"Uncooperative Carbon Federalism: Saskatchewan’s Outsized Role in Canadian Climate Policy" (with Brett Dolter). Invited chapter in Carbon Federalism: An Overview of Canadian Provincial Efforts to Reduce Carbon Emissions, Mark Winfield, Mark Purdon, Runa Das, and Keith Brownsey, eds.
We explore Saskatchewan’s role in shaping climate policy in Canada and demonstrate important barriers to effective climate policy in a federalist system of government. We find Saskatchewan has failed to implement its own effective climate policies and has frustrated the federal government in its attempts to impose policies in the province.
"Vulnerabilities in Alternative Methane Leak Detection and Repair Program Regulations: A Stress Test of Alberta Energy Regulator Directive 60" (with Tyler Gough, Chris Hugenholtz and Thomas Barchyn)
The Alberta Energy Regulator’s Directive 60 is among the first regulations to include pre-approved alternative methane leak detection and repair programs for oil and gas operations. We conducted a stress test of Directive 60’s alternative program options by interpreting these regulations from a cost-minimization perspective to identify potential vulnerabilities that allow a company to use a low-cost alternative program that does not achieve equivalence with the conventional program.
We find four major vulnerabilities: (i) the lack of a prioritization protocol for following up at the highest-emitting facilities, (ii) inadequately rigorous technology performance criteria, (iii) the possibility of selectively combining facilities into groups that minimize survey requirements without maintaining emissions reduction equivalence, and (iv) a broad allowance for custom-modelled alternative programs.
"Comprehensive Assessment of Regulatory Programs: Lessons from a Rapid Review" (with Akash Asif)
We provide a knowledge synthesis of best practices in assessing regulation and regulatory programs. We review the extant literature on how to assess regulatory programs in a horizontal and comprehensive manner that is relevant for government regulatory reviews. We describe relevant conceptual frameworks and policy design principles identified in academic and policy literatures on the topic of effective regulatory governance, as these form the basis of reviews of the quality and effectiveness of regulatory systems.
"Mapping Canadian Policy Supporting Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies"
Numerous sources, including the International Energy Agency, suggest that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are likely to be necessary to meet emissions mitigation objectives and avoid catastrophic global warming. We engage in a policy mapping exercise of the state of Canadian policy for incentivizing carbon dioxide removal technologies, to answer the question of what are the policy instruments in Canada that directly or indirectly support CDR deployment? The focus of the policy scan is on financial supports, the state of regulation (if any), other implicit supports (e.g., strategies), and governance responsibilities for industrial development, land use, or air quality relevant to CDR.
"Challenges of the Energy Transition: A Survey of Canadian Policymakers" (with Katharina Koch and Serena (Thi) To).
We survey 382 Canadian policymakers to understand how they perceive the energy transition, including its drivers, barriers, and implications for policy design and implementation. Economic and financial challenges dominate policymakers' perceptions at both global and domestic scales, followed by governance and policy coordination as a systemic barrier.
"EITE Definitions and Policy Coverage" (with Sarah Dobson)
Compares the policy coverage - sectors of the Canadian economy supported by the policy - from the different emissions intensive and trade exposed definitions used by Alberta, the EU and California.
"Transatlantic Cooperation in Reducing Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas: Potential Solutions to Monitoring, Measurement, Reporting and Verification Challenges" (with Tetiana Semeniutina).
We explore initial steps under the Global Methane Pledge to promote transatlantic cooperation on methane reduction from oil and gas. We compare the design of oil and gas methane policies in the European Union, the United States and Canada, with a specific focus on regulatory coverage, policy stringency and monitoring, measurement, reporting, and verification challenges. We outline regulatory gaps and identify potential solutions.
"Oil and Gas Methane Regulation: Gaps and Opportunities for Improvement" (with Tetiana Semeniutina)
We compare and contrast provincial, territorial and federal oil and gas methane regulations, focusing on emissions coverage and potential gaps.
