Canada is the number one supplier of both crude oil and total petroleum products to the United States. Most of that oil originates in the western province of Alberta, which in several ways is sort of the Texas of Canada. Besides, the oil Alberta is also the spiritual home of cowboys in Canada and also the most politically conservative region in Canada. Unlike Texas, the oil in Alberta doesn't generally gush out of the ground when you poke it with a stick. Most of the oil is locked up in tar sands and is much more expensive to extract than the oil in places like the middle east. However, as crude oil prices have climbed in recent years it has become economically viable. Now the government of Alberta wants to begin preparing for a time beyond petroleum. They are committing C$239 million to developing bio-fuel production, distribution and consumption. This makes a lot of sense for Alberta. The western edge of the province rises up into the Rocky Mountains, but the majority of the land mass is flat as a board prairie much of occupied by wheat and canola fields. Alberta wants to be able to continue supplying energy to Canada and the world even after the oil sands are depleted.
