Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands

The process of removing the tar from the sand involves incredible amounts of energy from clean-burning natural gas (with nuclear proposed along side), tremendous capital costs during build up, incredibly high petroleum prices to protect investments, and the largest single industrial contribution to climate change in North America. Production also involves the waste of fresh water from nearby lakes, rivers and aquifers that have already created toxic tailing ponds visible from outer space. None of the land strip mined has yet to be certified as reclaimed. It takes 4 tonnes of soil to produce one barrel of oil. The tar sands are producing over 1.2 million barrels of oil a day on average. The oil companies, Canada and the United States governments are proposing to escalate production to 5 million barrels, almost all destined for American markets-- and lower environmental standards while doing so. They also would need to violate the national and human rights of many indigenous nations who are rightly concerned about many dire social, environmental and economic repercussions on their communities.

To get the needed energy supplies, diluent for the bitumen and diverted freshwater to produce and then to transport the flowing heavy bitumen for refining would require massive new infrastructure and pipeline building from three different time zones in the Arctic, across British Columbia and through Alberta in a criss-cross pattern, into pipelines to such destinations as California, China, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ontario, Illinois, Wisconsin and Texas. This entire project is now estimated at over $170 billion dollars. And after the whole process described so far, only then will all this dirty petroleum get burned and expel greenhouse gasses into the air causing further climate change.

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Alberta Tar Sands is a category limited to the location and production of tar sand bitumen, an area the size of the state of Florida in northern Alberta province. The giant processing plants near Fort McMurray where the land itself is strip mined as well as the primarily "in situ" in-ground steam separation/production and extraction plants in the Peace and Cold Lake Regions, all in Alberta, are the "Ground Zero" of the single largest industrial gigaproject ever proposed in human history. The process of removing the tar from the sand involves incredible amounts of energy from clean-burning natural gas (with nuclear proposed along side), tremendous capital costs during build up, incredibly high petroleum prices to protect investments, and the largest single industrial contribution to climate change in North America. Production also involves the waste of fresh water from nearby lakes, rivers and aquifers that have already created toxic tailing ponds visible from outer space. None of the land strip mined has yet to be certified as reclaimed. It takes 4 tonnes of soil to produce one barrel of oil. The tar sands are producing over 1.2 million barrels of oil a day on average. The oil companies, Canada and the United States governments are proposing to escalate production to 5 million barrels, almost all destined for American markets-- and lower environmental standards while doing so. They also would need to violate the national and human rights of many indigenous nations who are rightly concerned about many dire social, environmental and economic repercussions on their communities. To get the needed energy supplies, diluent for the bitumen and diverted freshwater to produce and then to transport the flowing heavy bitumen for refining would require massive new infrastructure and pipeline building from three different time zones in the Arctic, across British Columbia and through Alberta in a criss-cross pattern, into pipelines to such destinations as California, China, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ontario, Illinois, Wisconsin and Texas. This entire project is now estimated at over $170 billion dollars. And after the whole process described so far, only then will all this dirty petroleum get burned and expel greenhouse gasses into the air causing further climate change.

Drugs? -- Comic

October 30, 2007
Drugs

by Katie Beaton
(click on the image)

Environmentalism in Alberta?

October 30, 2007

Environmentalism in Alberta?
Activists say communities are beginning to stand up to tar sands

by Samantha Power

The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca

"Stop the tar sands man" and other demonstrators appeared outside a stampede breakfast hosted by Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach. Activists say Albertans are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of oil development.

The dirty truth about Canada's tar-sands baby

The dirty truth about Canada's tar-sands baby
Joshua Keating
Tue, 10/30/2007

The business press and me: a case of unrequited love-- Naomi Klein

The business press and me: a case of unrequited love

Finance journalists have attacked my book, but I remain devoted to their papers. After all, they supplied the facts I used

Naomi Klein Thursday October 25, 2007 The Guardian

Alberta royalty change barely shakes energy markets

Alberta royalty change barely shakes energy markets
Petro-Canada will carry on with scheduled new oilsands projects
Friday, October 26, 2007
CBC News

Some energy stocks defied expectations by gaining value Friday, a day after Alberta introduced a controversial increase to the fees charged to oil and gas companies in the province.

Alberta royalties will rise to $1.4 billion more per year starting in 2009.
(CBC)

Parkland on the Stelmach royalty decision

Stelmach royalty decision shows it will be business as usual for Alberta
In reality, royalties will fall by over $2 billion over the next ten years -- even with the changes announced Thursday

Diana Gibson and Ricardo Acuña, Freelance

Albertans can finally stop holding their breath. After extensive public consultation by the royalty review panel, lukewarm reception of the panel's report and extensive backroom consultation with industry, Premier Ed Stelmach has finally made his royalty policy announcement.

Pembina partners with ConocoPhillips, Enmax, Shell, Suncor, Statoil to commodify carbon and climate

CARBON PRICING FOR A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY: Applying Market Forces to Climate Protection in Canada

This fall, the Pembina Institute will host a national, collaborative design discussion on future carbon pricing frameworks for Canada. The conference will take place on October 29 and 30, 2007, in Calgary, Alberta.
Collaborative Design Thinking

Carbon Pricing for a Sustainable Economy will assemble leading voices for an engaging working session including:

executives and in-house experts from industry
think tanks
NGOs
domestic and international specialists