Oh, wait!:
More than a year after President Joe Biden killed the Keystone XL project, support for the pipeline has surged in the U.S. in the wake of the country’s ban on the import of Russian oil, a new poll shows.
The exclusive poll of Americans conducted by Maru Public Opinion for Postmedia found that 71 per cent of Americans think Biden should give an executive order to “green light the restart of the building of the Keystone XL pipeline that would transport oil from Canada’s oil sands region through the Midwest to refineries in Texas.”
The idea that Canadian oil and gas could help fill shortfalls in Europe and the United States has received considerable traction in the weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, with some re-evaluating energy projects such as Keystone XL and Energy East.
While 64 per cent of American believe Canada should fill the void left following the ban on Russian oil, the challenge for Canada would be in increasing production — it could take years, not weeks or months — and figuring out how to ship it across the border.
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Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said recently that Canada isn’t the solution to the energy security crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He’s wrong, and he’s misleading Canadians about what we can do to help our allies and the world.
Guilbeault is a former Greenpeace activist, vehemently opposed to Canadian oil and gas. Here is my response to three things he said.
“We can’t help Europe with oil.”
Wrong. We can. Just not tomorrow. But this is about long-term energy solutions.
Europe will continue to require substantial volumes of crude oil in the decades to come, even as more renewable energy comes online. According to the International Energy Agency’s latest outlook, Europe will consume 10 million barrels of oil per day in 2030 and 6 million barrels per day in 2050.
But the European market can’t be viewed in isolation.
It’s part of the global oil trade, where, driven by emerging economies in Asia and Africa, overall demand is expected to increase to 103 million barrels per day in 2030, from 97 million barrels per day in 2019. In 2050, the IEA expects the world will still consume 103 million barrels per day.
The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion being built to the B.C. coast is a step in the right direction to help reduce global reliance on Russia for oil, but with its vast resources and commitment to responsible development, Canada can do more.
Canada can also help with natural gas. Although liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from Canada’s West Coast would likely be destined for Asia, any increased supply on global markets could help reduce reliance on natural gas from Russia.
Consider that this winter, facing natural gas shortages, Europe was able to buy LNG shipments that otherwise could have gone to Asia by offering a higher price, according to analytics firm RBN Energy.
And then there are the proposed LNG terminals on Canada’s East Coast that could directly supply European markets.
Canada’s federal government can change course to fast-track and champion major oil and gas export projects, signalling to investors that Canada is the world’s energy solution.
“We’re building a pipeline. It’s just going in the wrong direction.”
Wrong. The Trans Mountain expansion is going in the right direction. Enabling Canadian oil exports to Asia can have a global impact.
Guilbeault misunderstands that oil and gas markets are a worldwide ecosystem, and an increase in supply from one region can have a ripple effect on supply and demand in others.
This Guilbeault:
It is too early to calculate job impacts from a climate change pledge to cap oil and gas emissions, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Witnesses at the Commons natural resources committee pressed for details of the pledge made at a conference in Scotland last November: “What is the projected loss of jobs?”
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A costly federal ban on six types of single use plastics will do little to save the environment, say independent researchers. The most commonly discarded plastic is not covered by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s ban, data show: “This ban fails to target litter categories that appear to make up most single use plastic litter found in Canada.”
A convicted criminal with an unrealistic agenda will ensure that Canadians go everywhere on foot for as long Canada remains an undivided spoil.
You voted for it, Canada:
Canada has proven it can collect a carbon tax that “keeps life affordable,” says the Department of Environment. The federal tax rises again April 1 to the equivalent of 12¢ a litre on gasoline: “There is a clear cost from a changing climate so it can’t be free.”
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Even before the spike in fuel prices, both the union and Coventry Connections — which operates a number of taxi fleets — applied to the City of Ottawa in late January to increase rates, as they're facing more expensive operating costs overall. They are looking for a 10 to 20 per cent bump.
According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Canada imports roughly $550 million worth of crude oil a year from Russia. This is mostly consumed in Eastern Canada where there are no pipelines to get oil across the country.
Quebec has repeatedly kibboshed natural gas and oil pipelines in its province.
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