"Kent's announcement is a either a bad joke or an insult to the intelligence of Canadians. It's amazing he can make these announcements with a straight face," John Bennett, executive director of Sierra Club Canada, said in a news release.

"Coal is the easiest source of greenhouse gases to deal with because cleaner alternatives are already cost-competitive," said Keith Stewart of Greenpeace Canada. "If the federal government is prepared to gut its proposed coal regulations this way, then the oil lobby must be smiling while they sharpen their knives."