ALL THE UR EVER WANTED WAS A FIG LEAF:

The Harper government's notion of an energy strategy -- emphasize the power and efficiency of markets, get rid of red tape, finger environmental radicals, and remind the U.S. how secure Canadian supplies are -- received a double boost this week.

The obvious one was the Obama administration's embrace of the news that TransCanada plans to proceed with the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline. This is half the pipeline whose approval the White House recently nixed. The White House also seems favourably disposed towards a more ecologically sensitive route for the Northern leg. Just don't ask for any decisions until after the presidential election. [...]

Mr. Obama's new vision of a bright future for hydrocarbons is also related to the fact that the global green energy bandwagon has hit less of a pothole than a chasm. Not only is it economically unsustainable, but the "settled" science behind it is being increasingly questioned, while the Kyoto political process is stone dead.

Follow @brothersjudd