By an OGJ Online Correspondent
CALGARY, Feb. 22�Energy Minister Ralph Goodale said Canada's reserves's reserves are supply alternatives to the US opening the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
Goodale told a Calgary conference that Canada�s petroleum reserves in oil sands, the Arctic, and the East Coast offshore areas offer the US an alternative to exploring in the refuge.
Canada is opposed to drilling in ANWR because it is the calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd, which migrates into the adjacent Yukon and Northwest Territories in Canada and is an important resource for aboriginal people.
Goodale said the US will consult with Canada on the issue �but at the end of the day the decision will be made in the US." Canada and the US signed a non-binding agreement in 1986 to protect the herd.
The energy minister said Canada will have to consult with the administration of President George W. Bush about his goals for North American energy policy including Canada and Mexico.
Goodale has scheduled meetings in the next 2 weeks with US Energy Sec. Spencer Abraham and Mexican Energy Minister Ernesto Martens.
