Fossil fuel execs meet protesters as Pathways CCS costs double and capture targets shrink

Protesters from rural landowner, First Nations and environmental groups met fossil fuel executives outside the Carbon Capture Canada conference in Edmonton. The target was Pathways Plus, a $20 billion CCS network that would move CO2 from tar sands operations to a storage site near Cold Lake. The article reports the project now promises 16 million tonnes of captured CO2 per year instead of the 68 million tonnes first floated, while the cost estimate has nearly doubled to $30 billion, most of it from public tax credits. Opponents like No CO2 Pipelines Alberta say the 400 km pipeline network has no environmental impact assessment, and they point to the toxicity of CO2 and past pipeline failures. The piece also notes the federal government removed the ban on enhanced oil recovery, which critics argue lets CCS extend oil production rather than genuinely cut emissions. Alberta's restrictions on renewables make the debate sharper, because CCS is being positioned as the main option. Worth reading for the gap between the industry pitch and the actual numbers.