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Kenney said that a negative decision would see anger reach boiling point.

It did not sound as if any kind of quid pro quo is on the table, especially given the hostility of many members of a Liberal caucus devoid of representation from the Prairies

That is unlikely to sway Trudeau — there is steam emanating from ears all over the Prairies already, so he has little to lose.

Bill Morneau, the finance minister, was in Calgary on Monday, pointing out the government’s continued commitment to the TMX expansion, despite a near doubling of construction costs, as proof that the dual policy of the environment and the economy is still alive.

But if Frontier is turned down, someone is going to get the blame – and Kenney is worried it may be him. There is the question of the jobs and the $55 billion in royalties Alberta would receive over the mine’s lifespan. But more immediately, there will be political fall-out to deal with.

The Alberta government is trying to accommodate Ottawa but is being frustrated by a lack of leadership from the feds, said one person with knowledge of the negotiations. The source suggested Kenney has dialled back antagonistic rhetoric and indicated his desire to work with Ottawa. But there are concerns that the federal cabinet is divided and no one minister is able to articulate what action might ensure the project is approved.

Chrystia Freeland has been designated the Liberal government’s point person and the source said Kenney and the deputy prime minister have established good relations. “But we don’t believe that Freeland has a mandate to negotiate,” he said.

An indication of Kenney’s attempts to accommodate the feds came in his comments on a panel in Washington on Friday, when he talked about “energy transition” and the need for Alberta to be the source of the last barrel of oil as the world weans itself off hydrocarbons. When it was pointed out to him by Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid that this was new language, he responded: “I have a firm grasp of the obvious.”