Moving the NEB from Calgary to Ottawa Hurts Consumers, Taxpayers and Also Moves Canada Closer to Socialism

by

Dave Harbour

Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of U.N.’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, admitted that the goal of environmental activists is not to save the world from ecological calamity but to destroy capitalism.
“This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally…to change the economic development model that has been reigning…since the Industrial Revolution,” she said.

Moving the National Energy Board from Calgary to Ottawa — and splitting the agency — is not dumb; it is part of the socialist strategy. (Reference: Calgary Herald article below)

Moving the national regulatory tribunal is justified by the specious argument that the public will perceive it to be less influenced by the fossil fuel wealth producers of Canada — mostly headquartered in Calgary.

Actually, the move will increase agency costs, increase pipeline and utility charges to consumers and exacerbate the oppressive “politically correct” attack on the lifeblood of the North American economies, fossil fuels.  It will increase travel and related costs of oil patch regulatory participants, ultimately paid by consumers and shareholders.  Ironically, increased travel costs cause more fossil fuel transportation use.  

But then, the whole goal of liberals and their crony capitalist friends in subsidized alternative energy businesses is to do precisely that: increase consumer costs for affordable, traditional unsubsidized fuel for jobs and the economy.  

Increasing consumer costs for unsubsidized fossil fuel enables subsidized fuels to look more viable (i.e at consumer/taxpayer cost), and to assure fewer fossil industry working voters and more croney energy industry working voters.  

Yes, the PC conformist cohort is not desirous of “doing the right thing”.   It is motivated by the transfer of wealth AND POWER from free enterprises to socialized enterprises in Canada as in the United States.   Lawmakers, legislators and elitists throughout the U.S. and Canada are participating in this war as soldiers for socialism.  Too bad more voters don’t realize what a farce is being perpetrated on them by the “global warming/climate change” crowd.

The pot is heating up and the poor lobster has no idea that his destiny is not a warm bath but to serve as a juicy, lime/garlic/butter-soaked dinner for those, who for so long, have so well concealed their true strategy.    

Notley bashes potential move of NEB from Calgary as ‘dumb’

Calgary Herald by James Wood.  Premier Rachel Notley says Alberta’s NDP government stands opposed to any attempt to move the National Energy Board out of Calgary.

A report from a federally-appointed review panel released Monday called for the NEB to be split into two agencies, the Canadian Energy Transmission Commission (CETC) and the Canadian Energy Information Agency (CEIA).

It recommended that the CEIA, along with the CETC board of directors and some of its staff, be located in Ottawa, suggesting that the NEB’s location in Calgary — the heart of Canada’s oilpatch — had led to a perception the regulatory body was too cozy with the oil industry.

In a news conference at the legislature Tuesday, Notley said her government supports a strengthened regulatory process but can’t fathom moving the agency.

“Let me just say that moving the NEB to eastern Canada is dumb,” said Notley.

“We are absolutely opposed to that and it shouldn’t happen.”

Notley dismissed the idea the NEB had been biased in its operations.

P.S.  We have no doubt that the hotel, airline, restaurant, courier, transcription, office supply, alternative (subsidized) energy industries and other Eastern-based crony capitalists are in hearty support of lobbying efforts to relocate the NEB.  The move to an Eastern Province also provides better access to the regulators by traditionally anti-fossil constituents, who have most recently honed their talents in opposition to most US/Canadian pipeline projects.  Obviously, stopping pipelines is to stop production.  We would end here by encouraging energy producers in Canada to make sure this Wikipedia and related articles are corrected.  They are often, unfortunately, dominated by enviro-activist narratives.  -dh

Oversight Hearing Examining Impacts of Federal Natural Resources Laws Gone Astray

We encourage readers to weigh in via correspondence to the Committee BEFORE next week’s hearing!  -dh

 

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 9:00 AM in 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing titled, “Examining Impacts of Federal Natural Resources Laws Gone Astray.”

WHAT:

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations oversight hearing “Examining Impacts of Federal Natural Resources Laws Gone Astray”

WHEN:

Wednesday, May 24
9:00 AM

WHERE:

1324 Longworth House Office Building

Visit the Committee Calendar for additional information once it is made available. The meeting is open to the public and a video feed will stream live at House Committee on Natural Resources.

