Alberta Trade Mission Scales Capitol Hill
The largest trade delegation in Alberta history visited Washington in mid-January, with public policy events on Capitol Hill and a business session at the historic Mayflower Hotel
The delegates sought to advance cross-border trade ties and highlight the mutual benefits of the long-standing economic relationship between Canada’s fastest growing province and its largest foreign trading partner.
The delegation, organized by the Alberta Enterprise Group (AEG), represented a cross-section of Albertan industry, from oilsands operations and heavy construction to information technology and the hospitality sector. It coincided with the first trip to Washington by Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, who met with influential legislators and members of the administration and participated in a ceremony to introduce Gary Mar as Alberta’s new Washington envoy.
Mission organizer and AEG President Tim Shipton said, “It’s an important time for Alberta to have a presence in Washington. Legislation being debated in the United States on the environment, energy and cross-border trade will have a profound impact on our economy. We wanted to be there with our Premier to ensure our interests were being discussed and accurate information provided to our U.S. counterparts.”
Energy Security Front and Centre
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) sponsored a public forum held in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing room. There, the delegates – senior staffers from Congressional offices, local media, public policy institutions and major corporations doing business in Alberta – heard how Alberta’s energy development can serve as a model for unconventional natural resource development in the United States.
Theodore Boll, Senior Economist from the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, related how his organization examined the empirical data from oilsands producers and the EUB to determine early on that the resource base and its responsible development were critical to U.S. energy and national security. Anton R. Dammer, Director, Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves at the U.S. Department of Energy, put estimates of recoverable oil from shale deposits in the United States at over 800 billion barrels with today’s technology.
Todd Dana, Chairman of Utah’s Red Lead Resources, discussed his company’s plans for a $25/bbl, process-water-free oil shale development – amenable to CO2 sequestration – of its 1.5 billion barrels of oil-in-place. He drew attention to its similarities with in situ oilsands developments.
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