Alberta politicians defend oilsands after criticism from U.S. mayors

By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

EDMONTON - Alberta politicians are rising to defend the province's main economic driver after U.S. mayors passed a resolution urging American cities to stop using fuel derived from the oilsands.

"I wish I could talk to all of them one-on-one," Finance Minister Iris Evans said Tuesday.

"I continually am reminded that people in Alberta - as well as certainly people in the United States - do not really comprehend the good things that have been done in Alberta and that's an elephant in the room, that lack of knowledge."

On Monday, U.S. mayors passed a resolution at their annual conference in Miami urging cities to ban the use of oilsands-derived gasoline in municipal vehicles.

They took direct aim at Alberta's oilsands, pointing out that developing a barrel of oilsands oil produces three times as much carbon dioxide as conventional oil. The resolution also alleges oilsands development damages Canada's boreal forest and slows the transition to cleaner energy sources in the United States.

Energy Minister Mel Knight promised Monday that Alberta will soon announce major strides in capturing and storing greenhouse gas emissions from the oilsands.

On Tuesday, other politicians leapt to his side.

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier invited a delegation of his American counterparts to visit his city to learn more about oilsands production.

"Reducing greenhouse gas is an important issue, but it requires a comprehensive, thoughtful and realistic approach," he said.

"This resolution suggests a lack of understanding and we hope by extending that invitation we can help set the record straight."

Echoing the provincial government's position, he said the mayors should have focused more on conservation and technological innovation.

"We can pass all the 'feel-good' resolutions that we want, but the reality of the situation is that production from the oilsands is necessary," he said.

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach repeated a suggestion he has made before that his province is a leader in environmental regulation.

"We are the first jurisdiction to put in place emission levies," he said.

"We're doing cumulative environmental impact assessments both in the oilsands and also in the industrial heartland. We're the only jurisdiction in Canada to put forward a land-use framework and also our water-for-life strategy is well ahead of many jurisdictions in North America."

Evans said emissions per barrel of oil have been reduced by 45 per cent by the industry since 1990 and that $40 million has been collected from industries that failed to meet the province's emissions targets.

"I think we're doing more than anyone else."

Alberta's oilsands have come under increasing attack in the United States since Stelmach was greeted during a January visit to Washington by a protester in a polar bear suit.

Some of the world's most influential environmental organizations are targeting customers for the oilsands, the banks that finance them, the home offices of the multinationals that develop them and the refiners and pipeliners that move the product.

Airlines that use oilsands-derived fuel have come under pressure to stop. Environmental groups in the U.S. are organizing to protest the expansion of American energy infrastructure to accommodate that oil.

Alberta has announced a $25-million public relations campaign to try to improve the environmental image of the province's energy industry.