September 15, 2011

Greening of Canadian Oil Sands: A View Across the Border

Co-sponsored by Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP and the Environmental Law Institute

Bituminous sands, or "oil sands," in Canada supply much of the crude used in the United States. The Keystone XL project, if approved, would nearly double imports of crude from western Canada. Many policymakers favor the use of the Canadian product because it reduces domestic reliance on Middle Eastern oil imports. Environmentalists have expressed concerns about the adverse environmental impacts of oil sands extraction which include deforestation, water quality and resource impacts, air pollution, and the larger greenhouse gas footprint created by the extraction process. With technology improvements, these impacts have diminished, but many questions remain. This seminar provided an overview of law and policy of Canadian oil sands extraction, as it compares to the United States resource extraction regime.

Speakers:
Louis A. Naugle, Partner, Reed Smith LLP (moderator)
Jennifer Grant, Oilsands Program Director, The Pembina Institute
Lisa Jamieson, Senior Environmental Counsel, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP
Lisa Sadownik, Section Head, Clean Energy Policy, Alberta Environment
Tim Shipton, President, Alberta Enterprise Group

Materials:
Jennifer Grant, powerpoint presentation: "Environmental Implications of Oilsands Development"
Lisa Jamieson, powerpoint presentation: "An Introduction to the Alberta Regulatory Framework for Oil Sands"
Lisa Sadownik, powerpoint presentation: "New and Evolving Policy"
Tim Shipton, powerpoint presentation: "Greening Canadian Oil Sands Panel Discussion"
mp3 recording