Tar Sands 101
The Tar Sands "Gigaproject" is the largest industrial project in human history and likely also the most destructive. The tar sands mining procedure releases at least three times the CO2 emissions as regular oil production and is slated to become the single largest industrial contributor in North America to Climate Change.
The tar sands are already slated to be the cause of up to the second fastest rate of deforestation on the planet behind the Amazon Rainforest Basin. Currently approved projects will see 3 million barrels of tar sands mock crude produced daily by 2018; for each barrel of oil up to as high as five barrels of water are used.
Human health in many communities has seriously taken a turn for the worse with many causes alleged to be from tar sands production. Tar sands production has led to many serious social issues throughout Alberta, from housing crises to the vast expansion of temporary foreign worker programs that racialize and exploit so-called non-citizens. Infrastructure from pipelines to refineries to super tanker oil traffic on the seas crosses the continent in all directions to allthree major oceans and the Gulf of Mexico.
The mock oil produced primarily is consumed in the United States and helps to subsidize continued wars of aggression against other oil producing nations such as Iraq, Venezuela and Iran.
To understand the tar sands in more depth, continue to our Tar Sands 101 reading list
Too Many Workers, No Housing, New Campgrounds Banned: Welcome to Fort McMurray
No new campgrounds in McMurray, council rules
By LARISSA LIEPINS
Today staff
http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/Local%20News/300068.html
Thursday April 12, 2007
Any future campgrounds in Wood Buffalo must be located outside the urban area, and they must “allow for year-round operation.”
Regional council made the decision Tuesday following a heated debate over whether the move will attract even more transient workers to the boomtown.
Consultations a Scam: "Don't ask Questions If you Don't Want Answers"
DON'T ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DON'T WANT ANSWERS
http://www.vueweekly.com/articles/default.aspx?i=6165
RICARDO ACUNA / ualberta.ca/parkland
If you don’t want to hear the answer, then you shouldn’t ask the question. Likewise, if you are already convinced you have the solution, and nothing will change your mind, then don’t ask for advice and input.
Of course, in Alberta during the Klein years, we became used to a slight variation on the above tenets—asking the right very narrow and carefully designed questions will ensure you get only the answers you want no matter whom you ask.
Stop the "War on Terror" from being exported North
This is nothing but an intimidation against the people who think the plans being hatched by the Canadian and American governments for oil and gas are absolutely insane. We must not let the "War on Terror" be brought to the north!
Please alert people about this and take appropriate measures.
Macdonald
--
Terror exercise to be held at NWT oil facility
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070402/terror_exer...
Updated Mon. Apr. 2 2007 6:43 PM ET
Canadian Press
"The Battle of Marie Lake": Community vs. Tarsand Seismic Operations
Marie Lake cottage owners say 'never' to oilsands seismic survey
Osum believes northern recreational area contains two billion barrels of oil
Gordon Jaremko, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Monday, April 09, 2007
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/business/story.html?id=dd3351...
EDMONTON - Call it the battle of Marie Lake.
Plans to sail an industrial mini-armada onto a beauty spot 300 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, for a spring marine seismic survey of an oilsands deposit beneath the lake, has ignited furious resistance.
BC's Coast to see oil and gas shipping and drilling?
At the risk of antagonizing a staff reporter at the Vancouver Sun, it is worth noting that this same Don Cayo has written hit pieces against the brave youth and elders from the Tahltan communities who have joined up to resist the massive expansion into their territories of all forms of industrial development, from oil and gas (in particular coal bed methane) to gold and coal mining and even a massive hydro-electric dam.
Seattle Times: Olympics and Tar Sands = "Special Opportunity"
The blunt goals of the tar sand industry are often avoided blunt talk by Albertan media, afraid of a general disgust with the reasons behind all the North American energy interests disastrous social, environmental and energy policies that are making astronomical profits on their way to building the single largest complex of industrialism to try and stave off peak oil and move away from Middle Eastern imports. Fortunately, American media knows far less of those constraints.
Enbridge Plans Pipes to Texas, Still Promoting Gateway
Enbridge pushing plan to pipe oil to Texas
DAVID EBNER
Posted AT 6:24 PM EDT ON 04/04/07
CALGARY
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070404.wenbridge040...
Enbridge Inc. is pushing ahead with a plan to move Canadian oil to Texas, preparing to present a detailed plan to potential customers by the end of June.
“Getting oil to the Gulf Coast is very important for Canadian producers,” Patrick Daniel, chief executive officer of Enbridge, said in an interview Wednesday.
Shell Pumping Twice their Reserves, Switching to Gas, Adding More Tarsand Oil than Regular Crude
Shell reserves show shift from oil to gas
Mon Apr 2, 2007 11:51AM BST
Reuters
http://uk.reuters.com/article/stocksNews/idUKNOA23899520070402
By Tom Bergin
LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell pumped twice as much oil as it
found last year, forcing the company to rely on traditionally
lower-margin natural gas and oil sands to boost its reserves.
Figures issued on Monday echoed a trend across the industry as resource
holders increasingly shun the oil majors.
A spokesman said on Monday that Shell's reserve replacement ratio (RRR)
Is the return of the Gateway oil pipeline in the cards?
Friday, February 02, 2007
Is the return of the Gateway oil pipeline in the cards?
While the Gateway oil pipeline is officially considered to be a project to be considered at a later date, there are some rumblings that the later date may soon be upon us.
Alberta Health: Fort Chip "Only" Eating Moose with 17-33 Times the Safe Arsenic Level
Government Study Reduces Level of Reported Arsenic in Moosemeat
http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/z_fortmac0404.lasso
FORT McMURRAY (CP) - Area residents still doubt the safety of deer and moose meat from the oilsands region, despite a provincial study suggesting the arsenic levels are comparable to other areas.
''The community members are questioning the study,'' said Melody Lepine, executive director of the Mikisew Cree Industrial Relations Corp.
''Why were there no other contaminants being looked at?'' she asked. ''What does it really mean to compare it to the Yukon moose?''