"History of Energy Taxes in Canada"
Explores the evolution of federal and provincial taxes on energy: transportation fuels, heating fuels, and electricity.
“Measuring Energy Poverty in Canada” (with Felix Fosu and Blake Shaffer)
We explore the different measures of energy poverty, the types of households these measures identify and their sensitivity to variable definition.
"Measuring the Contribution of Energy Infrastructure: A Practical Guide" (with Trevor Tombe)
Co-edited book that will propose and explore methods and metrics for measuring the social, environmental, and economic consequences of new energy infrastructure for Canada, its provinces, and its people. The book will inform policymakers and regulators in Canada, enabling them to better understand how to evaluate the costs and benefits of energy infrastructure.
"North American Oil Markets and Opportunities for Canadian Crude" (with Sefik Bagdadioglu, Sarah Dobson, G. Kent Fellows, Sean Keown and Sophie Lorefice)
Describes recent trends in North American crude oil markets, including the determinants of price differentials for Canadian heavy crude. Explores alternative export markets for Canadian crude oil.
"Getting to Know Models: A primer and critique on Input-Output and Computable General Equilibrium Models and their uses for policy and project analysis" (with G. Kent Fellows)
Chapter in Measuring the Contribution of Energy Infrastructure: A Practical Guide, Jennifer Winter & Trevor Tombe, eds. We compare the underlying assumptions and results from input-output analysis and computable general equilibrium models. The measured economic impacts depends heavily on the underlying assumptions for both approaches.
"A Multiple-Account Approach to Benefit-Cost Analysis” (with Marvin Shaffer and Blake Shaffer)
Chapter in Measuring the Contribution of Energy Infrastructure: A Practical Guide, Jennifer Winter and Trevor Tombe, eds. There are significant limitations and challenges to the use of benefit-cost analysis. However, the alternatives commonly used in project and policy assessment, including the application of norms and multi-criteria analysis, have significant problems in their own right and do not substitute for what benefit-cost analyses can provide. The limitations and challenges to benefit-cost analysis do not mean it should be abandoned; however, its role and manner of application require more careful consideration. We outline a multiple account approach to benefit-cost analysis. A multiple-account approach recognizes that the role of benefit-cost analysis is to inform, not necessarily resolve public policy debates, and that can best be done in a disaggregated multiple account framework, not the pursuit of a monetized bottom line.
"Hydraulic Fracturing and Public Policy" (with Sarah Dobson and Sophie Lorefice)
We review how political and public sentiment towards hydraulic fracturing has affected its regulation and governance.
"Meaningful Engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Marine Activities" (with Brendan Boyd and Jessie Arthur)
We identify and examine existing understandings and approaches to meaningful engagement by different actors (government, industry, local communities, Indigenous Peoples) involved in engagement activities in the Arctic.
"A Federal Backstop to Provincial Carbon Pricing: Decarbonization in an Age of Uncooperative Federalism" (with Fenner Stewart and Andrew Leach)
We explore the legal issues inherent in the Canadian government setting a minimum standard for carbon pricing in Canada, describing two hypothetical scenarios that trigger federal paramountcy analysis.
"Alberta Oil and Gas Leases: Testing Competing Institutions" (with David Johnson)
Use experimental economics to see the effect of changing information available to bidders on bidding behaviour
"Buying Anonymity: An Investigation of Petroleum and Natural Gas Lease Auctions"
Higher winning bids are associated with the use of brokers. The use of brokers is persistent and geographically concentrated.
"Estimating the Credibility of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation's Threat to Nationalize Oil Resources in Saskatchewan" (with Herb Emery)
Expropriation in Saskatchewan did not reduce investment in exploration and development, but did reduce the price paid for mineral rights relative to Alberta.
"Plucking a Goose of Unknown Size: Optimal Rent Extraction with Exhaustible Resources" (with John Boyce)
The variety in resource taxation systems across jurisdictions is due to an "overabundance" of tax instruments.