OTTAWA, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Canada's Conservative government is interested in negotiating a climate change pact with the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, which looks set to take a tougher line on the environment than George W. Bush, an official said on Thursday.

Obama's election could cause problems for Ottawa, since he favors tougher emission cuts than the Conservatives and has expressed alarm over what he sees as excessive U.S. reliance on "dirty oil" -- much of which comes from Canada's tar sands.

Concluding a pact could placate Washington by agreeing on tougher emissions standards while recognizing the importance of the oil sands. Canada is the largest single supplier of energy to the United States.

The two nations have worked together before on green issues, most notably in 1991, when they signed a landmark agreement to cut acid rain.

"We do want to explore the possibility of a Canada/U.S. agreement similar to what we did on acid rain in the early 1990's," said a spokesman for Environment Minister Jim Prentice. He would not give further details.

Obama's targets for emissions cuts are much tougher than those set by the Conservatives, who -- like Bush -- walked away from the Kyoto protocol on climate change. (Reporting by David Ljunggren)

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