The Canadian and Albertan governments announced an agreement yesterday to study greenhouse gas emissions in the country's oil sands region, as activists prepared to protest the Keystone XL pipeline in two U.S. states.

Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver and Alberta Premier Alison Redford said the new memorandum of understanding would lead to "new and improved" oil sands technologies that would reduce the industry's energy use. They did not tie new funding to the deal or announce the hiring of new employees or creation of a new office.

Instead, the memorandum would lead to new discussions among government organizations, oil sands companies and academic institutions about emissions reductions in the oil sands, according to Paul Duchesne, a spokesman for Natural Resources Canada.

The research would be led by Natural Resources' CanmetENERGY and by Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, a research group funded by the Albertan government.

"We are committed to continue working with the government of Alberta to overcome the unique technological and environmental challenges associated with oil sands development," said Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver.

The announcement comes as environmentalists prepare to protest TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline today in Wichita, Kan., and Texas, where a landowner obtained a court order this week blocking the company from crossing her farm with the proposed oil conduit. The pipeline -- which was denied a cross-border permit by the Obama administration in January -- would have brought oil sands crude 1,700 miles from Alberta to Texas refineries.

In Texas, protesters will gather in Austin and the city of Paris, where a judge is set to hear the case this morning. "Everyone wants to know, by what authority or permit does this private, foreign company have the right to condemn property and start construction?" said Linda Curtis of Independent Texans.

In Wichita, meanwhile, representatives from the Sierra Club and other groups are commencing "Occupy Koch Town," a weekend-long protest aimed at the energy policies of Charles and David Koch, owners of Koch Industries. They are making Keystone XL a focal point of the protests, although Koch Industries has claimed it does not have a financial interest in the pipeline (ClimateWire, Jan. 26).

Jobs vs. emissions

Environmentalists also have protested against Keystone XL because oil sands crude releases more greenhouse gas emissions in the production process than traditional oil. Yesterday, an analyst at the Pembina Institute, a Canada-based environmental think tank, said she was "less than hopeful" about plans by the Canadian government to study oil sands emissions reductions, since the Canadian government has not released comprehensive plans to regulate the sector after originally promising a blueprint last year.

Supporters of Keystone XL and the oil sands, on the other hand, say the concerns are overblown, considering that Canada produces less than 5 percent of global greenhouse emissions, even when industry growth is taken into account. Supporters -- who include some congressional Democrats -- also say that the pipeline would create jobs and enhance U.S. energy security as gas prices head higher.

In Congress, Republicans continue to search for a legislative vehicle to overturn Obama's decision. Attempts to tie a pro-Keystone XL amendment in the Senate to a major transportation bill likely will not be resolved before Congress heads into recess next week, one Senate aide said yesterday.

The House of Representatives voted 237-187 yesterday on a larger energy package that overrides Obama's decision on Keystone XL, although the measure is not expected to pass in the Senate.

In an op-ed in the Miami Herald yesterday, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) called for approval of Keystone XL in raising concerns about a "growing and deepening alliance" between Iran and Venezuela. "If Iran were to close the Strait of Hormuz in a conflict, global oil prices would skyrocket," Lugar wrote.

TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha said the company would argue in the Texas landowner case that it is not planning to commence construction anytime soon, despite "false" claims by opponents that construction of a portion of the pipeline could occur by March 1.

After Obama's decision, TransCanada has not yet reapplied for a permit and has not made any decisions about building a U.S. portion of the pipeline that would run through Texas, he said. Earlier this week, TransCanada pushed back its expected operational date for Keystone XL into 2015.

He said the company already has easement agreements in place with over 99 percent of landowners in Texas along Keystone XL's proposed path.

"The eminent domain process is well-established, and we follow the process that is set out by law in each state," Cunha said. "Our commitment is to treat landowners with honesty, fairness and respect, to work with them and come up with the best possible solution."