Hardly a day goes by without a group, individual, or government opposing development of some energy project. This opposition can be based on general principles (“No Dirty Oil!”) or on location (“Not In My Backyard”), or in response to high profile incidents (Gulf of Mexico spill).
It seems that sections of society know what energy sources they are against, but they are still grappling with the bigger question: What are the realistic and affordable alternatives?
It’s not surprising that this anti-development sentiment has caused concern amongst policy-makers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has identified several hundred energy projects currently being challenged by organised activists or local citizens groups. It has even published a list on a special website, Project/No Project, and invited visitors to use the site to express their own concerns about the threat to energy and economic security.
That said, opposition to energy developments isn’t necessarily unwarranted. It’s a reminder that development has to be done carefully, taking into account environmental and social interests.
At Suncor, we believe that public policy must play a pivotal role in meeting the energy challenge and people’s concerns. Our CEO Rick George addressed this point last week in a speech.
Rick called for a national sustainable energy strategy that is multidimensional and rooted in strong public policy, and goes well beyond basic energy production. He also said that this energy strategy should be based on the society we want to build over the next 10 to 50 years – about how we use energy and how we conserve it, how we identify the resources necessary to sustain economic growth, provide jobs and generate the government revenues that fund essential public services, and how we set targets and goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
As consumers, we all have a stake in mapping our energy future. We need to determine the best and most sustainable way to address our energy, economic and social needs. It’s a dialogue that needs to start now.
