Obama Calls Canada's Oil Sands "Dilemma," Like US Coal

OTTAWA — President Barack Obama, in advance of his first foreign trip, said Tuesday that Canada's oil sands operations leave a carbon foot print that adds to climate change concerns. Obama, who heads to Canada on Thursday, expressed concern about the environmental impact of the oil sands in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said energy security and the environmental impact of Alberta's massive oil sands operations will be priorities during his meeting with the new U.S. leader. Harper is expected to lobby Obama on the merits of the oil sands as a safe and secure source of oil. But critics say the growing operations by major oil companies will increase greenhouse gas emissions and threaten Alberta's rivers and forests. Experts say producing a barrel of oil from sand results in emissions three times greater than a conventional barrel of oil. Obama likened the carbon footprint of the oil sands with that of the U.S. coal ... (link)