The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition that U.S. investors are waiting for Alberta's NDP government to show its regulatory hand before returning to the Canadian oil patch, says one expert. The Post's Yadullah Hussain quotes Jim Davidson at FirstEnergy Capital as saying: "Corporate tax rates have gone up, the carbon emissions charges have doubled in the past year and there is more change in the air, and there is a royalty review. U.S. investors are unwilling to commit their capital until they get some uncertainty on what the ground rules are going to be." FirstEnergy expects crude oil prices to edge up slowly to about $80 (U.S.) per barrel by 2020. While U.S. investors wait on the sidelines for the Canadian oil and gas prospects to improve, their money is heading to shale plays such as Eagle Ford in Texas. Apart from a year-long drag on prices, the industry also suffered new blows after U.S. President Barack Obama rejected TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline proposal and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed Transportation Minister Marc Garneau last week to formalize a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia's North Coast, damaging prospects for Enbridge's Northern Gateway.