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.

Will the coming oil crisis be the end of suburbia?

Will the coming oil crisis be the end of suburbia?
By ERIC R. GREEN
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/1183874885/6

Eric R Green is the library director at Lamar Community College and an adjunct sociology instructor. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Three years ago, when I started to teach Introduction to Sociology for Lamar Community College, my brother sent me the DVD, “The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream,” concerning the “coming oil crisis."

El Universal [Ven.]: Oil majors target Canada after leaving Venezuela

Oil majors target Canada after leaving Venezuela
http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/07/06/en_eco_art_oil-majors-target-c...

Oil giants have vowed to invest over USD 100 billion in projects to drill 174 billion barrels of oil in Alberta

Heavy crude oil in both Canada and Venezuela pose drilling technical difficulties and require costly enhancers to make them suitable for refineries, but unlike Venezuela, Canada offers political and tax stability

EL UNIVERSAL

Venezuelan Labourers, Big Oil Players to head to Fort Mac?

After Venezuela, Tar Sands no Quick Fix
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN2741612020070705
By Jeffrey Jones and Scott Haggett - Analysis

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - For Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips it may appear simple: shift efforts, people and resources to Canada's oil sands now that the oil majors have retreated from Venezuela. In reality, it's no simple matter.

The oil sands have their own set of risks: surging costs due to a squeezed labor force, technical complexity and a shrinking pool of attractive available properties.

Locals lose out in Alberta's oil boom

Locals lose out in Alberta's oil boom
By Ian McKinnon and Reg Curren Bloomberg News
Published: June 12, 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/11/bloomberg/bxoil.php

CALGARY: Marilynn Sjulstad says she is experiencing the pain of an oil-fueled economic boom in Alberta while deriving little benefit from it.

Sjulstad, a 57-year-old Edmonton resident who has arthritis and fibromyalgia, says her rent will soon jump 27 percent - five times the increase in her monthly disability check.

Transplanted wild rose likes B.C. better

Transplanted wild rose likes B.C. better
http://www.quesnelobserver.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=27&cat=48&id=...
By Andrea Johnson

Jul 08 2007

Went back to Wild Rose country a few weeks ago.

Fuelled by a major energy boom, Alberta hasn’t really changed from when I was last there two years ago.

Except for the fact both Edmonton and Calgary boast a population of more than one million, there is road construction chaos everywhere – infrastructure is crumbling.

"California clean air standards a danger to Cdn oil industry"

California clean air standards a danger to Cdn oil industry
2007-06-08
http://money.canoe.ca/News/Other/2007/06/08/4243714-ap.html

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Clean-air agreements signed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and two Canadian provinces could dramatically slow oil production in the Alberta tar sands.

Ontario and British Columbia have agreed to adhere to California's low-carbon fuel standards, which means the provinces will have to curb oil production sources that create high amounts of global-warming emissions.

China National Petroleum Co. starts Exploring in Tar Sands

CNPC Signs Canadian Oil-Sands Agreement
2007-07-02
The Wall Street Journal
http://english.cri.cn/3130/2007/07/02/262@244638.htm

In a sign of the expanding international ambitions of China's oil companies, China National Petroleum Corp. has bought the rights to explore for oil in Canada.

The state-owned parent of Hong Kong- and New York-listed PetroChina Co. will develop an oil-sands field that is estimated to contain about two billion barrels of a thick and hard-to-process form of oil called bitumen.

Alberta Clipper Project: more pipes for more tar sand bitumen

July 6, 2007

Clipper pipeline hearing set Nov. 5
http://dcnonl.com/article/id23517
CALGARY

The National Energy Board has scheduled a hearing on an application from Enbridge Pipelines Inc. to construct and operate the Canadian portion of the Alberta Clipper Expansion Project.

The Canadian portion of Alberta Clipper would involve the construction and operation of approximately 1,074 km of new 914 mm outside diameter (36-inch) oil pipeline between Enbridge’s Hardisty Terminal and the Canada - United States border near Gretna, Manitoba.

Three-year Suncor contract gets nod from union workers

Three-year Suncor contract gets nod from union workers
UPDATED: 2007-07-06 01:53:16 MST
By CP

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Business/2007/07/06/4317550-sun.html

FORT McMURRAY -- About half of unionized workers at Suncor Energy Inc. near Fort McMurray have voted in favour of a new three-year contract.

Members of the Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) Local 707 approved an agreement including a wage increase of 7% in the first year and 6% in each of the following two years, as well as a $4,000 lump sum payment.

Fort McMoney, Fort McProblems

FORT MCMONEY, FORT MCPROBLEMS
http://www.vueweekly.com/articles/default.aspx?i=6751
ANDREW CISAKOWSKI / cisa@vueweekly.com

For the past decade, Fort McMurray has grown at a rate of 10 per cent per year, over twice the provincial average. During this time it has developed all the characteristics of a boomtown: skyrocketing prices, overstretched infrastructure and a growing homeless problem. Only able to raise money through increasing property taxes, the city is at a loss of how to deal with these problems. More and more, public pressure is mounting for oil companies to foot the bill.