Hi John - Re: Sable Island, I had friends working on exploratory rigs in '70. And yes, exploration, development and production was stop-and-go. The province of Nova Scotia wanted a fairer deal, and it took a long time for the economics to ripen.
Re: "i used to process tanker receipts for northeast coast, do not remember any shipments coming out of beaumont area being changed during 1973."
Interesting! I'm researching the subject for a project, and have wondered where I could find the relevant data. The story of that tanker was in the media (radio, TV and newspapers) because it was vital to Canada's eastern provinces. I've never been able to verify the outcome; however one assumes that since there was no serious problem beyond the embargo itself, the tanker must have landed at Port Hawkesbury as intended. The news stories seem to have simply disappeared (rather strange); I couldn't find them, even on microfiche.
The point is that the embargo focused attention on some harsh realities, one of which was that in the winter of '73, heating oil was also a serious problem. Transportation fuel was one thing; the idea that the US would allow millions freeze was something else. At the time, I was attending university (thermostats were turned down to 65 degrees, and everyone started wearing sweaters); there was intense debate about what would happen. I recall that some of the strongest proponents of the idea that the US would simply take the oil were Americans who had chosen residence in Canada, as opposed to visiting Viet Nam.
It was all actively discussed in conversations, and in the media. In retrospect, it may seem overdone but at the time, the concerns were real.
Jim |
