FREDERICTON –New Brunswick’s proposal to regulate industrial carbon emissions that was accepted by the federal government, contravenes New Brunswick’s own Climate Change Actaccording to Green Party Leader David Coon.

The purpose of Section 7.01 of the Climate Change Act is to regulate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve New Brunswick’s legislated emission targets for 2030 and 2050.  The planned regulation comes nowhere close says Coon.

“While our own Climate Change Act targets a 27% reduction in carbon emissions between 2020 and 2030, the Higgs’ regulation is designed to cut industrial emissions by only 10%, making it among the weakest in the entire country,” said Coon.  “And if industry fails to achieve this modest reduction, their only penalty will be to pay a miniscule carbon tax.”

“It is time for the Premier to actually treat the climate crisis as the emergency it is,” said Coon.