Viva Zap

Canada, U.S., Mexico sign five-year energy pact

Will an energy pact between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico pave the way for alternative fuels or grease the skids for business as usual? Maybe a little of both. The five-year agreement, signed yesterday by Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn, U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, and Mexican Secretary of Energy Georgina Kessel, "represents another step -- we believe a major step -- toward enhancing global energy security and environmental protection," Bodman said. The countries will share information and technology on renewable sources like wind, solar, and biomass; draft energy-efficiency guidelines for products; and encourage consumers to conserve. How innovative! How forward-looking! How -- oh, and they'll also keep pumping oil and natural gas with abandon, pushing for "clean coal," and dodging the question of whether oil tankers can traverse protected waters off the coast of British Columbia. But hey, let's stick with innovative and forward-looking. It just feels better.