The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that Alberta Premier Jim
Prentice is keen on finding new
markets for oil in Asia. A Globe editorial reports that Mr. Prentice says the only way to do that is by redefining
Alberta "as an environmental leader." The Globe says some folks might find that hard to swallow, considering Alberta's major commodity is tarry fossil fuel that is yanked from the ground in an emissions-heavy process. The Globe concedes, however, that an energy
exporter today has to appear credibly concerned with environmental issues.
The Globe says Mr. Prentice is right when he suggests that Alberta's growth is unsustainable unless it can get its bitumen to the Pacific Ocean.
Mr. Prentice, however, also knows that an unrepentant carbon-emitting
Alberta will have a hard time convincing British Columbians
and native communities to support a western pipeline, such as Enbridge's Northern Gateway. Thus it makes sense for Mr. Prentice to speak passionately about making Alberta an "environmental
leader." Mr. Prentice has several options, but it might all be for naught if the Tory government maintains its animosity toward all things green, concludes The Globe.
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