TETON VILLAGE, Wyo. (AP) -- Alberta's top official defended his province's development of crude from Canada's massive oil sands Tuesday as environmentalist complaints trailed him to the Western Governors' Association meeting in Wyoming.Premier Ed Stelmach said he expects his province's oil industry to be scrutinized because it's the top source of imported crude oil to the United States. Alberta exported 1.35 million barrels of crude oil per day to the United States in 2006, making up 13 percent of U.S. crude imports.
"Being the No. 1 supplier to the United States, we expect that we'll be drawing attention, simply as a result of that," Stelmach said. "We're continuing to work to be leaders in greening our growth; we will lead in that policy development with or without the federal government. We're willing to make the investments."
The Natural Resources Defense Council and other groups took out an advertisement in the Casper Star-Tribune, Wyoming's largest newspaper, criticizing the impact of Alberta's oil sands development on forest land and the emissions the crude produces as fuel. The groups also sent letters to all the governors in attendance at the Western Governors' Association meeting.
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