WASHINGTON, D.C. — Premier Jason Kenney and key ministers are in Washington D.C. to pitch Alberta’s clean oil and gas as America’s solution to oil supply constraints and soaring gas prices..The premier made the trip ahead of Wednesday’s results on his leadership review.. Kenney ministers in WashingtonKenney ministers in Washington .The goal is to design a major pipeline project — but this starts with a public relations campaign in the US where officials are largely unaware Alberta is their biggest energy import supplier, Kenney said..“Ordinary American voters (and) people on Capitol Hill want to know — how can they get gas prices down,” the premier said. “Canada is a solution. We shouldn’t be shy about saying that.”.Many officials in Washington have a fixed idea about Alberta’s oil sands and little awareness about the province’s leadership on methane reductions, carbon pricing, and a commitment from oil sands producers to achieve net-zero by 2050, Kenney said..Canadians governments failed to invest in necessary resources to counteract the sustained “campaign” to stigmatize Canadian oil sands and halt pipeline infrastructure, he said.. Kenney in WashingtonKenney in Washington .A “charming Canadian tendency to be apologetic” kept leaders from pushing back, Kenney said..“We got it in our minds that our oil sold itself.”.Saudi Arabia, which is responsible for 6% of US oil imports, spends $300 million on public relations in the US, said James Rajotte, Alberta's senior representative to the US..In comparison, Alberta — with a much smaller budget — is responsible for 62% of US oil imports, Kenney said..Alberta also is five times more important than the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as a source of energy to fuel the American economy, but “US lawmakers don’t understand that,” Kenney said..Meanwhile, the Biden administration has lifted some Iranian oil sanctions and is working with regimes that are hostile to America to fill demand created by sanctions on Russian oil, he said..In his fight to spread the word about Alberta’s energy sector, Kenney will regularly send delegates to D.C. beginning this summer. .But the US should make a strategic decision to work with Canada to build another major pipeline, if it "wants to get off its addiction to OPEC conflict oil," the premier said. .Canada will max its pipeline capacity by the end of this year and the Trans Mountain Expansion Project won’t be ready until the first quarter of 2024, he said..Asked if Ottawa will back Alberta’s pipeline ambitions, Kenney said his approach to the Trudeau government is to “find common ground wherever we can.”.Alberta has been opposed to Trudeau’s legislation on regulatory processes, like Bill C-69, which Kenney dubbed the “no more pipelines” bill. The Alberta Court of Appeal found the bill unconstitutional last week — a ruling Ottawa will appeal at the Supreme Court..But Trudeau also approved the Keystone XL pipeline, which was cancelled when President Joe Biden pulled the permit. Keystone XL was proposed in 2008 to bring 830,000 barrels of Alberta oil sands crude to Nebraska per day..“At this point, nobody’s going to go ahead unless there is some commitment from the government of the United States to facilitate this,” Kenney said. “We’re not there yet.”.Environment Minister Jason Nixon said his government’s efforts are working, as evidenced by his conversations with officials from US presidential envoy John Kerry’s office. The officials understood more of what’s happening in Alberta than Canada's federal government, Nixon said, adding, “the word is getting around.”.Pointing to Senator Joe Manchin’s visit to Alberta last month, Energy Minister Sonya Savage said a US representative coming to Alberta and saying “we need you” is the most significant thing that’s happened for the province’s energy industry in 15 years..The roundtable comes ahead of Kenney’s appearance at the US Senate committee on energy and natural resources on Tuesday.
