MYTH: It doesn’t matter where the U.S. gets its oil from because all oil exporters are the same.
FACT: Former Obama national security advisor and retired general Jim Jones has emphasized the stability of the Canadian-American relationship saying, “Every day it becomes more evident for our nation to achieve true energy security; we must engage our stable and reliable neighbors — Canada in particular… The country can’t afford to pass up the opportunity for reliable supply from a close ally and neighbor, which would leave us less vulnerable (to supply disruptions from elsewhere in the world).”
According to congressional testimony of David Goldwyn, former International Energy Envoy to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “[I]t does matter who enjoys the economic rents from our crude oil purchases. Many countries misuse their resource revenues, either by failing to invest them in their people, or by insulating themselves from political accountability, or even using their role as a supplier as a tool of political coercion. If we have a choice of where to pay these rents… Canada is among the best choices we have… Keystone XL will enhance U.S. supply security…”[1]
Note that even a threat from Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz is, according to analysts[2], largely to blame for the recent rise in gas prices. The more we can balance our crude oil portfolio and rely less on unstable regions of the world, the more secure our energy supply will be.
[1] Congressional Testimony of David Goldwyn to House Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, 31 March 2011
[2] Yahoo! Finance, “The Looming Threat to Gas Prices: Strait of Hormuz Explained,” 22 Feb 2012
Most of us here in Canada ,see the export of our energy to the U.S.A as benefitting both our National interests .At least, the stability of Canada;s friendship assures that the U.S.A is not being used to supply the funds ,for upheaval throughout the world.
I am most concerned about how Tar Sands Oil is affecting the lives of the First Nations people in Alberta. Reports indicate that the amount of carcinogens in the discarded water is 10 times what is normal. This can’t help but affect the fish and what does it do to people, especially those who live on limited incomes and are dependent on fish as a part of their normal diets. Also, how are the forests in the area being affected since they have offered a primary way of dealing with the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere?