This week we interview Pat Carlson CEO of Kiwetinohk Resources Corp. Pat has founded a number of successful Western Canadian entrepreneurial companies including; Passage Energy, Krang Energy, North American Oil Sands and Seven Generations. Pat had foresight by entering the oil sands and shale gas developments at an early stage. His latest venture is focused on the Duvernay play. Pat explains his philosophy for stakeholder engagement in natural resource projects, and his view on building an oil and gas company considering climate change and a transition to lower carbon energy.The podcast refers to Pat's letter from the 2017 Seven Generation's Report about changing expectations for stakeholder engagement.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

This week we interview Steve Laut the Executive Vice Chairman of Canadian Natural Resources that has risen to be Canada's largest oil and gas producer aided by recent acquisitions, including purchasing Shell Canada and Devon's oil sands assets. Steve explains that oil sands are no longer high cost or high carbon and more improvements are coming with CNRL’s aspirational goal to reach net zero emissions on their upstream production. Steve also raises some concerns about the Enbridge Mainline, a system that constitutes 70% of all oil pipeline capacity exiting Western Canada. One issue is the procedures for allocating space on the pipeline that need to be fixed since they have contributed to lower Western Canadian oil prices, including during final quarter of 2018. Another concern is Enbridge’s plan to change the contracting for the Mainline, moving from 100% of the pipeline being available under an uncommitted service now to 90% of the capacity offered under firm service agreements, leaving only 10% for spot shipments.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

Canadians take for granted that they have energy security. But on this week’s podcast we argue that Canada could be one of the least energy secure countries in the world when it comes to oil. The pipeline that connects Western Canada’s oilfields with Ontario and Quebec flows through the United States. Now the State of Michigan wants to shut down this critical Enbridge Line 5 pipeline connection. If Michigan succeeds, crude-by-rail could be the only short term option for Ontario because the Enbridge Line 9 pipeline  --  that was originally built for energy security reasons -- is now flowing in the wrong direction for supplying Ontario with offshore oil and the east has no strategic oil reserve.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

This week we introduce the need for new plan for reducing global GHG emissions, since the current one, that envisions a fast switch from fossil fuels to renewables is proving to be unrealistic. The recently published International Energy Agency World Energy Investment 2019 report illustrates why the current plan is not working; investment into renewables has plateaued at best; energy efficiency is treading water, and world carbon emissions grew by 2.0% last year, the fastest growth in seven years. Instead, we propose the need for a more realistic plan that reduces GHG emissions on more dimensions, including a transition to progressively cleaner hydrocarbons, improvements in efficiency and growth in renewables.As referenced in the podcast, here is a link to the ARC commentary Mind the Gap.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

On this week’s episode we interview Barbara Zvan, Director, Chief Risk & Strategy Officer for the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Barbara is a member of the Canadian Government’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance. After over one year of consulting with a diverse cross section of leaders and experts, the panel has released their final recommendations for increasing the amount of sustainable investment in Canada. The report makes many recommendations, including increasing the amount of corporate reporting on climate change risks and creating incentives for encouraging more green investment. They also made some specific recommendations on how to support Canada’s oil and natural gas industry in a transition towards a low emissions future.Use this link to view the full report: “Final Report of the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance – Mobilizing Finance for Sustainable Growth”Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) focused investors have moved mainstream.  On this week’s episode we interview Patrick Bryden, Director, Equity Research at Scotiabank. Pat coauthored a must-read report titled “The Rise of ESG in Investment Research – In Search of the Right Elements”. His report makes a compelling case for ESG focused investing, referencing research that shows meaningful outperformance for companies that are more sustainable and diverse.  We also cover the state of corporate ESG reporting today, what investors are looking for, and how companies can get started.Please review the Scotiabank disclosure on their website: http://www.gbm.scotiabank.com/disclosuresPlease review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

This week’s podcast gives our take on recent Canadian energy news headlines including the latest on the contentious Bill C-69 and Bill C-48, a Minnesota court ruling that could delay the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline, and the sale of Devon Energy’s oil sands assets to Canadian Natural Resources (CNRL).  We also talk about the big oil price drop over the past week.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

Oil and gas E&P share prices in both the United States and Canada have been underperforming compared to the broad indices. This week’s podcast discusses the causes and what it could turn things around.  A critical ingredient for improvement is that companies prove they can make money in an era of abundant supply and lower price levels, while lowering their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk. Specific to Canada, improved market access is critical.  And while pipelines are still progressing, alternative modes of oil transportation are evolving too --- with the potential for creating Canadian oil export diversity, optionality and resiliency.This podcast refers to our SnapChart “The Market Disconnect” that shows indices for upstream oil and gas equities. It also references the past ARC commentary “Issues that are Weighing on Oil and Gas Investment”.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

This week we interview Chris Slubicki President and CEO of Modern Resources, a Western Canadian oil and gas producer that is an environmental leader.  Chris is an advocate for the Canadian oil and gas industry, his video about the reality of global energy demand and Canada’s unique position for leadership has racked up 140,000 views. Our discussion covers a range of topics including the weak prices for western Canadian natural gas and the implications for companies and the economy. We also discuss how Modern Resources cut their methane emissions to nearly zero at new well sites.Use this link to watch Chris’s widely viewed video “Canadian Energy Leadership”. Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/

Climate change is a pressing issue caused by greenhouse gas emissions. This week’s podcast examines global, US and Canadian emissions and ways to make reductions. To compare GHG emissions in Canada and the United States, see past ARC Commentary “Canada’s GHG Emission Reality”.  We also reference a few papers in this podcast: one by Nature Conservancy that concluded natural solutions could achieve 37% of Paris climate goals; another by Yale360 reported that planting 1.2 trillion trees would store ten years of carbon emissions.Please review our disclaimer at: https://www.arcenergyinstitute.com/disclaimer/