Secret document highlights difficulty in growing Canadian energy exports
Posted Jul 12, 2012 7:39 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Increasing environmental concerns and a pipeline bottleneck are being blamed for stifling the country’s energy export business.
Postmedia News reports it has obtained records marked as “secret” from Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s office.
The briefing notes, which the minister has been using since May 2011, spell out the challenges facing the industry.
Canadian oil exports are basically “landlocked,” and the only way to grow the business outside of North America is to build a pipeline to the west coast.
Federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, who blasted ramped up oilsands development earlier this year, says he would pull the plug on the Northern Gateway Pipeline project.
Mulcair will be visiting Calgary Thursday and will discuss energy matters after meeting with the Mayor at City Hall; later, he will hit Stampede Park for a little glad-handing.
B.C.’s Premier Christy Clark says without assurances from Enbridge it can operate the pipeline more efficiently than the one that sprung a leak a couple of years ago in Michigan, she won’t be supporting it.
Oliver’s briefing notes also suggest the current pipeline bottleneck has reduced prices for oilsands operators by as much as $15 dollars a barrel.
Postmedia News reporter Mike de Souza tells 660News he has a little more digging to do, including finding out more details about some alleged federal government lobbying of the industry.
