North American Energy Leaders Meet to Discuss Energy Security, Environment
Energy ministers for Canada, Mexico and the U.S. met recently on enhancing North American energy security and environmental protection, announcing concrete actions on energy science and technology, energy efficiency, deployment of clean energy technologies and other cooperative projects.
Energy ministers for Canada, Mexico and the U.S. met recently on enhancing North American energy security and environmental protection, announcing concrete actions on energy science and technology, energy efficiency, deployment of clean energy technologies and other cooperative projects.
The North American energy ministers met in Victoria, B.C., today where the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, hosted his counterparts Georgina Kessel, Secretary of Energy for Mexico, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman.
Among the collaborative efforts they endorsed was a trilateral agreement on energy science and technology — a framework designed to stimulate innovation and to share and help build capacity in all three countries.
The ministers reconfirmed their commitment to further aligning energy-efficiency standards on key consumer products, noting that recent collaborative efforts had resulted in the harmonization of energy performance standards for refrigerators, air conditioners and large electric motors.
The ministers also discussed the importance of continuing to increase the region’s energy security, recognizing the critical contribution that an integrated energy market makes to the North American economy, representing approximately US $150 billion in trade between the three countries. While recognizing and fully respecting the jurisdictional authorities of each country, they committed to working together to further enhance the effectiveness of the North American energy market.
The ministers announced that discussions will continue to identify specific ways to increase cooperation on research and development and to reduce barriers to the deployment of new technologies in a wide variety of areas, including biofuels, gas hydrates, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, clean coal and electricity transmission. To further these efforts Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will exchange scientific and technical personnel in order to participate in joint studies and projects.
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