On Tuesday’s edition of “Bloomberg Markets,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he has no idea why the Biden administration is begging OPEC to ship more energy and exploring lifting sanctions on Venezuela and Iran to address gas prices while remaining neutral on Michigan’s efforts to shut down the Line 5 pipeline.
Kenney said, “Well, what I’m hearing from my American counterparts is that the number one concern of Americans right now is inflation, especially on energy, the price of gas. The president himself has said that this is a crisis that he’s very focused on and he’s been pleading with OPEC generally, Saudi Arabia in particular, to produce and ship more. He’s — his administration has been trying to lift sanctions on both Venezuelan and Iranian oil exports. So, our point is, instead of looking to the world’s worst regimes who are, in some cases, sworn enemies of the United States, like Iran and Venezuela, why not turn to your closest friend, neighbor, and ally, which already ships 62% of U.S. oil imports? That comes from Alberta, Canada.”
After the discussion turned to the Line 5 pipeline, “I don’t know why the Biden government — the Biden administration is sitting on the fence neutral on this issue while pleading that OPEC ship more energy and you have a U.S. governor trying to shut down a pipeline that, for six decades, has safely delivered over half a million barrels a day of Canadian energy, largely to the upper Midwest to refineries in Ohio, Pennsylvania. Detroit airport would shut down without the aviation fuel coming off Line 5. The Upper Michigan Peninsula would not be able to heat homes in the winter without the propane off that line. So, while the U.S. is facing an energy crisis, why in the world would the U.S. government not come on, side with Canada and Alberta and just tell the governor of Michigan, work with Enbridge on the new, safe, subterranean pipeline to replace the one that’s been safely operating for 60 years?”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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