In an investor call on Friday, CEO Brad Corson said the Pathways Alliance, a consortium of six major oil producers that includes Imperial, will need more taxpayer dollars than what’s currently on offer before the group can build its planned $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage (CCS) hub in northern Alberta. (Bloomberg)

Talking point: The federal government has said it will cover 50 per cent of the upfront cost of  CCS projects as a way to reduce carbon emissions, and the Alberta government has pitched in another 12 per cent. But Corson says the combined 62 per cent writeoff isn’t enough, and Canadian taxpayers need to foot 75 per cent of the bill for the project to be viable.  The Pathways project would collect carbon dioxide from multiple oilsands sites, then transport the CO2 via pipeline to the Cold Lake, Alta. region, where it will be stored underground. In addition to the 50 per cent tax credit, Pathways is also seeking an additional contract with the government to guarantee the per-tonne price of the CO2 it successfully sequesters.