Canada, U.S., Mexico sign trilateral energy accord

CBC News
Monday, July 23, 2007

Canada, the United States and Mexico signed what officials are calling a historic energy accord on Monday, sharing information about the science and technology of energy.

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Secretary of Energy for Mexico Georgina Kessel signed the trilateral accord in Victoria.

Lunn said the accord — a framework designed to stimulate innovation and to share and help build capacity in all three countries — will encourage the countries to develop clean energy.

'We need to break through to an era of low, even zero, emission fossil fuel production and use.'— Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn

One of the first goals is to draft common standards for energy-efficient appliances, such as refrigerators and air conditioners, he said.

"We need to break through to an era of low, even zero, emission fossil fuel production and use," Lunn said.
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Bodman said the U.S. government recognizes the challenge posed by global warming, but cautions: "Whatever happens, you will damage economic growth because it will cost something to remove carbon dioxide, so the question is how do you balance that."

The three energy ministers made it clear they plan to continue developing oil and natural gas and to keep them flowing in a single North American market.

But Lunn said they took no position on developing petroleum off the B.C. coast, and didn't endorse the idea of banning tankers from northern waters — a proposal the federal New Democrats and environmentalists are demanding.

Lunn said a voluntary agreement remains in place to prevent tanker traffic from Alaska from using the northern B.C. coastal waters.