Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said Barack Obama is "speaking Alberta's language" on balancing the environment and the economy, after the U.S. president's first official visit to Ottawa.

Stelmach said Thursday that he's encouraged by Obama's promise to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to open up a dialogue on clean energy to fight climate change.

Speaking in Edmonton, Stelmach said Obama's support for carbon capture and storage adds another voice to those who see great potential for that technology.

Policies are needed that recognize that Canada and the U.S. share an integrated economy, the Alberta premier said.

Stelmach said there are millions of jobs and billions of dollars in potential investment at stake if the two sides fail to co-operate.

Developing economies, like those of India and China, must be included in any strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he said, reiterating Obama's comments in an interview with CBC News on Tuesday.