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The article discusses Canada and Alberta's commitment to set up the most effective way of monitoring the environmental impact of oil sands. This came after the U.S. postponed legislation that will develop the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline project, one that would take oil from Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast. It details what the two governments will set up in terms of an integrated data management system that will allow open access to credible sources of environmental information on oil sands.

The article reports on a forecast by the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) that 15,100 wells will be drilled in Canada in 2012. Provinces that will see the most number of well drillings are Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. PSAC also noted that oil prices will be enough to fund oil drilling while gas prices will remain low.

The article reports on the filing requirements released by the National Energy Board of Canada for future applications to drill in the Canadian Arctic Offsore in an effort to allay public concerns in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

The author discusses Daniel Yergin's essay about the oil and gas industry, published in the "Washington Post." Yergin believes that the world is going to experience a shift in oil activity away from the Middle East and into the Western Hemisphere, including Canada, North Dakota and South Texas. He observes that the shift is unplanned and brought about by unrelated initiatives and technological breakthroughs.

The article reports that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has assured Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird that Washington will decide by end of 2011 whether to issue a permit for the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline stretching from Canada to Texas. The project faces objections from environmentalists and citizen groups due to environmental concerns. Baird contends that they have been clear from the beginning that the safety of the pipeline is one of their highest priorities.

The article reports on the decision of the Russian government to dispatch the nuclear-powered Rossiya icebreaker with the research vessel Academician Fyodorov to determine the boundaries of the Russian continental shelf in the Arctic in 2011. A Rosatomflot spokeswoman noted that the icebreaker will ensure the consistency of vessel speed. It mentions the intention of the Russians to prove that their Eurasian landmass covers the Lomonosov Ridge. The claim was rejected by Canada and Denmark.