US vows to remove barriers to oil sands imports

[CHIMO]

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - The U.S. government will work to remove any roadblocks to increasing energy imports from Canada's oil sands region, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said on Friday.

Bodman said he talked with Canadian Energy Minister Gary Lunn and Alberta Premier Ralph Klein about how rising production from the oil sands can be integrated into the North American pipeline and oil-refining network.

Canada is already the largest supplier of crude oil and refined products to the United States, exporting more than 2 million barrels a day, better than 16 percent of U.S. imports.

That trade is expected to skyrocket over the next decade. Output from the oil sands is expected to reach 3 million barrels a day by 2015, nearly triple current output, and could rise by a further million barrels by 2020, according to Canadian regulators and energy lobby groups.

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-07-14T235311Z_01_N1498734_RTRIDST_0_BUSINESS-ENERGY-BODMAN-OILSANDS-COL.XML

[daleo]

1. What barriers could there possibly be?

"While he didn't elaborate on what barriers to the free-flow of oil sands oil would need to be removed, Bodman said he expected to take concrete steps during his remaining 2-1/2 years as energy secretary to ensure new Canadian supplies."

It sounds like a feel-good statement. The idea that the U.S. would put up barriers to Canadian oil exports seems laughable.