The Alberta government has approved three oilsands projects that it says represent about $4 billion of potential investments, though it's unclear whether any of the projects will go ahead. The projects include the Blackpearl Resources's Blackrod project, Surmont Energy's Wildwood project, and Husky Energy's Saleski project that together total about 95,000 barrels of potential production. The approvals, announced Thursday, are the first projects to get the green light since the government established a 100 megatonne greenhouse gas cap on oilsands emissions. The companies still must make final investment decisions on the projects and work with regulators on specific licences and approvals. The NDP government last approved an oilsands project in October 2015, with Devon Canada's 9,000-barrel-a-day project near Cold Lake, Alta.

Source: CBC News September 16, 2016 12:56 UTC