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.
Leaked cable reveals concerns over tar sands oil
By Ed Brayton | 12.08.10 |
The Michigan Messenger
One of the documents released by WikiLeaks, a diplomatic document sent to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton in advance of a presidential visit to Ottawa, Canada, reveals concerns about the higher environmental cost of Canadian tar sands oil compared to regular crude oil.
Tar Sands tailings poisons muskeg and nearby First Nations community
By Ben Powless
| November 26, 2010
Rabble
[photos in original linked at bottom]
The trip out to the tar sands tailings pond reminded me of other recent trips to places where indigenous people were trying to survive.
Dirty Oil, Dirty Money: Who is Funding the Tar Sands Resistance?
by Sandra Cuffe
November 26, 2010
Vancouver Media Co-op
After years of online discussion and personal debates, anti-tar sands activists and Indigenous community members are taking the controversy around the role of Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) in resistance movements to a public forum.
Tertzakian: Oilsands being claimed by cash-rich and resource-hungry Asia
By Peter Tertkzakian, Calgary Herald November 29, 2010
Alexander Dumas, 19th century French author of classics such as The Three Musketeers, offered a simple MBA formula, “Business? It’s quite simple. It’s other people’s money.”
Husky approves new oilsands project
Monday, November 29, 2010
CBC News
Calgary-based Husky Energy made three major announcements Monday, saying it has given the go-ahead for a $2.5-billion oilsands project, is cancelling plans to sell off its operations in southeast Asia and has acquired oil and gas properties in western Canada for $860 million.
The company said its board has agreed to proceed with the first phase of its Sunrise oilsands project in northern Alberta. That is due to produce 60,000 barrels per day when completed.
Husky Energy 3-month chartHusky Energy 3-month chart
Madagascar Oil brings tar sands project to London market
The Voahary Gasy, an alliance of Madagascan environmental groups, complains that the government has released very little information
* Tim Webb
* The Guardian, Monday 29 November 2010
* Article history
Poor children in Madagascar forced to scavange on rubbish tip Children forced to scavenge from a rubbish tip in Madagascar. The IMF ranks Madagascar as the 170th poorest among 182 countries. Photograph: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
The Whole World is Downstream
Community members say negative impacts of the tar sands have a global reach
by Sandra Cuffe
November 28, 2010
Vancouver Media Co-op
Community members impacted by tar sands development came together in Edmonton this weekend to make it explicit that the tar sands isn't just an issue in Alberta, or even just in Canada. Climate justice activists have long made the point that the tar sands are a leading driver of emissions worldwide.
Thailand's oil giant buys stake in Statoil Canada oil sands project
MCOT.net
BANGKOK, Nov 23 - PTTEP Netherland Holding Limited (PTTEP NL) on Monday signed a partnership unit sale agreement with Statoil Canada Ltd and Statoil Canada Holdings Corp (subsidiaries of Statoil ASA or Statoil) for a 40 per cent stake in the Kai Kos Dehseh Oil Sands Project (KKD) in Canada.
PTTEP NL is a subsidiary of Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production, and Statoil a world leader in heavy oil and deep water exploration and production.
Statoil May Sell U.S. Gulf Assets After Canada Oil Sands Stake
November 23, 2010, 8:40 AM EST
By Marianne Stigset
Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Statoil ASA, Norway’s biggest energy company, said it may divest holdings in the Gulf of Mexico after selling a stake in its oil sands project in Canada for $2.28 billion to PTT Exploration & Production Pcl.
Ottawa targets oil-sands opponents
'Advocacy strategy'
By Mike De Souza, Postmedia News November 22, 2010
Three major departments in the federal government have been co-ordinating a communications strategy with Alberta and its fossil-fuel industry to fight international global-warming policies that "target" oil-sands production, newly released federal documents reveal.
