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.

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /var/www/drupal-6.28/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

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.

Shell likely player in Peace River Nuke Plans (UK Press)

As always, when a corporation (with their pliant media friends) wants to get away with something completely unattractive-- such as using disgusting power forms to get disgusting power forms of energy--- turning nukes into tar! They will not likely speak clearly about what they are doing to the local population, lest that engender resistance. So, why not look at the international media (in this case, the conservative UK daily "Independent"), who will definitely talk about something so big, important and likely to help set international trends.

Canada’s Third World; The Plight of the Lubicon Cree

Canada’s Third World; The Plight of the Lubicon Cree
Posted: June 21, 2007
http://www.tarsandswatch.org/canada-s-third-world-plight-lubicon-cree
Cosanna Preston, June 19, 2007,

Alberta Construction Workers Serve Strike Notice

Alberta carpenters serve strike notice
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070906.RTICKERMAIN06/...
DAVID EBNER

September 6, 2007

Carpenters in Alberta may briefly go on strike this weekend, a strange twist in prolonged and complicated contract talks between builders in the province and construction workers.

Multinationals Predicted to begin Major Takeovers in Tar Sands

Oil patch feeding frenzy predicted
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070907.RRUBIN07/TPSto...
DAVID PARKINSON

September 7, 2007

The Canadian oil patch could be hit by a major round of takeovers by multinational giants in the next year, Jeff Rubin of CIBC World Markets predicts, as the global energy industry looks increasingly to Alberta's rich oil sands as one of the few major world oil reserves unfettered by political meddling.

Rah-rah-radicals

Rah-rah-radicals
Changing the world, one pom-pom at a time
Francois Marchand, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Saturday, September 8, 2007
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/ed/story.html?id=96db584f-d46...

Samantha Power and her cheerleading squad are rehearsing their jumps and kicks and readying their rah-rah-rahs.

"It's a lot of practice," says Power, a former University of Alberta Students' Union president. "We want to be pretty tight. We have a few friends who have been cheerleaders before to teach us how to do those types of things."

China explains Move Out of Canada, into Venezuela

Chinese Chill

CNPC executive announces China’s exit from the Gateway Pipeline Project
http://www.oilweek.com/articles.asp?ID=462
Andrea W. Lorenz

China has dramatically altered its international investment policy, pulling back on its plans for direct participation in Canada’s oilsands and withdrawing its support for Enbridge Inc.’s $4-billion Gateway Pipeline Project to deliver bitumen and synthetic crude oil to the west coast.

Big Oil Angry over Marie Lake People's Victory

Stelmach decision worries oilpatch
Industry wonders if cancelling Marie Lake permits for bitumen mining hints at new rules for future
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=9b00c5...
Archie McLean, The Edmonton Journal
Published: 1:50 am

EDMONTON - Premier Ed Stelmach's decision to halt seismic testing at a northern Alberta lake is raising concerns in the oilpatch over what it means for future projects.

Victory for Marie Lake Residents: Seismic Testing Halted

Alberta government halts plans to allow seismic testing on Marie Lake
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070905/national/alta_seismic_testing_...
Wed Sep 5, 8:31 AM

EDMONTON (CP) - The Alberta government has halted a plan to allow controversial seismic testing on Marie Lake.
ADVERTISEMENT

Premier Ed Stelmach announced Tuesday night that there were too many safety questions about the technology involved in drilling for oilsands under water.

Marie Lake resident vows to block seismic testing

'We'll break the law if need be'
Marie Lake resident vows to block seismic testing
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/09/04/4468539-sun.html
By CARTER HAYDU, SUN MEDIA

Cabin owners protesting seismic testing at Marie Lake are so determined to keep oilsands development off their water, that they're prepared to block the lake to seismic crews when they try to test the area.

Mexican Rights Violated by Canada in Free Trade’s Name

Mexican rights violated in free trade’s name
Published September 3rd, 2007 in Opinion
http://www.cordweekly.com/archives/2168
ALEX HUNDERT
JOURNALISTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

In mid-August, I spent several days in a small vacation town called Montebello, located between Ottawa and Montreal. In this town on the historic Ottawa River is a resort complex owned by a prominent hotel chain.

The heads of state from Canada, the United States and Mexico were there meeting on August 21 and 22 with an array of the most powerful businessmen and industrialists from North America.