President Trump spent months declaring his ouster of Venezuela’s leader had secured the country’s oil for America. When U.S. energy companies resisted investing at the speed and scale he wanted, his administration devised an extraordinary solution to turn his vision into reality: make the U.S. government itself an investor.
The agreement announced Friday evening would transform the U.S. government from a broker of American oil investments in Venezuela to an investor itself.
It would give Washington a direct financial stake in a private company that would be granted centurylong rights to some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves—and tie the U.S. more closely to the unelected government that is granting those rights.
CANADA BEWARE – Trump’s Massive Venezuela Oil Gambit is Also Another Massive Wake-Up Call for Canadian Energy
If Washington secures access to 90 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, Canadian producers could face a powerful new competitor in their most important market. Ottawa can no longer afford to delay pipelines, regulatory reform or the investment conditions needed to diversify Canadian energy exports.
