Embassy of Canada in France : Bilateral Meeting Between Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, and United States Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)

January 13, 2015                      
Washington, D.C.                     

The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, issued the following statement after concluding his meeting today in Washington with Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota

"At today's meeting with Senator Heitkamp, we discussed the mutual benefit of increasing energy cooperation between our two countries and working toward greater North American energy integration. I highlighted recent milestones achieved in the Canada-United States energy relationship, including having launched an agreement on 11 areas of enhanced bilateral energy collaboration with U.S. Energy Secretary Moniz.

"Canada hosted a session of the United States' Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) - the only consultation of industry and subject matter experts of its kind held outside of the United States. Just last month, Canada, United States and Mexico formalized a strategy for a more secure, integrated North American energy approach, enhancing our collective global competitive advantage.

"I promoted Canada's record as a secure, responsible and reliable producer and supplier of energy. Indeed, Canada's per-capita GHG emissions are now among their lowest level since tracking began. Canada benefits from one of the cleanest electricity mixes in the world, with 65 percent generated from renewable sources - the highest level in the G7.

"Canada is the world's third-largest producer of hydroelectricity and has the third-largest proven oil reserves (after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia), the second-largest reserves of uranium, the fifth-largest natural gas production and the ninth-highest installed wind capacity.

"Indeed, we are the United States' largest oil supplier. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the U.S. will need to import eight million barrels of oil per day by 2040 - up from 7.5 million barrels today. Late last year, Canadian oil exports to the U.S. were estimated to have surpassed three million barrels per day for the first time ever, more than Saudi Arabia and Venezuela combined.

"Senator Heitkamp is a leader among Senate Democrats in her public support for the Keystone XL pipeline, and I thanked her for her insight, support and commitment to this important energy project. Both the United States and Canada have dramatically reduced oil imports, while our oil imports from each other are at record highs.

"We agreed with the U.S. State Department analysis that the project should be approved, and delays can have a negative impact on environmental performance and economic growth in Canada and the United States. We also discussed the growth of the energy sector in North Dakota, one of the great American economic success stories in recent years.

"Canada and the U.S. have the most fully integrated energy relationship in the world. There are already 70 pipelines delivering oil and gas across the Canada-U.S. border every day - safely and reliably. As each new segment of energy infrastructure comes online, Canada and the United States add another key piece to a fully integrated and truly world-class network of continental pipelines."

Contacts

Chris McCluskey
Communications Director
Office of Canada's Minister of Natural Resources
613-996-2007

Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-992-4447

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