider, not a product or widget.

We have to therefore ask a different question. Not, “Can we sell you coal, natural gas or oil?” We need to ask what services are you in need of and, once that is defined, you begin to assess the amount of need. In the case of a building and warmth, can that service of warmth be provided through the capture of energy that is already there instead of simply pumping more warmth into a very leaky building? Can that energy be maintained longer inside your home by building a better sealed energy envelop? If you design a building in which you have no need for a furnace, then what use is natural gas or oil or coal?

Once you have exhausted ways to reduce your energy need, then and only then should you be looking for energy sources. And you need to find the most-efficient and effective way to provide that energy source. For example, if your location has the highest and strongest source of solar energy (i.e. Estevan, often billed as Canada sunniest city) then why would you not look at photovoltaic or passive solar installations or geothermal energy? You don’t need to jump to the conclusion of we got to have more pipelines.

© Provided by Leader Post 

Solar should be the first option for energy production some argue.

What the fossil fuel industry has done is convince us to build leaky buildings and only get energy from fossil fuels. Our provincial utilities have been widget sellers for decades. We need to be converting them into energy service corporations and solve your problems with the best way possible, not just sell you more widgets.

Many of the pipelines will become stranded assets unless we wish to dig them up and recycle the steel. Oil and gas wells will become abandoned or, at best, converted to geothermal wells tapping into the renewable energy of the earth. The scar on the surface that is the tar sands can and will be left for the people of the next millennium and beyond to clean up and help nature restore the surface.

If we can only stop the fossil fuel industry from creating more sacrifice zones on the planet, we might have the possibility to take a different road, paved with long term sustainability, healthy people and a healthy planet.

Jim Elliott is chairperson of the Regina chapter of the Council of Canadians.

MORE UCP FIREWALL ALBERTA BS
Province proposes equalization referendum question

Alberta has introduced a motion in the provincial legislature to hold a referendum on equalization with the vote happening across the province in October.

On Monday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney introduced the motion, noting Alberta can’t unilaterally implement the outcome of the vote, rather it is intended to be a strategy to negotiate with the federal government.

On Oct. 18 Albertans will be asked: Should the section of the Constitution that commits the Government of Canada to the principle of making equalization payments be removed?

The premier said this is a concern he has heard from Albertans across the province.

"For millions of Albertans, equalization has become the most powerful symbol of the unfairness for Alberta's deal in Confederation and for good reason," Kenney said.

"This is a strategy to elevate Alberta's fight for fairness in the federation to the top of the national agenda – to get Ottawa's attention," he said.

The premier said this move is a legal tool to make a strong political and legal point to Ottawa.

Kenney campaigned in the last provincial election on holding a referendum on equalization, which he said other provinces benefit from while Alberta is financially hurt by decisions made in Ottawa and other provinces. The Fair Deal Panel put forward a referendum on equalization as a recommendation in its report.

The premier cited a litany of reasons for the strategy – the federal government “surrendering” to then-President Barrack Obama’s veto of Keystone XL, scrapping the Northern Gateway pipeline, opposing the Energy East pipeline, and allowing British Columbia to delay the Trans Mountain pipeline as just a few reasons Albertans wanted changes to the equalization program.

“One of the biggest sources of frustration, at least in my conversations with Albertans, has been the fundamental unfairness of the equalization program. While the experts and pundits often mock the very idea of trying to change equalization, Albertans do not,” Kenney said.

Most Albertans Kenney spoke with said that they don't mind helping out their fellow Canadians, but the premier said they don’t like the hostile way Alberta's oil industry is treated.

The results of the vote will have no legal impact, and changing the program will require a change to the Constitution, which would require two-thirds of the provinces voting in support.

Equalization payments are one of three federal transfer programs and the money for the program is generated through federal revenue, including GST and personal and corporate taxes.

Then the federal government transfers payments through the program to provinces whose economies are struggling. Provinces that do not have a difficult time raising revenue do not receive payments from the federal government.

