North American energy ministers sign clean energy deal

Canada, the United States and Mexico have signed a trilateral agreement that could mark the start of discussions on the first North American accord on climate change and clean energy.

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr, U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Mexico’s secretary of energy, Pedro Joaquín Coldwell, signed a memorandum of understanding on North American climate change and energy collaboration in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Friday.

Carr said the meeting in Winnipeg reflected the troika’s commitment to a “bold vision” for the continent, a vision that “strengthens our collective energy security, and a vision that commits us to environmental stewardship.”

“We discussed the fact that as of today our North American energy data and energy maps will be gathered on one platform for the first time,” Carr said during a teleconference call from Winnipeg. “This is significant because it allows us to think about continental energy integration in a new light.”

Clean energy and environmental agreement in sights

The memorandum of understanding signed in Winnipeg expands the relationship between the three countries towards an even more ambitious clean energy and environmental agreement, Carr said.

The memorandum helps the Canada, U.S. and Mexico to collaborate and share information in key areas: bringing clean renewable energy onto the electricity grid, acceleration of innovation in clean energy technologies, encouraging energy savings through improved energy efficiency, advancing the competitiveness of carbon capture, use and storage, increasing resiliency to climate change and tackling methane and other emissions from oil and gas, Carr said.

The three North American countries have set up six working groups that will be accountable to ministers in those specific areas, he said.

And under the Mission Innovation Agreement signed by Canada with 20 other countries, the federal government is committed to double its investment in clean energy research and development, Carr said.

The memorandum of understanding sets the stage for more detailed, behind the scenes work needed for a continent-wide agreement that will enable all three countries to work together on clean energy and options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The North American nations have been working toward this since last May, when they set up a working group on continent-wide clean energy co-operation.

There have also been clear signs it’s a big priority under the new Liberal government that campaigned on the need for such a deal.

Time for transformation

Carr acknowledged that with more job losses on the horizon as oil and gas prices continue to plunge, the road ahead will not be an easy one.

“Our challenge, even as we struggle with low oil and gas prices deferred projects and painful job losses is to use this very low spot in commodity cycle to make transformational changes, to find that sweet spot between resource development and environmental stewardship,” Carr said.

Secretary Moniz said the last few years have seen a tremendous change in the U.S. renewable energy sector.

“We now have over 200,000 direct jobs just in the solar industry,” Moniz said. “That’s just an indicator of more to come in terms of clean energy.”

Mike Hudema, Climate and Energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, welcomed the agreement as “good first step.”

“We’re finally moving the conversation beyond oil and beyond Keystone, and we’re starting to talk about the type of energy our world needs and that our science demands,” Hudema said. “Today’s announcement will hopefully usher in the much broader uptake of clean renewable energy and the quick move to a low-carbon economy.”