On September 18, 2014, the Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, and Dr. Ernest Moniz, U.S. Secretary of Energy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Cooperation between Natural Resources Canada and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Canada and the U.S. have deeply integrated economies, with shared critical energy infrastructure, and common values that underpin their strong collaboration on energy and environmental matters. By acting together, Canada and the U.S. can advance individual national interests while achieving shared goals of greater energy security and environmental responsibility.
Sharing an interest in expanding their energy collaboration and a desire to work together regionally and globally, the five-year agreement will allow Canada and the U.S. to participate in cooperative activities such as sharing knowledge, technology and research, facilitating training and sharing best practices. Cooperative activities planned include:
- sharing policies, technical information, research plans and best practices related to improving environmental practices in conventional and unconventional oil and gas development;
- sharing knowledge and exploring options to enhance reliability and security of North American energy infrastructure;
- supporting the advancement of an efficient and clean electric grid;
- enhancing understanding of cross-border permitting regimes for electric transmission facilities;
- enhancing coordination on energy efficiency standards;
- facilitating increased use of natural gas in the transportation sector;
- exploring partnerships among research institutes;
- sharing knowledge and best practices regarding improving access to clean, affordable energy and energy efficiency in Tribal and Aboriginal communities;
- collaborating in the area of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce the cost of CO2 capture technologies;
- collaborating on water use in CCS across a range of fossil fuel applications; and
- engaging in regional and multilateral fora on energy and environmental issues to advance shared priorities, including global energy security.
Chris McCluskey
Director of Communications
Office of Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources
613-996-2007
or
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
613-992-4447
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