For those pumping up the profile of Canadian crude, Washington's recent about-face is an unpleasant surprise

WASHINGTON -Two years ago today, the Alberta government parked a huge dump truck on the National Mall in Washington, announcing to U. S. lawmakers Canada was about to become the next big thing in global energy.

It was an ostentatious display -- the yellow behemoth used in oil sands extraction stood five metres tall, with four-metre-high tires -- that helped put Alberta's oil sands on the map for a Congress deeply worried after 9/11 about the security of the U. S. energy supply.

But the higher profile has come with a cost. Now, Canadian oil is sparking fear and loathing on Capitol Hill and elsewhere. ... Read full article