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.

PWW: Mining black gold, and profits, from northern sands

Mining black gold, and profits, from northern sands
http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/11600/1/387
Imagine for a moment that you’re an American oil executive. You’re pondering the prospects for the next big oil strike overseas — and dreaming of a place where the government is stable and compliant, the royalties are low and the environmental standards minimal.

Tar Sands to start poisoning Indiana & Lake Michigan?

Oil sands plan said to draw fire
To process heavy Alberta crude, BP wants to dump up to 50% more pollutants into Lake Michigan, angering some - report.
August 23 2007: 10:48 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Plans to process a heavy grade of crude oil from oil sands in the Canadian province of Alberta have sparked a nasty battle in the Midwest, where some politicians are angry that the move will increase pollution in the Great Lakes, according to a report Wednesday.

Greenpeace guns for the tar sands

Greenpeace guns for the tar sands
http://www.journalofcommerce.com/article/id24064
Canada’s most “environmentally destructive” project expands
Aug. 20, 2007
EDMONTON

Greenpeace is setting up shop in Edmonton and it has set its sights on shutting down Alberta’s tar sands.

“The tar sands are one of the most environmentally destructive projects in Canada, if not the world,” said Greenpeace campaign organizer Geeta Sehgal adding they create 40 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

Suncor Executive to take Charge of Social Problems in Fort Muck?

Oilpatch fox to watch tar sands henhouse

Oil executives shouldn't run a key government agency, even temporarily.
Dateline: Monday, August 20, 2007
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=427
by Sheila Pratt for The Edmonton Journal

Ed Stelmach took some good advice last winter and set up an oilsands secretariat to help manage the serious growth problems in Fort McMurray caused by the rapid expansion of the oilsands. Good idea, long overdue.

N Dakota letter to the editor: Keystone Pipeline, Tar sands not such a good deal

Bob White, Emerado, N.D., letter: Pipeline, oil-sands oil not very good deal
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=174778&section=Opinion&for...
Published Sunday, August 12, 2007

More Mexican Workers Headed for Albertan Tar Pits, Elsewhere

Canada looks to Mexico for more workers
JENNIFER DITCHBURN
Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070816.wCanadamexio...
August 16, 2007 at 4:56 PM EDT

OTTAWA — While the United States Congress turns up its nose at immigration reform, Canada is poised to start negotiations that would bring even more Mexican workers into this country.

An agreement to strike a commission into increased labour mobility is expected to be among the key accomplishments connected with next week's summit of North American leaders in Montebello, Que.

Energy hungry U.S. is looking to hog-tie Alberta with agreement

Copyright 2007 Prince Rupert Daily News
All Rights Reserved
Prince Rupert Daily News (British Columbia)
August 15, 2007 Wednesday
NEWS; Green Justice; Pg. 13

Energy hungry U.S. is looking to hog-tie Alberta with agreement

Charles Justice, The Daily News

Remember the United States was going to bring freedom and democracy
to Iraq? It wasn't about Iraq's oil, they said. That must be why they
changed the name of the invasion from "Operation Iraqi Liberation" to
"Operation Iraqi Freedom." The reason I mention the U.S. invasion of

Alberta ground zero for green battle

Alberta ground zero for green battle
Fight would divide nation, Lougheed says

Janice Tibbetts, with files from Jamie Komarnicki, Calgary Herald, CanWest
News Service
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=e242ed29-ec94-4259...

Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007

CALGARY -- Canada is facing a bitter constitutional clash over the
environment and Alberta's oil industry that will threaten national unity and
eventually end up in the Supreme Court of Canada, former Alberta premier
Peter Lougheed warned Tuesday.

CEP takes on bitumen exports

CEP takes on bitumen exports
By CAROL CHRISTIAN
Today staff
Thursday August 09, 2007
http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/Local%20News/329822.html

Fearing Canadian jobs going down proposed pipelines to the U.S., the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) will intervene in upcoming regulatory hearings.
At the heart of the matter is the union’s intent to protect Canadian jobs, fostering development of the Canadian economy instead of watching all the benefits go south of the border, officials say.

Booms Housing Crisis Leading Women into Survival Sex Trade

Housing woes lead to sex trade: advocate
June 18, 2007
http://www.sextradeworkersofcanada.com/sex%20trade/News/detail.asp?iData...
By CARTER HAYDU , SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA

Mary Jane St. Savard checks Marvin Ross's hair at their tent behind the Bissell Centre on 96st and 105 ave. A large group of people have set up tents on the empty field after police and park rangers moved them off various other locations.

Skyrocketing rents are forcing some women into the "survival sex trade," warns one advocate for prostitutes.