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Alberta Energy Minister Ken Hughes on the XL Pipeline -- Part 2

Kensington: Do you see the recent delays as US domestic politics getting in the way of the inevitable construction of the pipeline? Or is there a chance it won't be built at all?

Minister Hughes: Alberta is confident that after the political season is over in the U.S., there will be bipartisan support for Keystone XL. We were pleased that last month President Obama?s office stated that it supports TransCanada?s application to build the first leg of this pipeline from Cushing to the Gulf Coast, and that they are committed to taking every step possible to expedite the necessary federal permits. We were also pleased to hear that TransCanada has reapplied for a Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline to be built across the Canada-U.S. border. While we respect and understand that approval of the pipeline is a U.S. domestic matter, Alberta believes very strongly in the merits and benefits of this pipeline. Alberta is the safest, most secure and responsible source of oil for the United States and we are optimistic that the project will be evaluated on facts and not on rhetoric.

Kensington: Your predecessor in office, Ron Liepert, told a meeting of the Foreign Policy Association last year that, as much as he'd prefer to send the oil south through the XL pipeline, he had no problem with building a different pipeline to the Pacific Coast in collaboration with the government of British Columbia to send the oil to Asian consumers. Do you share that view?

MInister Hughes: Opening up access to new markets is paramount for Alberta producers if they are to receive a world price for their oil. The denial of the application for the XL Pipeline extension to be built from Alberta into the U.S. just reinforces our commitment to seek out all opportunities for oil exports. Right now markets like those around the Pacific Rim are hungry for oil. In fact it?s estimated that China will soon surpass the U.S. in its demand for oil. As Alberta is one of the few jurisdictions around the world who will significantly increase oil production over the next few years, we are best positioned to meet that demand. That is why we are also looking at new routes for our oil like the Enbridge?s Gateway Pipeline Project and Kinder-Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline which would route oil through Alberta and BC into terminals along the West Coast.

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© Copyright 2012 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.



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