It was a case of two ambassadors speaking to the same conference near Vancouver on July 22 without getting close to a common expression of views on Keystone XL, reflecting the mood of frustration in Canadian governments and the petroleum industry.
Gary Doer, Canada’s envoy in Washington, D.C., said procrastinating in the Obama administration over the TransCanada pipeline is now taking its toll in other sectors of the U.S. economy.
Bruce Heyman, the newly installed U.S. ambassador in Canada, sat stoically through Doer’s presentation, but had nothing new to report beyond saying he understood concerns in Canada about stalling on a final XL decision.
The closest he came to offering a shred of hope to delegates at the annual Pacific Northwest Economic Region summit was an assurance that President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, and their teams of advisers, are fully aware of the concerns.
Doer pulls no punches
Doer, a former premier of Manitoba, seemed to take his cue from recent hard-line speeches by Canadian government cabinet ministers when he bluntly declared there is no proof that of any of the key issues - environmental, economic, safety or scientific - should stand in the way of U.S. approval for XL.
He also suggested the decision-making delays are hurting the U.S. economy.
Doer said a 600 percent increase in the use of rail to move crude in the U.S. has created a shortage of trains and railcars.
“Now there’s a new report from Minnesota saying it’s jamming up (the movement of) grain and minerals and other goods in that state,” he said.
As well, Doer cited data compiled by scientists in the State Department that he said shows moving crude by rail is more costly, increases greenhouse gas emissions and adds to the risk of spills and explosions.
Offering a light-hearted twist to his speech, Doer said Canada would have had an easier job convincing Americans to ship Crown Royal whisky from distilleries in Manitoba in a pipeline to Texas.
Ending on an upbeat note, Doer said he is almost certain Obama will finally accept the scientific case and approve XL.
“If he says ‘no’ to the pipeline, he’ll be saying ‘yes’ to higher greenhouse gases. I can’t imagine he won’t go with the science,” he said.
The summit attracted 500 business and government delegates from Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.
