Unhappy with new greenwashing rules, Alberta and fossil fuel companies push back

The Alberta government is aiming to soften new rules against greenwashing that led Canadian oil and gas groups to scrub their websites of climate pledges or add disclaimers.

Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz, whose government has been critical of changes put into law last month, said Wednesday her government plans to take part in the upcoming consultations held by the Competition Bureau, which enforces the rules.

Amendments to the Competition Act that became law last month under Bill C-59 require companies to be able to prove environmental claims made to promote a product or business interest.

Schultz said the changes caused «a lot of concern for industry.»

«There is a very real risk now that companies are not able to talk about their environmental record and the great work that they've done,» she said at a summit of environmental ministers in St John's, citing carbon capture and storage technology in particular.

«We will absolutely be making a submission to the federal government about what our concerns are. We know that many in the industry are doing the same.»

Pathways Alliance, which represents Canada's six largest oilsands companies, removed all content from its website and social media feeds last month, citing uncertainty over the new anti-greenwashing rules.

«Any clarity the Competition Bureau can provide through specific guidance may help direct our communications approach in the future,» the group's president Kendall Dilling said in a statement to CBC News.

«Pathways Alliance remains committed to the work we are doing.»

Others, such as Imperial Oil and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), have also removed material.

Canadians are concerned, Guilbeault says

The Competition Bureau says that