Hon. Richard Brown has been Prince Edward Island's Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry since January of 2009. His department see its mission as working for "the preservation of Prince Edward Island’s natural capital, the cultivation of Island-based energy resources and the promotion of sustainable development in our home province."

Traditionally the energy portfolio in the provincial cabinet was part of the economic development or industry role; under the previous provincial administration this changed with the creation of the Department of Environment and Energy, with forestry added in 2004.

This evolution mirrored a change in the attitude toward energy within the government: with the move toward emphasizing renewable energy as a way to both reduce energy costs and mitigate climate change, it made sense the the minister responsible for protecting the environment was also overseeing energy issues.

I sat down with Minister Brown in his office in downtown Charlottetown to talk about the work of his department, about renewable energy options for Prince Edward Island, and about the prospect of PEI living up to its climate change mitigation obligations.