2007-03-14 14:54:45 · 5 answers · asked by Questionable Fellow 1 in Environment
Its due to the geographical distance of the markets, where supply and demand forces exist.
Coal mines in Canada are mostly located in British Columbia, and the supply of coal is marketed in that region of Canada as well as in the western coast of the US, so Canada exports coal to the western coast of the US.
Whereby the US has coal mines in its eastern coast, where it supplies its eastern markets as well as the eastern markets in Canada, where it exports coal to the eastern provinces of Canada, thus accounting for your coal imports.
You could find the same interesting situation with cattle numbers, where Canada was at the same time an importer and exporter of cattle. Its a little mindboggling at first, but with a further analysis to it, its due to the location of the markets, specially with commodities like coal and cattle, where differences arent that significant.
2007-03-14 15:01:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Canada is a large country. Coal is heavy and bulky. Why wouldn't an area of Canada, that does not produce coal, pay to ship it across Canada when it could buy it from a closer place in the USA?
The USA does the same thing with oil. It produces oil in Alaska and EXPORTS it to Japan. It IMPORTS oil from Venezuela. For the USA to ship oil from Alaska to its refineries on the Gulf Coast and Venezuela to ship its oil to Japan would result in SOMEBODY paying for a lot more shipping that is very expensive.
2007-03-14 22:08:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There may be lots of reason. Since Canada is wide East to West, it may make more sense to import coal from somewhere else (that is close or easily accessible to a cheap mean of transporation but outside of the country) than having it travel right across the whole continent.
Additionally, there are different grades of coal, as a function of what it needs to be used for. If one just wants to burn it as a source of energy, there may be more freedom in the supply than if it is needed for steel production, which requires a special type.
2007-03-14 22:01:53 · answer #3 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
that made no sense at all import means to come in to. export means to send out so if canada exports it to us we are imported it.
2007-03-14 21:59:06 · answer #4 · answered by Dj 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Its called a trade agreement.
2007-03-14 22:05:18 · answer #5 · answered by Professor Kitty 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