New U.S. ad blitz touts Keystone pipeline
CALGARY — Alberta is releasing another series of advertisements in U.S. publications aimed at convincing Americans that approving the Keystone XL pipeline would benefit both sides of the border.
The advertisements, which carry a $77,000 price tag, are being rolled out in the Washington Post and news websites this week as Premier Alison Redford returns to Capitol Hill to pitch power brokers on the value of the controversial oil pipeline.
“These ads are targeted at key decision-makers in the Washington area,” Neala Barton, press secretary for Redford, told Postmedia News.
“We want them to know about the province’s strong environmental record and the huge potential for energy security and job creation that the pipeline would bring.”
The quarter-page Post ad, titled “Keystone XL: The Choice of Reason,” appeals to American patriotism, middleclass prosperity and neighbourly goodwill.
It’s almost identical to one that ran in a Sunday edition of the New York Times newspaper last month.
“America’s desire to effectively balance strong environmental policy, clean technology development, energy security and plentiful job opportunities for the middle class and returning war veterans mirrors that of the people of Alberta,” reads an advance copy of the April 9 advertisement.
“This is why choosing to approve Keystone XL and oil from a neighbour, ally, friend and responsible energy developer is the choice of reason.”
Barton noted new online ads, which are slated to run on political news sites — such as National Journal, Politico and Roll Call — will contribute to reaching an audience of more than 1.5 million people.
Chris Sands, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute thinktank, expressed skepticism and characterized the Tory government’s sales pitch as a “teardrop in an ocean of political communication.”
“We’re bombarded by political ads from everybody all the time,” Sands said, in an interview from Washington. “They just sort of wash over you.”
If approved, the Keystone XL pipeline would transport 830,000 barrels a day of Alberta oilsands bitumen through many states to the world’s largest refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Calgary-based TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., the company behind the 1,800-kilometre oil pipeline, has faced fierce opposition from environmentalists and their supporters. Opponents say it’s fostering new fossil fuel consumption from the oilsands, which they believe is dirty oil with high greenhouse gas emissions.
On Sunday, a coalition of Keystone opponents launched a new national TV ad campaign, hitting many of the U.S. morning talk shows.
The U.S. Senate has previously backed construction on the pipeline, but a final decision must come from U.S. President Barack Obama, who has twice rejected the $7-billion project.
On Monday, Redford begins her three-day trip in Washington, her second trip to the U.S capital in two months. She will be joined by Cal Dallas, minister of international and intergovernmental relations, and Environment Minister Diana McQueen.
The entire cost of the mission is $34,000.