The formula works by calculating what a province's revenue would be if all the tax rates were the same as the national average. Then equalization tops up provinces who are lower than the national average.

The program is intended to ensure there are no disparities across the provinces and all Canadians can enjoy similar services, regardless of which province they call home.

The vote will take place during municipal elections this fall.

Jennifer Henderson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, St. Albert Gazette

Braid: Hydrogen could be the fuel for Kenney's popularity rebound

Don Braid, Calgary Herald 

Premier Jason Kenney’s overall approval rating from Albertans is down again, to 31 per cent.

© Provided by Calgary Herald Premier Jason Kenney in Edmonton on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, announced a strategy to grow and expand the natural gas sector.

Hot air won’t lift him up. Maybe hydrogen will, unless he and his ministers are hit with more scandals around COVID-19 rules.

Wednesday’s announcement of a $1.3-billion hydrogen project in Edmonton’s Heartland area was just the kind of news the UCP government needs.

Such a project is transformative, literally. It uses a good old Alberta feedstock, natural gas, to produce hydrogen while capturing and storing the CO2 from the natural gas.

The traditional industry is ensured markets, while the end product is high on most lists of “net-zero” emission fuels for decades to come.

When (and if) agreements with the company are finalized, this project will be a valuable symbol of Alberta’s shift to modern energy products that align with climate goals.

Albertans desperately desire two things, it seems to me — an end to this pandemic and the creation of a durable, prosperous economy that builds respectfully on the past.

There is no space between Alberta and Ottawa on the hydrogen push. Kenney agrees with the federal focus. The news conference was a symphony of mutual praise.

The U.S. chair and CEO of Air Products, Seifi Ghasemi, said the company is attracted by Canada’s world leadership in emissions policy.

“We are proud to expand our presence in this dynamic region, where we have found a vision for decarbonization that mirrors our core values,” he said.

Kenney pitched in enthusiastically. Forgotten for the moment was hostility to Ottawa’s far less friendly attitude toward oil and pipelines.

Even on that front there was critical movement Wednesday, as five major oilsands producers promised net-zero production by 2050, with help from both the Alberta and federal governments.

The NDP immediately challenged Kenney to match Leader Rachel Notley’s goal of a net-zero electricity grid by 2035 . She also says the whole province should be emission-free by 2050.

Soon enough, the UCP came out with comments like “socialist meddling.”

The NDP loves to goad the UCP into statements that seem hostile to environment and climate action. Works every time, and blurs the fact that the UCP is taking serious steps on several fronts.

The government needs to keep its environmental message straight and consistent, both for its own political future and the province’s image.

Are the UCP just piecemeal fans of net-zero when big money and jobs are at stake? Or do they really want the energy business — and the provincial economy itself — to transform into a dynamic new form?

It’s never quite clear, partly because of the UCP’s confusing and contradictory attitude toward Ottawa.

Kenney had nothing but praise Wednesday for the collaboration needed to put the hydrogen deal together. In return, he got hallelujahs from the key federal players, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, and Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Reagan.

Two days earlier, Kenney was trumpeting the provincial referendum to remove the equalization formula from Canada’s Constitution.

Equalization has not been kind to Alberta. You can still see the bitter slogans on cars and fence posts — “No pipelines? No equalization!” This program needs major reform.

But if Albertans vote to actually abolish equalization, Alberta would be the national villain just when the only hope for change is co-operation from other provinces.

Wednesday afternoon, the province formally announced the windup of its Keystone XL Partnership with TC Energy .

Of all the bad memories in recent energy disputes, this is the worst — President Joe Biden cancelling the whole project on his first day in office, after Kenney had risked more than $1.3 billion of Albertans’ money.

Rather than go through this dismal cycle again, it makes so much more sense to create products at home that the world wants to buy. May hydrogen prosper.

Don Braid’s column appears regularly in the Herald

dbraid@postmedia.com

Twitter: @DonBraid

Facebook: Don Braid Politics