CATLIN HOGAN
News Writer

David Jacobson hopes to see Canada and the U.S. develop similar environmental policies.

Jacobson, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, spoke about this goal at a Sept. 14 luncheon hosted by the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership.

It is a well-known fact that Canada is the United States’ largest economic trading partner but the ambassador stressed that the two countries share a mutual need for environmental sustainability and energy security.

“Of the top 12 energy producing countries, Canada is number two. I would say of the other 11, that they haven’t friended us on Facebook,” joked Jacobson, implying that the U.S.’s relationships with other nations are not as good as they would like.

The United States is the world’s largest oil consumer, using 20 per cent of the world’s supply, while only having two per cent of the world’s oil reserve. Because of this, Jacobson said that his country would rather spend their money on oil from its Canadian allies. Currently, the United States imports 20 per cent of their oil and 80 per cent of their natural gas from Canada on an annual basis.

The ambassador stressed that despite the need for energy security, you can no longer talk about energy without talking about the potential environmental risk behind it, using the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as a primary example.

Jacobson explained that there is “no fossil fuel without environment risk.” He continued saying that because of the environmental impact fossil fuels can cause, the United States under President Barack Obama has made the largest investment in clean energy in the nation’s history.

In addition to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Jacobson pointed to the Alberta oilsands project as an area where Canada needs to be wary of its environmental impact.

“[Canadian companies] need to do more than simply what government demands of them,” Jacobson expanded. “They need to act in a way so they are the best possible stewards of our environment and I think if they have that mindset, if they’re doing everything they can, then things will work out well.”

This is coming off the heels of Syncrude Canada being found guilty of 1,600 duck deaths near Fort McMurray, with more in-depth information constantly becoming accessible to the public.

The oilsands project was also among the hot topics in Ottawa two weeks ago when Jacobson hosted the U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, as well as premiers from energy producing provinces. Speaker Pelosi is the highest ranking woman in the United States government and an outspoken environmentalist.

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image: Robby Davis