Ottawa approves Alberta’s carbon tax on big industrial emitters

OTTAWA — The federal government is giving the Alberta government a passing grade for its industrial carbon tax.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says today his department agrees Alberta’s planned $30-a-tonne carbon price on emissions from big industry meets federal requirements.

READ MORE: Decision on raising carbon price won’t be made for at least 2 years

However the climate battles between Ottawa and Edmonton will continue because on Jan. 1 the federal government will still start applying its carbon tax on the purchase in Alberta of fuels like gasoline, natural gas, and propane.

Alberta used to have a consumer carbon tax on fuel but Premier Jason Kenney and the newly elected United Conservative Party cancelled it earlier this year.