The Obama administration’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline is proof it’s not interested in furthering its commercial relationship with Canada, the CEO of the American Petroleum Institute said in press conference Wednesday afternoon.
“Our neighbour to the north, which has been our No. 1 energy trading partner — where we import almost twice what we do from any other nation around the world — we have just indicated because of the president’s decision that we’re not interested in doing business in a more advanced way,” Jack Gerard said prior to the U.S. state department’s official announcement.
Gerard stressed that it was a missed opportunity to make North America energy independent.
“The Keystone XL pipeline would have given us the opportunity to double what we’re currently bringing in from Canada. When you look at the Canadian oil sands importation, coupled with U.S. development of our own oil and gas resources and renewable energy we could produce, North America could become energy self-sufficient in 15 years.”
Reiterating the ethical oil argument championed by Ezra Levant and other oilsands advocates, Gerard warned of greater reliance on volatile parts of the world.
“At a time we’re having a discussion over the Straits of Hormuz in the Middle East, for the president of the United States to reject cementing our relationship with the Canadians is a clear abdication of presidential leadership,” he said.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, he added, that the Canadian government is looking for alternatives.
“The prime minister has repeatedly indicated that they will produce this energy. The question is: will it help us secure our energy future … or will it be shipped elsewhere around the world for consumption?”
For Gerard, the decision and “bad political process” are evidence of deteriorating Canada-U.S. relations.
“The prime minister of Canada is losing confidence in the decision-making process on the part of the president of the United States,” he said. “And as of yesterday, the prime minister in a public statement, said that he’s discouraged by the United States holding Canada hostage.”
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“Our neighbour to the north, which has been our No. 1 energy trading partner — where we import almost twice what we do from any other nation around the world — we have just indicated because of the president’s decision that we’re not interested in doing business in a more advanced way,” Jack Gerard said prior to the U.S. state department’s official announcement.
Gerard stressed that it was a missed opportunity to make North America energy independent.
“The Keystone XL pipeline would have given us the opportunity to double what we’re currently bringing in from Canada. When you look at the Canadian oil sands importation, coupled with U.S. development of our own oil and gas resources and renewable energy we could produce, North America could become energy self-sufficient in 15 years.”
Reiterating the ethical oil argument championed by Ezra Levant and other oilsands advocates, Gerard warned of greater reliance on volatile parts of the world.
“At a time we’re having a discussion over the Straits of Hormuz in the Middle East, for the president of the United States to reject cementing our relationship with the Canadians is a clear abdication of presidential leadership,” he said.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, he added, that the Canadian government is looking for alternatives.
“The prime minister has repeatedly indicated that they will produce this energy. The question is: will it help us secure our energy future … or will it be shipped elsewhere around the world for consumption?”
For Gerard, the decision and “bad political process” are evidence of deteriorating Canada-U.S. relations.
“The prime minister of Canada is losing confidence in the decision-making process on the part of the president of the United States,” he said. “And as of yesterday, the prime minister in a public statement, said that he’s discouraged by the United States holding Canada hostage.”
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