Canada to seek new markets if U.S. blocks oil sands fuel
The head of Canada’s oil-rich Alberta said the province will simply sell its huge reserves to other countries if the U.S. goes ahead with plans to impose import restrictions on fuels made from Canada’s oil sands.
The U.S. is preparing to block the military and other federal agencies from buying fuel made from oil sands crude and other sources that produce higher greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels. Alberta has been trying to get oil sands fuels exempted from the U.S. legislation.
“I’m not warning them, I’m just being frank,” Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said. “I’m just saying that we have options and will continue to pursue options.”
Stelmach said he has told U.S. officials that Alberta will no longer allow itself to depend primarily on the American market for exports.
Industry officials estimate Canada’s oil sands, a tar-like bitumen that is extracted using mining techniques, could yield up to 175 billion barrels of oil.
