Regulatory fight in a Canadian oil-sands box

Columnist Bill Mann writes in MarketWatch on Thursday, a big battle is shaping up over environmental regulation of Canada’s oil sands, the second-largest oil deposits in the world. And, surprisingly, it’s Conservatives against Conservatives.

In this corner, it’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s federal Conservatives, who just gained a majority government. In that corner, it’s Alberta’s conservative provincial government, led by hard-nosed, oil-industry friendly premier Ed Stelmach.

The Bill Mann’s Canada commentary on Market Watch goes on to say:

“The Wikileaks cable, little-reported in U.S. media, which is a bit surprising, considering its importance to the U.S. energy future, also revealed that the Obama administration inquired about a possible moratorium on new oil sands development as global criticism mounted over the second-largest proven oil reserves in the world.”