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<DIV><FONT size=2>What rubbish. The oil sands projects are likely to be
the greatest ecological and health disaster for North America yet.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=thansen@moscow.com href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com">Tom Hansen</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Moscow Vision 2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, April 01, 2011 8:41
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Oilsands Lauds
Obama Energy Security Plans</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Courtesy of the Edmonton Journal (Edmonton, Canada)
at:<BR><BR><A
href="http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Oilsands+lauds+Obama+energy+security+plans/4533606/story.html">http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Oilsands+lauds+Obama+energy+security+plans/4533606/story.html</A><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Oilsands
lauds Obama energy security plans<BR><BR>A plan by U.S. President Barack Obama
to slash U.S. oil imports by more<BR>than 30 per cent over the next decade is
excellent news for crude oil<BR>producers in Canada, including those in the
oilsands, Alberta industry<BR>spokesmen said Wednesday.<BR><BR>Amid rising
gasoline prices in America and ongoing turmoil in the Middle<BR>East, Obama
announced a goal of cutting American oil imports -currently 11<BR>million
barrels a day -by boosting domestic production, increasing the use<BR>of
natural gas, investing in biofuels and making vehicles more
energy<BR>efficient.<BR><BR>"We cannot keep going from shock to trance on the
issue of energy<BR>security, rushing to propose action when gas prices rise,
then hitting the<BR>snooze button when they fall again," Obama said at
Georgetown University<BR>on Wednesday.<BR><BR>"The United States of America
cannot afford to bet our longterm prosperity<BR>and security on a resource
that will eventually run out. Not anymore.<BR><BR>"Not when the cost to our
economy, our country and our planet is so high."<BR><BR>Obama singled out
Canada among a handful of nations America must continue<BR>to rely on as
"stable and steady" foreign sources of secure energy, a<BR>point that wasn't
missed by Alberta observers.<BR><BR>"The president defined a problem, the U.S.
has a problem with insecure<BR>supply and to some extent, has a problem with
price," said Tom Huffaker,<BR>vice-president of policy and environment for the
Canadian Association of<BR>Petroleum Producers.<BR><BR>"I think he singled out
Canada pretty clearly as part of the solution,<BR>rather than part of the
problem. So we feel very good about that."<BR><BR>Huffaker said as oil from
trouble spots is reduced, Canadian producers<BR>stand to send more oil to the
U.S., not less. Obama avoided mentioning the<BR>controversial oilsands in his
speech, but Don Thompson, president of the<BR>Fort McMurray-based Oil Sands
Developers Group, was not discouraged by<BR>that fact.<BR><BR>"Let's be clear,
right now the oilsands are well over half of Canada's<BR>production and
something like 70 per cent of Canada's crude oil<BR>requirements. And it's 97
per cent of our reserves," he said. "So when you<BR>speak about Canadian oil,
you are speaking of Canadian oilsands."<BR><BR>Thompson has been
criss-crossing the U.S. in a series of speaking<BR>engagements on behalf of
the industry.<BR><BR>Oilsands crude makes up about a third of the 2.4 million
barrels of oil<BR>per day exported from Canada to the United
States.<BR><BR>Premier Ed Stelmach agreed Obama's speech is good
news.<BR><BR>"He's recognizing Alberta is a very stable supplier of oil," he
said.<BR>"It's very positive. It makes me feel good this morning."<BR><BR>The
speech marked a deliberate attempt by Obama to shift the public focus<BR>in
America from the crisis in Libya and across the Middle East to a<BR>domestic
issue dear to the president's heart.<BR><BR>Gasoline prices in the U.S. jumped
seven per cent in March to an average<BR>of $3.60 US a gallon, an increase
attributed in part to concerns about<BR>security of supply caused by ongoing
political unrest overseas.<BR><BR>With rising demand for oil in China and
India, Obama said there will be<BR>"more ups than downs" in gas prices in the
coming years.<BR><BR>"We will keep on being a victim to shifts in the oil
market until we get<BR>serious about a longterm policy for secure, affordable
energy," he said.<BR><BR>But the president's pledge to lower oil imports came
with a significant<BR>caveat. Even as the U.S. seeks to reduce its dependence
on oil from<BR>unstable sources, Obama said America would continue to
"partner" with<BR>reliable suppliers in Canada, Mexico and Brazil.<BR><BR>"I
set this goal knowing that imported oil will remain an important part<BR>of
our energy portfolio for quite some time," Obama said.<BR><BR>He said the U.S.
must continue to look to Canada, Mexico and Brazil<BR>because they are "stable
and steady and reliable sources" of oil for the<BR>American
market.<BR><BR>Canada is currently the biggest single source of U.S. oil
imports,<BR>providing about 20 per cent of the nation's foreign supply,
followed by<BR>Mexico. Obama did not raise the controversy currently raging
among<BR>lawmakers in Washington over Alberta's oilsands.<BR><BR>The State
Department earlier this month announced further environment<BR>review on a
proposed $7-billion pipeline -TransCanada's Keystone XL<BR>project -that would
carry more than 500,000 barrels of oilsands crude per<BR>day from northern
Alberta to the Gulf coast of Texas.<BR><BR>But Obama's mention of Canadian
oil, in a major speech on America energy<BR>security, constitutes at least
something of a victory for Prime Minister<BR>Stephen Harper.<BR><BR>During a
White House meeting last month, Harper said the U.S. faced a<BR>"choice"
between importing oil "from the most secure, most stable and<BR>friendliest
location it can possibly get that energy, which is Canada, or<BR>from other
places that are not as secure, stable or friendly to the<BR>interests and
values of the United
States."<BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Seeya
round town, Moscow.<BR><BR>Tom Hansen<BR>Moscow, Idaho<BR><BR>"The Pessimist
complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change<BR>and the Realist
adjusts his sails."<BR><BR>-
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