By The Canadian Press

Notley doesn’t think Clark has the authority to promise a coal tax

May 3, 2017 | 12:51 PM

FORT MCMURRAY – British Columbia Liberal Leader Christy Clark’s plan for a hefty carbon tax on thermal coal has raised the ire of Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley.

Notley says the idea is bad news for Alberta, and she doesn’t think Clark has the authority to pull it off if re-elected.

Clark is locked in a tightly contested provincial election campaign and has proposed the $70-per-tonne tax on coal shipped through B.C. as a way to get back at the United States for softwood lumber duties.

Ninety four per cent of the coal bound for Asia comes from the United States, but Alberta also ships coal through B.C. and would be affected by any tax.

Notley says premiers need to work with the federal government to come up with a response to the softwood dispute and she doesn’t think the provinces have the authority to impose such a tax. 

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The coal moves through B.C. ports to be shipped to China, but Clark says it’s among the dirtiest and most carbon-intense methods to generate power and heat.

The Canadian Press