Energy Royalty Plan will be fair to both sides.

Gee Whiz! Golly! Wouldn't it have been a nice change if he had said it was unfair to both sides?
If he wants votes in an election he should at least lean towards increasing royalties at least close to those recommended in the report. The vast majority of ALbertans favor increased royalties. He surely must have noticed what happened in Newfoundland and Labrador when Danny Williams stood up to big oil.

Energy royalty plan will be fair to both sides: Alberta premier
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 | 7:13 PM MT
CBC News
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach offered vague hints Wednesday about how his government will handle the divisive issue of energy royalties, saying it will be fair to both the energy sector and Albertans.

Stelmach made the comments during a televised state-of-the-province address, his first official response to a report that called for a $2-billion boost in energy royalties.

Premier Ed Stelmach speaks to reporters in Edmonton Tuesday.
(CBC) The premier said Albertans will have to wait until Thursday to learn details of his plan, but he did say the changes will be made over time, rather than immediately, as recommended by a government-appointed royalty review panel.

Stelmach also suggested there could be incentives to encourage companies to upgrade resources such as bitumen in Alberta rather than exporting them to foreign refineries.

The government-appointed panel rocked the oil and gas industry when it concluded Albertans were not getting their fair share, and called for the royalty rates charged to energy companies to increase by 20 per cent or about $2 billion a year.




Oil and gas companies oppose any changes, coming out with almost daily proclamations that royalty hikes will force them to cut jobs and billions of dollars in investment in booming Alberta.

Stelmach has said the big oil lobbying won't intimidate him, but Alberta NDP Leader Brian Mason doesn't buy it.

"I haven't heard him say it lately," said Mason. "He gave the oil industry a whole month to mount their campaign. He's created a political situation that's very difficult for himself."

'He's created a political situation that's very difficult for himself.'
— Brian Mason, Alberta NDP leaderStelmach will release more details of his royalty response at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Political watchers believe the royalty regime puts Stelmach's leadership to the test, and may turn out to be a defining issue for the premier, who has had the top job for just 10 months and is rumoured to be gearing up for a fall election.