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U.S. energy plans could be opportunity for the province January 19, 2007 Kelvin Parsons, Opposition Natural Resources critic and MHA for the District of Burgeo-La Poile, says that U.S. President George Bush's call for alternate sources of oil to reduce Middle Eastern sources should be a wake-up call for the government to promote the expansion of the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore oil industry. Mr. Parsons was commenting on a Radio-Canada news story that reported that Natural Resources Canada and the United States Department of Energy met in Houston, Texas to make plans for the "fivefold expansion of oilsands production" by the year 2015. That could mean up to five million barrels a day in added exports and production in Alberta, according to the story. "While we are witness to the change the United States is looking for in its quest for alternate energy supplies other than Middle East crude oil, Newfoundland and Labrador could be playing a vital role in filling that need provided that there were a means of getting the premier to the bargaining table. Alberta looks to be the first choice of the United States and the Canadian government," Parsons said. "The people of this province could witness a demise in the offshore industry in the coming years if we don't negotiate a good deal that provides product, benefits, and puts our people to work. The breakdown in the Hebron-Ben Nevis talks may have already cost us more than we know. The failure to negotiate means that we could be left behind, and nobody knows the future of the Hibernia South project. "Right now, it looks like there is a very real possibility that Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore oil, and its value to the United States market, may have been lessened somewhat. That is certainly a concern."
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