Nova Scotia's balance between environmental goals and energy affordability

Nova Scotia Government and Politics

The government's environmental discourse of "sustainable prosperity" emphasizes that in Nova Scotia the province's financial future is intensely attached with the task of making a cleaner environment. The province's Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act pursue to "validate global leadership by having one of the cleanest and most maintainable Environments in the world by the year 2020."

The choice to relax an environmental target is perplexing for a province that has recognized this broad-minded environmental and economic vision, and from a new government that has been getting honors for its green energy wits. Nova Scotia is known to be one the first jurisdiction in Canada to put caps on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions inside its electricity subdivision and it has lately propelled a strategy concentrated on making renewable energy a strategic sector for growth.

In the past there have been some promises made to the nation involving keeping the environment clean in order to avoid health issues. For example, an op-ed written by Nova Scotia Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks later contended that the choice struck a balance among "affordability and the environment and affordability" In the media, the Minister made the point: "I make no apologies...I'll put individuals first."

However, that promise has not been kept. It is likewise not astonishing that Premier Dexter's government would draw back at the vision of higher energy prices for customers. Before the election took place, the NDP advocated sales tax cuts to decrease energy costs.

The NDP also issued a press release for the duration of the last election campaign in conflict against a rate increase to help fund the energy efficiency programs.8 the slackening up in regards to the mercury standards displays that this government has an inclination to support low energy prices for patrons at the expense of health and environmental initiatives.

Policy Proposal

Based on the preceding discussion, we propose that the Nova Scotia government formulate and implement a national policy for environmental health concerns that is connected with particular targets so as to occasionally measure progress and agreement with goals. The targets stated below are proposed to permit Nova Scotia to make substantial but realistic gains in environmental health concerns, within a time frame that should be possible to attain.

Potential Partners

The soon to be created and also become a potential partner is the Efficiency Nova Scotia agency which is actually expected to operate an energy efficiency program on par with the most forward-thinking and determined programs in North America.

However that is the present plan. Also the Community Health Boards will come on board and they will be very helpful by are drawing up regional surveys that will be conducted by the respective District Health Authorities. The question that they will use is some questions that are also asked in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). The data in these surveys will be used in order to get a better viewpoint of the needs of the people and also to see rather or not that the objectives being enforced are effective or not.

References:

Conrad, Catherine. 2006. Towards meaningful community-based ecological monitoring in nova scotia: Where are we vs. where we would like to be. Environments 34, (1): 25-36,

Korosi, Jennifer B., and John P. Smol. 2011. Distribution of cladoceran assemblages across environmental gradients in Nova Scotia (Canada) lakes. Hydrobiologia 663, (1) (03): 83-99,

Thompson, Shirley. 2004. from a toxic economy to sustainability: Women activists taking care of environmental health in Nova Scotia. Canadian Woman Studies 23, (1) (Fall): 108-114,

Bill 146, Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act, Bill 146, 1st sess., 60th Leg., Nova Scotia,

(assented to 13 April 2007).

Thompson, Shirley. 2004. from a toxic economy to sustainability: Women activists taking care of environmental health in Nova Scotia. Canadian Woman Studies 23, (1) (Fall): 108-114,

Originally published by ChronicleHerald.ca, "NDP: NSP shouldn't charge consumers for conservation

Plans," June 4, 2009.

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME), "Canada-Wide Standards for Mercury

Emissions from Coal-Fired Electric Power Generation Plants," [2006], available at http://www.ccme.ca/assets/

Puff/hg_epg_cws_w_annex.pdf.

One of the NDP's 7 Key Commitments in the 2009 election was to "take the HST off home energy to make life more affordable."