Obama Prefers Arabia

The American president rushed to meet the new king of Saudi Arabia this week to pay him tribute, writes our editor.

When it comes to energy and the environment, Barack Obama is not easy to follow. If we are to believe his most recent statements on the subject, the president’s goal is to block the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline under the pretext that the pipeline would result in an increase of the production of Canadian oil sands and, consequently, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

According to experts in American politics, saying no to the Keystone XL pipeline would allow Mr. Obama to apply a brilliant ecological varnish to his presidency. Paradoxically, the actions of the president for the past 10 days show that he’s in favor of the exploitation of oil resources … as long as they are not Canadian.

In his State of the Union address last week, Mr. Obama bragged about the fact that the United States has become “No. 1 in oil and gas.” Why is it good for the planet that the United States is producing more oil than ever before, but bad for Canada to increase its production?

We can say that the oil from the tar sands is “dirty,” that its production emits far more greenhouse gases than other types of oil. However, the most recent analysis on the matter, published last summer by IHS Consulting Services, shows that 45 percent of the crude oil refined in the United States emits as much greenhouse gas emissions as Alberta’s tar oil. This is the case of oil from Alaska, even that of the heavy product in California and in Venezuela.

Last Tuesday, the Obama administration announced that it plans to sell 14 new permits for offshore exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, along the East Coast and in the north of Alaska. “The safe and responsible development of our nation’s domestic energy resources is a key part of the president’s efforts to support American jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell declared.

In front of Congress, the president has pointed out that the United States has broken free “from the grip of foreign oil.” Mr. Obama was careful not to say that since his arrival at the White House Americans have increased their purchases of Canadian oil by 230 million barrels a year. The latter has replaced the black gold coming from the Middle East, Venezuela and Mexico. Which supplier does Mr. Obama prefer?

To add insult to injury, the 44th president rushed to pay tribute to the new king of Saudi Arabia this week. Saudi Arabia — a “human rights paradise,” as everyone knows — produces three times more oil than Canada. [This is] the Arabia whose greenhouse gas emissions per capita are among the highest in the world, just behind those of the United States.