Canada, Carbon Tax, and the Blacksmith

This past week (Tuesday October 23) the Government of Canada announced the long expected rates for Carbon.

Now I have commented about this whole situation before on this blog :
Carbon and the Forge : July 7, 2008
Carbon Loading : Dec. 14, 2015
Carbon Loading at Wareham : March 8, 2018
(related)
Don't Call US : March 12, 2018

I have said repeatedly that I fully understand :
• the direct impact burning fossil fuels on Climate
• the responsibility users have for their own actions
• I am a direct user of quantities of fossil fuels in my forges (coal, propane)

I fully support the concept of a direct cost to all users for the amounts of carbon / greenhouse gasses they create. 
My intent here is to offer up some kind of cost estimates for other artist blacksmiths.

Here is the current plan as currently published by the Government of Canada (1) :

"Starting in April 2019 and increasing in stringency over time, the federal pollution pricing system will add a nominal cost to everyday fuels."

"The fuel charge rates reflect a carbon pollution price of $20 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2019, rising by $10 per tonne annually to $50 per tonne in 2022."

 

Type	Unit	Apri1 2019	Apr-20	Apr-21	Apr-22
	($ per)	($20/tonne)	($30/tonne)	($40/tonne)	($50/tonne)
Propane *	litre	0.031	0.0464	0.0619	0.0774
	per 40 lb	$0.98	$1.47	$1.96	$2.45
	WF use @ 365kg	$19.69	$29.46	$39.31	$49.15
High heat value coal	metric tonne	45.03	67.55	90.07	112.58
Low heat value coal		35.45	53.17	70.9	88.62
	per 75 lb	$0.77	$1.15	$1.53	$1.92
	WF use @450kg	$10.13	$15.20	$20.27	$25.33
Gasoline	litre	0.0442	0.0663	0.0884	0.1105
	WF use @ 3000 L	$132.60	$198.90	$265.20	$331.50
Aviation turbo fuel	litre	0.0516	0.0775	0.1033	0.1291

Quotes and Numbers from the Official Government of Canada web site :

https://www.fin.gc.ca/n18/data/18-097_1-eng.asp

- I have used the larger cost for 'high heat coal' as these types are not clearly defined in the Government table. (I use mid range bituminous, not higher range anthracite)
- I have included the figures given on aviation fuel here. Right now I appear to be making a trip to Aberdeen, Scotland every second year. Obviously there will be some increase involved (2)
- The Wareham Forge (WF) costs are listed first as the typical purchase unit, and as a roughly average yearly total.
* Propane figures represent the biggest juggling here (and may thus be prone to error!). The GC site gives the rates as per litre. I purchase as standard 40 lb cylinders. Most carbon use tables work in KG (or some horrible mash of units).



1) Ontario's current ruling Conservative Party, especially Premier Doug Ford, has vowed to fight the Government of Canada on all policies related to Carbon / Climate Change. They have to date cancelled any number of programs originally put in place by the previous Liberal government here.

2) Obviously figuring out how a 5 - 11 cent per litre increase on aviation fuel will impact on international air travel costs is almost impossible to figure. (I was surprised to find the current cost of av gas is actually considerably cheaper than regular gasoline!)