Premier Ed Stelmach says he is impressed with the discussion he and other premiers were able to have with U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and believes that oil will continue to flow from the oilsands to the U.S.

The premier told media his focus of the meeting was to dispel any concerns Pelosi  may have about our oilsands.

Recently, Alberta's oilsands have been a hot topic of discussion. From a report stating parts of the Athabasca River are toxic due to oilsands development to anti-oilsands billboards headlining in the U.S. and the U.K.

But Stelmach says during the meeting, Pelosi gave him a guarantee that her government is still interested in Alberta oil.

"She said we have a goal and that is to reduce dependency on foreign oil. But she was very quick to say "not Canada". She didn't consider Canada foreign oil," Stelmach said from Calgary.

He says Pelosi also wanted to talk about efforts to reduce environmental impacts caused by oilsands production, including the province's plan to invest in Carbon Capture and Storage. 

Pelosi also met with federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice as well as Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Quebec Premier Jean Charest.

And environmentalists are claiming to have had productive meetings with Pelosi as well.

"She emphasized that she cared deeply about the issue of climate change and thought it was a moral issue to take action on it," said Chief Allan Adam, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

But despite some negative chat about the oilsands, the premier maintains that Pelosi was willing to talk positively about our oil.

"They were very high on Alberta's position on investing as much money in research and development," said Stelmach.

Ryan McLay's company supplied fluid tanks to the oilsands and says American business is crucial. He's pleased the premier did what he could to defend the oilsands.

"He's definitely taken a lead on it, which somebody needs to do," he said.

Pelosi did make it clear that she is committed to reducing North American reliance on fuels such as oil. She has not yet addressed the media about her trip to Ottawa.

With files from Sean Amato and CTV.ca News Staff