Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Oil Sands Truth exists to disseminate information regarding the environmental, social and economic impacts of tar sands development projects being proposed and currently in progress. Oilsandstruth.org holds the view that nothing short of a full shut down of all related projects in all corners of North America can realistically tackle climate change and environmental devastation.

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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 all three 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

Maps by Oil Sands Truth

Tar Sands Development, Existing and Planned

Pipeline Expansion, 2009-2035 UPDATED

Sea Level Rise and Tar Sands Depletion

Recent News

Gulf spill's ripples felt at petroleum show

Oilpatch Keeping Tabs On Leak

By Dan Healing
Calgary Herald
June 9, 2010

The subsea wellhead display at the FMC Technologies booth at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary is a tiny, perfect, clean representation of what a deepsea drilling environment should be.

But the display, with spindly threads representing pipes and cables leading from bright yellow miniature wellheads to ships and platforms floating above on a plate of glass, was designed long before the horrors of the BP oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.

China out front at Calgary oil show

China out front at Calgary oil show
June 9, 2010
CBC News

Chinese companies were well represented at the World Petroleum Show, which runs June 8 to 10 in Calgary.Chinese companies were well represented at the World Petroleum Show, which runs June 8 to 10 in Calgary.

As the world's top players in the oil and gas industry gather in Calgary for a high-stakes trade show, the largest contingent and most impressive displays are from China.

Canada tar sands industry hits back at critics

Canada oil sands industry hits back at critics
By Bernard Simon in Toronto
June 9 2010
Financial Times

Alberta’s oil sands industry has vigorously defended itself against an attack by Lush, the UK-based cosmetics group, in a sign of a more aggressive approach being taken by oil sands producers towards their critics.

Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (Capp), issued a statement accusing Lush of distorting the industry’s environmental record.

Cross-border fight simmers over tar sands

David Ebner
Jun 9/ 2010
Globe and Mail

The oil sands have a new adversary: the City of Bellingham, Wash.

On Monday night, in a vote of 7-0, city councillors endorsed a resolution to
reconsider what sort of fuel Bellingham buys for its fleet vehicles, a motion
that pointed a specific finger at “high carbon fuels such as those derived from
the Canadian Tar Sands.”

The resolution is largely symbolic, since the city of 76,000 is locked into its
current fuel supply contract until 2015, but highlights the ongoing political

ERCB report shows 14 percent growth in Alberta tar sands production in 2009

ERCB report shows 14 percent growth in Alberta oil sands production in 2009
by: Government of Alberta | Jun 5th, 2010

June 5, 2010

Alberta’s Reserves 2009 and Supply/Demand Outlook 2010 – 2019

Fast Facts

Bitumen Reserves and Production

Boreal countdown

Boreal countdown
By Enzo Di Matteo
Now Toronto // June 3-10, 2010

The details of the greenprint signed two weeks ago by eco groups and the forest industry to save the boreal forest are emerging after the 39-page pact was leaked last week. Is the historic Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) as good as advertised?

We break it down in five easy pieces.

1. Burning question

The one on everybody’s mind: why weren’t First Nations included in the discussions?

Greenpeace divided on Boreal Forest Agreement

Greenpeace divided on Boreal Forest Agreement
Leaked conference call obtained by the Vancover Media Co-op exposes divergent views on CBFA

by Vancouver Media Co-op

» Download file 'gp_damage_control.mp3' (3.9MB) by going to the website:
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/audio/3573

A leaked discussion between Greenpeace staff obtained by the Vancouver Media Co-op indicates the group is preparing damage control related to the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, which was announced on May 18.

Big Jump in Tar Sands Oil Tankers in Vancouver's Port

Big Jump in Oil Tankers in Vancouver's Port

Flow of tar sands crude to Burrard Inlet rising, and will more than double: Kinder Morgan.

By Mitchell Anderson, 3 Jun 2010, TheTyee.ca

The proposed Enbridge Gateway pipeline to Kitimat is stirring strong public opposition to the super tankers it would attract along British Columbia's northern coast.

But a bigger risk may lie in the steeply rising number of oil tankers already plying B.C.'s coast -- up nearly 50 per cent in just two years -- to handle the growing flow of tar sands petroleum from Alberta.

Oil-smeared logos to match BP’s tarnished image

Oil-smeared logos to match BP’s tarnished image
Jun 04 2010

Sarah Barmak Special to the Star

Oil giant BP is already besieged by mounting damage lawsuits, a U.S. Justice Department investigation, and a tumbling stock price. Now, some want to hit the company responsible for the Gulf oil spill where it hurts: right in the logo.

A Smoking Gun in BP's Deep Horizon Mess?

Submitted by BassMan2 on 15. May 2010 - 11:31
Thom's nationally syndicated radio show

This hasn't seemed to have gotten much circulation yet, and I think it really needs to. Seems that a crew from Schlumberger, on contract to BP, hightailed it off the platform at their own expense 6 hours before the blowout becuase BP refused their recommendation to shut down the well. This lends more credence to Thom's suggestion that corners were cut because the bigwigs were coming for a vist.