WASHINGTON - A U.S. senator says Canada's oilsands won't be penalized by American legislation that prohibits the government from buying alternative fuels with higher greenhouse gas emissions.
Senator Jeff Bingaman, who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, says he supports adopting a clarification like one in the House of Representatives that would exempt the oilsands.
He says any restrictions on U.S. purchases would only apply to contracts drawn up specifically limiting a certain type of alternative, non-conventional fuel.
Canada has been worried that a major U.S. energy bill passed last year would impact future exports from the oilsands.
The bill prohibits the American government from buying alternative fuels that produce more emissions over the life of a project than other sources.
Environmentalists on both sides of the border, meantime, want Canada to slow down oilsands development and take more steps to clean it up.
