• The United States purchases more oil, natural gas, uranium and electricity from Canada than any other country.
• Canada’s proven oil reserves total 179 billion barrels, of which 173 billion barrels are in oil sands reserves, making Canada second only to Saudi Arabia in global oil reserves.
• 99% of Canada’s crude oil exports are to U.S. markets.
• Energy flows in both directions between the United States and Canada. Our pipeline and transmission systems are highly integrated and our cross-border trade operates nearly seamlessly.
• Both countries expect the United States to remain the primary market for oil sands production, so there is a need for sufficient pipeline capacity to move this expanding oil production to U.S. markets, and the right refining capacity to process greater volumes of oil sands crude.
• The Canadian oil sands are critically important to U.S. energy security—and to North American security.
• The United States cannot produce enough domestic oil to meet domestic demand. So we must rely on stable partners—like Canada—with plentiful hydrocarbon resources.
• Current oil sands production is 1.2 million barrels per day, and is projected by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers to reach 2 million barrels per day in 2012, 3 million barrels per day in 2017, and 3.5 million barrels per day in 2020. In this era of growing energy insecurity, the oil sands are an increasingly valuable resource—in particular to the United States.
• One of the biggest challenges to increasing production is making sure that this vast resource is developed in an economically efficient and environmentally responsible way. The Government of Canada, the Alberta Government, and the oil sands industry have made clear that they are committed to accomplishing this goal and addressing the environmental challenges.
• Both the Canadian federal government and the government of Alberta have greenhouse gas reduction initiatives, including Alberta’s recently announced $2 billion allocation for carbon capture and storage. Companies have made significant strides over the last decade to bring down the costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil sands production, and are continuing their efforts.
• According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) some projects have reduced their greenhouse gas intensity by 45 percent since 1990, and industry is increasing energy efficiency and starting carbon capture and sequestration and enhanced oil recovery.

Media contact(s):
Healy Baumgardner, (202) 586-4940