U.S.-Canada Regional Economic and Energy Integration

By Dana Gabriel

Trilateral initiatives, such as NAFTA and the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) have further advanced North American integration. It is also at a state and provincial level that regional integration is being achieved in areas of trade, the environment and energy.

The 33rd Annual Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers was held in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada on September 14-15 and was co-chaired by host Premier Shawn Graham and Maine Governor John Baldacci. Throughout the years, the governors and premiers have forged a partnership and expanded economic ties, including cooperation on energy and environmental issues. At each conference, policy resolutions are enacted which call on actions by the state and provincial governments, as well as by the two national governments. The current global financial crisis has placed more focus on finding collaborative regional approaches to economic and energy issues. The recent conference included resolutions concerning the green economy, renewable energy, climate change, energy efficiency, pandemic preparedness and open and secure trade. Regional leaders endorsed a blueprint for the region’s energy future.

In March of this year, Premier Graham and Governor Baldacci announced support for a Northeast Energy Corridor. This would position New Brunswick and Maine as energy hubs and link their resources to energy stressed East Coast states. It would also expand U.S.-Canada shared strategic objectives in energy supply and energy security. There are calls for such an energy corridor to be flexible and able to handle power lines, natural gas and other energy supplies, depending on future demand. In an open letter to the Eastern Canadian premiers, the Council of Canadians cautioned, “against adopting a regional energy vision that includes large energy project 'corridors' directed at export-oriented trade. These projects create negative local impacts and undermine energy security in Eastern Canada.â€