Have Your Say
Enter your name at the bottom to send the following letter to President Barack Obama.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama:
Every day, the United States imports millions of barrels of Conflict Oil from politically oppressive and environmentally reckless regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. There is a better way: Ethical Oil from Canada, its oilsands, and other liberal democracies. Canada is already the number one oil exporter to the United States, and its oilsands contain the world’s third largest proven oil reserves, after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The United States can reduce its dependence on Conflict Oil by increasing imports of Ethical Oil from Canada’s oilsands. I urge your administration to support initiatives – including the creation of new pipelines like Keystone XL - that will allow Ethical Oil to replace Conflict Oil.
You have no doubt encountered the networks of professional lobbyists and special interests who are defenders of the status quo. While waging a well-funded PR campaign against Canada, America’s closest ally, they remain silent about the harmful effects of continued U.S. dependence on Conflict Oil. Their attacks against Canada and its Ethical Oil industry are based on a number of lies. For starters, they use the term “tarsands” to describe the oil in Canada’s Fort McMurray region, even though there is actually no tar in the oilsands. Second, they claim that the oilsands are harming climate change efforts, even though CO2 emissions per barrel in the oilsands is decreasing. In fact, your administration’s National Energy Technology Laboratory found that Venezuela’s ultra-heavy crude oil is likely responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions per barrel than Canada’s oilsands. Finally, they ignore completely the human cost of drilling for Conflict Oil in regimes like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, both of which have been criticised by the United Nations for their use of forced labour.
I believe Americans would rather fill their gas tank with Ethical Oil from Canada, its oilsands, and other liberal democracies than Conflict Oil from environmentally reckless and politically oppressive regimes. I urge you to demonstrate leadership on this file. Ethical Oil is a choice we have to make.
Yours sincerely,
