[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The oil from the Alberta oilsands (there's no tar there) costs Americans less than the oil you import from the Mid East. Our (Canada's) alternative to the U.S. market is China. We wouldn't even have to wait for a pipeline to be constructed; as shipment by rail would be economic, and the infrastructure is already in place. Only environmentalists (ours, plus American and European) stand in the way of this.

[thackney]

For significant volumes, shipment by pipeline is FAR cheaper than by rail.

About half the oil we get from Canada is already from the oil sands.