Canada's poor environment record could hit energy exports: watchdog

By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada is doing a bad job of protecting the environment, an official watchdog said on Tuesday, suggesting a poor image for the country on green issues could harm Canadian companies seeking to export crude oil and natural gas. The damning report by Neil Maxwell, interim commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, puts more pressure on the Conservative government, which is already under fire for what critics say is a poor environmental record. "Government has not met key commitments, deadlines and obligations to protect Canada's wildlife and natural spaces," Maxwell told a news conference. The report will undoubtedly boost the spirits of green activists in the United States, who want President Barack Obama to block TransCanada Corp's proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude from the Alberta oil sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast.



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