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OTTAWA — The federal government is dismissing U.S. President Barack Obama’s latest climate-change action plan with a shrug but observers of environmental policy say the United States will take a big leap ahead of Canada in meeting its greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2020.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plan would place new regulations on existing coal-fired electricity plants starting in 2020.

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Bruce Heyman, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Canada, highlighted the policy Monday night in a major speech in Ottawa while emphasizing the need for the two countries to work together.

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U.S. approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, designed to move crude oil from Alberta to the Gulf Coast, has been stalled south of the border, while the Obama adminstration drops heavy hints that Canada must do more on the environment.

“We need to continue that work together moving toward a low-carbon future, with alternative energy choices, greater energy efficiency, and sustainable extraction of our oil and gas reserves,” Heyman said in prepared remarks.