Similar to not tapping into ANWR, the use of oil from the oil sands in Canada has been restricted by the U.S. Congress.

Section 526 of the Energy Bill signed into law in January, I think, states that the U.S. government will not purchase transportation fuel from nonconventional petroleum sources that have higher life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from production and combustion than equivalent conventional fuel.

That means that the US military, the postal service, government fleets, all of it - can’t use tar sands oil. Or oil shale. Or coal to liquids.

So, the U.S. military cannot buy oil from a source that is both one of the most secure and has some of the largest oil reserves in the world. The oil from the oil sands in Alberta may cost more, but the amount of oil in them is trememndous. Still, the U.S. Govt. has said it does not like this oil. So, instead, we need to buy it from sources in nations not as friendly to our views, and transport it further distances.