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Obama: ‘questions’ about ‘destructive’ oil sands; Senator wants trade inquiry

President Obama was asked about oil sands at an energy town hall today in Pennsylvania. He said it was a “good thing” to get oil from friendly and stable countries such as Canada, but said he would not pre-judge the State Department permit process for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. He raised environmental concerns:

“These tar sands, there are some environmental questions about how destructive they are, potentially, what are the dangers there, and we’ve got to examine all those questions.”

More of his comments here.

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Separately today, a US senator has asked the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate what he calls secret agreements among Canadian oil companies to drive up oil prices in the US.  Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, asked the FTC:

“…to investigate confidential agreements between seven Canadian oil companies planning to construct a pipeline from Canadian tar sands oil deposits to refineries in along the Gulf of Mexico, bypassing refineries in the Midwest. Should the pipeline be built, the result will drive up prices at those Midwest refineries and the cost will be transferred to gasoline consumers.”

His press release and full letter here.

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On Twitter at luizachsavage

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