Foreign oil versus friendly oil

I’m looking forward to meeting with colleagues from Canada and the United States this week in Washington DC to discuss the transformation of North American energy systems.

Even though the theme of our discussion will be the use of carbon offsets to accelerate changes in the way we use energy, I’ll be reminding the Americans in the room that Canada is a key agent in reducing U.S. reliance on “foreign oil.”

Not all foreign oil is “foreign,” because Canadian oil is “familiar oil,” even “friendly oil.”

That puts a special responsibility to develop Alberta’s oil sands sustainably and responsibly – not just on Canada, but on the U.S., our major customer.

Much of the environmental damage already done is the legacy of developing oil sands to meet the U.S. thirst for Canadian oil – we are by far their largest supplier.

And until the western world weans itself from its addiction to fossil fuels, the oil sands are going to be developed: either sustainably and responsibly, with strong regulations and a framework of stewardship; or in the haste of an addict doing whatever they need to keep their supply flowing.

If we do it right, the oil sands can provide energy security for the Americas, and beyond.

The virtuous cycle is this: as the U.S. develops automobiles capable of travelling 100 kilometres on a litre of gasoline, it will need to import less oil; if the bulk of those imports come from Canada, the U.S. can greatly reduce its dependence on the Middle East as the source of its petroleum.

I’ll keep you posted on what I learn in Washington this week.

-Satya Das