Unethical oil and gas: Alberta’s shameful secret? with speaker Markham Hislop

Arguably, Alberta’s hydrocarbons are not ethical, at least no more so than what is produced in most other oil and gas producing jurisdictions. The speaker will contend that both UCP and NDP governments have subscribed to some version of “ethical oil,” which holds that Alberta’s are some of the most environmentally responsible hydrocarbons in the world, bolstered by democratic institutions and a “world class” regulatory regime.

In fact, “ethical oil” is a facade to hide the truth: that oil companies, the provincial government, and Alberta’s various energy regulators have long conspired to put profits above the public interest, with the province now potentially on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars to clean up abandoned wells and leaking tailings ponds.

Speaker: Markham Hislop

Markham Hislop is an energy journalist and publisher of Energi News (formerly North American Energy News). Hislop uses a technology adoption model of his own design to analyze and report upon all the facets of the energy industry, from oil and gas to EVs and renewables.

Over the past seven years, Hislop has probably reported about the Energy Transition more than any other North American journalist. His work has been published in Canadian Business, Alberta Oil Magazine, Hart Energy Publications, World Oil, Vancouver Magazine, and other publications. Hislop’s most recent book is The New Alberta Advantage: Technology, Policy, and the Future of the Oil Sands.