Oklahoma and Texas rank far more attractive for oil and gas investment than Alberta

CALGARY—Oklahoma and Texas are considered far more attractive than Alberta for oil and gas investment, according to a new survey of petroleum-sector executives released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank. “Canada’s onerous and uncertain regulatory environment, along with our lack of pipeline capacity has created a significant competitiveness gap between Canadian and American jurisdictions,” said Elmira Aliakbari, Associate Director of the Centre for Natural Resource Studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the Canada-US Energy Sector Competitiveness Survey.

The survey, conducted between May and August of 2020, ranks 21 North American jurisdictions (16 states and five provinces) based on policies affecting oil and gas investment. This year, Oklahoma ranked 1st, while Alberta ranked 12th out of 21. Investors pointed to the uncertainty concerning environmental regulations, the cost of regulatory compliance, and regulatory enforcement as major areas of concern in Canadian provinces compared to US states. In particular, only 16 and 24 per cent of respondents in Oklahoma and Texas, respectively, specified that uncertainty around environmental regulations is a deterrent to investment. In Alberta, the number sits at 64 per cent–more than twice that of both states. Likewise, 65 per cent of respondents identified the cost of regulatory compliance as a deterrent to investment in Alberta compared to only 24 per cent for Texas. Rounding out the top five most attractive jurisdictions for oil and gas investment are Kansas (2nd), Texas (3rd), Arkansas (4th) and Utah (5th). Among the survey’s 21 jurisdictions, Saskatchewan (8th) was the only Canadian province to make the top ten, while British Columbia (20th) continues to pose the greatest barriers to investment among Canadian provinces included in the ranking. “Policies matter, and when the oil and gas sector is very clearly indicating that American jurisdictions are more attractive for investment, policymakers should take note,” said Aliakbari. Media Contact: Elmira Aliakbari, Associate Director, Centre for Natural Resource Studies, Fraser Institute To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Drue MacPherson, Fraser Institute drue.macpherson@fraserinstitute.org