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.
Dramatic Shift in the Peak Oil Debate
Written by Kurt Cobb
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
If you write about, speak about, or talk with your family, friends and co-workers about peak oil, you've almost certainly been asked: "Well, who else is saying what you're saying?"
Harper’s embrace of ‘ethical’ oil sands reignites 'dirty' arguments
STEVEN CHASE
OTTAWA— From Saturday's Globe and Mail (January 08, 2011)
Stephen Harper is embracing the notion that Canada’s controversial oil sands are an “ethical” source of energy, strengthening his support of the maligned resource and kicking off a new chapter in the debate over what critics call “dirty oil.”
The Prime Minister told reporters Friday that his government wants to “explain to the world” that petroleum from Western Canada’s oil sands is superior in respects to crude from other countries.
Damaged oil sands upgrader to resume production soon
January 11, 2011 | 08:21
Frank Landry | QMI Agency
EDMONTON - An oilsands upgrader damaged by fire last week could resume production at half-capacity sooner than expected, says Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL).
But that will depend on whether the province gives the go-ahead.
The company said it is working with Occupational Health and Safety to determine what went wrong at the site, about 75 km north of Fort McMurray.
Madagascar Oil tax in dispute before float
Rowena Mason
UK Telegraph 04 Jan 2011
Last month the Madagascar government announced that it planned to seize the oil group’s licences forcing Madagascar Oil to suspend trading in its shares just three weeks after the company floated on AIM.
The suspension was another blow to the reputation of the AIM market, coming just weeks after fellow oil minnow Desire Petroleum claimed to have found oil, only to admit days later that it was only water.
How Ethical Are Canada's Ethical Funds?
By Larry Powell
January 12, 2011
"Conscientious" investments and the tar sands connection
I doubt that any investors with a social conscience would assume that the
"ethical" funds they hold would be helping pay for such projects as the
Alberta oil sands.
I certainly didn't. Though it turns out, I was wrong!
All five of Canada's major banks lend money to tar sands operators. And all
five are actually included in the portfolios of the many ethical investment
funds in this country.
Tarsands pollution: Ottawa tries to ‘up its game’
Published On Mon Dec 27 2010
The Toronto Star
After digging their heads in the tarsands for years, the governing Conservatives have seen the light: Environment Minister John Baird vowed last week to “up the federal government’s game.”
Weaknesses monitoring oilsands pollution must be corrected, report says
By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News
December 21, 2010
OTTAWA — There are "significant" weaknesses in monitoring pollution from Alberta's oilsands sector that must be corrected, a scientific panel concluded in a report released Tuesday.
The findings were submitted to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government last week after a two-month analysis that was commissioned by former environment minister Jim Prentice.
Here is a prediction that I hope is wrong. This 'coalition' of tar sands producers will finish their sharing of dry tailings technology, which is already being advertised by Suncor on the side bar of google.
What a perfect combination! Now Total can join in a partnership with the Canadian Boreal Initiative and fund the Pembina Institute, while Suncor can help dig up huge swaths of land all over Africa! It's a win, win!
--M
Suncor, Total team up on oil sands
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE
CALGARY— From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 6:17AM EST
Suncor targets 1-M bbl/day with help from Total E&P Canada
Canadian Mining Journal
December 20, 2010
ALBERTA - Calgary-based Suncor Energy has announced plans to increase production to more than one 1 million bbl of oil equivalent daily by 2020. The company says it will boost oil sands production by 10% per year and company-wide production by 8% in each of the next 10 years.
