Letter from Canada: Alberta’s oil sands in the rifle hairs
The Alberta government and Western Canadian oil industry love to blame Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal government for the lack of oil pipeline capacity leaving the region, but in fact they should largely blame themselves
Former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed—whom many older Albertans consider their best-ever premier—began warning the province and industry to go slow on oil sands development in the middle of the 2000s for several reasons, including skyrocketing costs and environmental damage. Higher costs meant lower revenues for Albertans given the structure of the royalty regime, while Lougheed was concerned rapidly rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental damage to land and water would put a bullseye on the oil sands industry. But, rather than heeding Lougheed’s advice, the premier of Alberta at the time, Ralph Klein, adhered to the wishes of industry instead, allowing oil sands projec
Also in this section
6 February 2026
The long close relationship between key supplier Qatar and pivotal buyer Japan becomes even deeper following new landmark deal
6 February 2026
Partnerships across the LNG value chain have evolved over time, growing in both complexity and importance, according to panellists at LNG2026
6 February 2026
Nigeria's mega-refinery is still trying to solve many challenges, all while its owner talks up expansion
5 February 2026
While broadly supportive of EU efforts to tackle methane emissions, representatives of the gas industry warn it could deter supply contracting if timelines and compliance requirements are not made more pragmatic
