Oil sands comment squabble

By Steve Marshall

 11 November 2011 01:16 GMT

Norwegian Oil & Energy Minister Ola Borten Moe has again ruffled feathers in the country’s climate-focused coalition government by publicly applauding Statoil’s controversial investment in Canada’s oil sands, writes Steve Marshall.

There was talk of an emerging policy rift after ministerial colleagues reacted to Moe’s praise for the state-owned oil company’s operations during a visit to its Leismer demonstration project in Alberta, as well as implied criticisms of the European Union’s proposed fuel directive that discriminates against crude imports from the “pollutive” oil sands.

Moe was quoted as saying that Statoil “seems to improve results in both efficiency and emissions”, adding “I have a good impression of what’s happening here”.

The Centre Party minister also backed Canada’s stance against the EU directive, saying it…

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