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What are the biggest challenges facing PSAC and what’s being done to address them? The biggest challenge facing PSAC this year is the same as the last couple of years: persuading the myriad of engineering, construction, and service and supply companies involved in oilsands to join PSAC and create a stronger voice for all companies supporting oil and gas development. When PSAC was formed in 1981, oilsands development was largely in its infancy and thus PSAC represented a large crosssection of the oil service and supply industry. The accelerated growth in oilsands development in recent years has resulted in the emergence of scores of new suppliers that are not PSAC members. Why join? Whether it’s oilsands or conventional oil and gas, we share the same customers; operate under the same legislation and hazards; face the same challenges in terms of contracts, regulations, and manpower; and will reap the same rewards if we collectively better represent our sector. There’s strength in numbers. PSAC will continue to try and attract more member companies from the oilsands sector.
The entire energy industry seems to get painted with a broad brush when it comes to the environment. What can be done to change that? The oil industry has been under attack for one reason or another since the 1970s and the first OPEC-induced crude price spike. We’ve been charged with price-fixing, collusion, abusing human rights, supporting totalitarian governments, and suppressing non-hydrocarbon energy alternatives. Lack of respect or destroying the environment is the latest in a long list of crimes our industry has allegedly committed. What makes this remarkable is that hydrocarbon fuel is as essential to modern man as food, water, air, and shelter. Few can even imagine life without the conveniences that hydrocarbon fuels provide. The problem is that our industry has taken our importance for granted and let others lead the public debate. Our lack of participation has created a situation where Canadians can criticize oilsands development and high gasoline prices in the same sentence. We can fix that by recognizing the information vacuum that exists, and filling the void with intelligent education messages of our own.
What do you say to those who say there should be a moratorium on oilsands production in Alberta? I refer back to point two. There’s this huge disconnect between the intrinsic linkage between reliable and economical sources of fuel, economic prosperity, low taxes, and the ongoing development of the oilsands. Critics of the oilsands are not being honest when they say we can introduce a moratorium on oilsands development without hurting the economy. That’s just plain wrong. Continued oilsands development is essential for several reasons. First, every new project learns from what has gone before and incorpor ates new and more environmentally benign technologies and processes. We can’t just stop. Second, oilsands oil displaces “blood oil” from countries with no respect for human rights. Some support global terrorism. There are more problems in the world than industrial emissions. Third, oilsands development is one of the few sure economic winners Canada has in the 21st century. Quit expanding the oilsands and do what? The world has changed. All things considered, oilsands are a huge asset, not a liability.
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