Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands

Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands

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.

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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.

Nukes as Best Alternative: UPI

Does anyone remember when nuclear power was considered dangerous and of grave, permanent risk for millions of years at a time to all the lands in and around any nuclear plant?

Analysis: Nuclear-powered oil sands
By BEN LANDO
UPI Energy Correspondent
http://www.upi.com/Energy/analysis_nuclearpowered_oil_sands/20070330-063...

WASHINGTON, March 30 (UPI) -- Nuclear companies and those mining Canada's oil sands are poised to team up to separate crude from deep Earth and pump it to the surface.

Sierra Legal, Others Suing Alberta over Latest Tarpit Approval

Sierra Legal Suing Alberta over Latest Tarpit Approval
Environmental groups sue over Kearl project

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070330.wkearl0330/B...
Canadian Press

CALGARY — A coalition of environmental groups has launched legal action in Canada's Federal Court to try to overturn recent regulatory approval of Imperial Oil Ltd.'s massive Kearl Oil Sands project in northern Alberta.

"Canada Stocks Rise, Led by Suncor, as Oil Soars on Iran Tension"

When the US/UK make more threats towards Iran, tarsands are worth more. They
want more tarsand oil in order to finish their wars in the Middle East.
It's a perfect match!

Macd

Canada Stocks Rise, Led by Suncor, as Oil Soars on Iran Tension

By John Kipphoff
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=adQeqn9rXq8c&refer=c...

March 28 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian stocks fell for a second day, led by
Manulife Financial Corp., after a U.S. durable goods report renewed
concern that Canada's biggest trading partner may slow, and Federal

Tar Sands to Need 20 Candu Nuclear Plants in northern Alberta

Don't let their fluffy title get one hung up. Here's the great news from within this article:

"It [panel] concluded that almost 20 nuclear reactors would be needed just to meet the production growth planned to 2015."

Nuclear energy, all the fresh water and all the natural gas to get the oil by taking out the forests and polluting the air to send bitumen south to Texas and Louisiana! Long live tar sands! Human rights are so twentieth century...

Macdonald

Canada wary of nuclear power for oil sands
Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:09 PM EST

Telling the truth about Tar Sands cancers? Expect to fight...

The doctor who does not speak of treating both the symptom and the cause of disease is one who sees your lung cancer and does not tell you to quit smoking, or who offers you a beer while explaining you have liver failure.

Why Climate Change issues won't be solved by Politicians or Capitalism

Why Climate Change issues won't be solved by Politicians or Capitalism

Liberals and Conservatives demonstrate hypocrisy on redressing Global Warming

http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2007/03/27/01446.html
Compiled by Super Canuck

Alberta Federation of Labour: "...tell the oil companies: Enough is enough"

Money for Fort McMurray welcome, but pace of oil sands development is still the "elephant in the room"

Stelmach needs to find courage to tell oil companies: enough is enough

EDMONTON, Feb. 26/2007
CNW/ - New funding announced today to address growth pressures in Fort McMurray is welcome but is yet another example of the Alberta government treating the symptoms and ignoring the root causes of the disease, says Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour.

Fort Chip Nations Quit Government "Oilsands Watchdog Group"

First Nation pulls out of oilsands watchdog group
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | 10:46 AM MT
CBC News

The largest First Nations community in the Fort McMurray area has walked away from an organization set up to protect the environment from too much oilsands development.

Government and industry are not taking protection of the environment seriously, said Sherwin Sheh, who speaks for the Mikisew Cree of Fort Chipewyan.

The First Nation is following the lead of the Athabasca Chipewyan and pulling out of the Cumulative Environmental Management Association.

Coping with social breakdown in Fort McMurray

The social impacts of massive, out of control development in Fort McMurray is costing dearly on the issues of health, particularly for new parents and children, with both inadequate housing and a society with few community driven aspects but a severe amount of alcohol and drug abuse, combined with attendant violence. Even the desperate tone of the situation described in this glossy government pamphlet from Food for Two shows the dire situation for services and basic life conditions. It is set to escalate in a manner absolutely out of control, literally.

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