Senate sends oil tax credit overhaul back to the House
With the end of session looming, Alaska’s Senate passed its version of an oil tax credit reform bill on Monday. 

Big issues unresolved as Alaska legislative deadline looms
Alaska legislators face a looming constitutional deadline for completing their work…

END OF SESSION MESSAGE FROM ALASKA STATE SENATOR NATASHA VON IMHOF

Natasha Von Imhof, APM photo. 

Friends:

There has been a lot of talk in the news media and on social media about the Alaska State Senate’s budget plan for Alaska versus the House’s plan. Some say that the Senate plan isn’t balanced because it uses a small percentage of funds from the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR; the state’s “savings account”) to back-fill the budget deficit.

Why do I think the Senate plan is the best plan? First, we need to avoid pushing our state into a deeper recession by increasing the cost to live and work in Alaska. I campaigned on no income tax and I still stand by that. Second, as of today, 68% of my constituency have asked me through emails and phone calls not to vote for an income tax. I am aligned with my district, which gives me additional confidence on my stance

Click here to view details about the Senate plan and why I think it’s the best plan for Alaska. Click here to read my recent Op Ed regarding the state fiscal situation.
BIG NEWS!

On Friday, the Senate voted 15-4 against HB 115, the House’s income tax bill. That sends a clear message to the House and Governor that the only thing standing between Alaska and an income tax is the Senate. 

Yesterday, HB 111, a bill that reforms the oil and gas tax structure, also passed the Senate. HB 111 eliminates the state’s cash exposure by ending the program of refundable oil and gas tax credits while protecting the basic components of the tax regime in place today. The current tax regime has boosted production and investment, drawing royalties and tax revenues to Alaska’s treasury and supplying thousands of good jobs to Alaska workers.

Committee Work:
 
In addition to hearing oil tax credit reform, the Senate Finance Committee has taken up several bills over the past few weeks. HB 222 originally sought to limit the regulatory burden on manicurists by allowing those who have been practicing in Alaska to prove work experience rather than require them to obtain additional hours of training; this bill was amended on the House floor and now entirely repeals HB 131 (2015), which means nail technicians would go back to minimal training requirements. We’ll see how this bill evolves while in Senate Finance. 
 
The Senate Health & Social Services Committee moved two bills from committee last week. HB 186 would allow excess food to be donated to food banks and other charitable organizations without creating a liability for the donor. We also heard SB 79, which would change the way that opioids are prescribed and monitored in Alaska.
 
Bills on the Move:   

SB26, known as the POMV (Percent of Market Value) bill, will have hearings in Conference Committee (see description below) this week. Senator MacKinnon, Senator Hoffman, and Senator Egan will be representing the Senate. HB57, the Operating Budget, has also been referred to a Conference Committee. Senator Hoffman, Senator MacKinnon and Senator Olson have been appointed to the Conference Committee on HB57.

Last week, the Senate passed SB 23, the capital budget, which appropriated $35 million less than the governor’s proposal and $44 million less than last year’s budget. The bill leverages as many federal dollars as possible. Funds were directed toward highways, airports, housing programs, harbors, and safe water programs. The bill is now on its way to the House for consideration.
 

HB 103 passed the Senate on Friday and gives the Board of Optometry the power to regulate prescriptive authority and develop standards for the practice of Optometry.

The REAL I.D. bill passed the Senate yesterday. Click here for a simple Q & A on REAL I.D. 
So, what is a Conference Committee and what happens there?

A conference committee is a committee made up of three members from the Alaska House of Representatives and three members from the Alaska State Senate to resolve disagreements on a particular bill. The three chosen from each body include two members from the majority and one member from the minority.

When a bill is passed by both bodies, but the second body has made changes to the bill, the original body will be asked for concurrence (or acceptance) of the bill with the changes. If they don’t concur, they will ask the second body to recede from the changes made in the second body. If an agreement on the language of the bill cannot be reached, the conference committee will work to resolve the differences in the bill between the two bodies. After the conference committee has reached a satisfactory compromise on the bill, the compromised bill is returned to the House and Senate for a final vote. The bill must pass with a majority of votes.
For current committee hearings and bills on the move, visit BASIS. Click here or here to watch recorded and live committee meetings.
 
I look forward to hearing from you with any concerns you may have regarding the district and our state government. Thank you for this honor and opportunity to serve as your Alaska State Senator from District L.  
Senator Natasha von Imhof