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.
Redrawing the pipeline map
TransCanada takes on rival Enbridge in trying to reshape continental oil movement
David Ebner
Vancouver — From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Jan. 02, 2010
A decade ago, TransCanada Corp. (TRP-T36.190.260.72%) was reeling as the Calgary power and natural gas pipeline company had slashed its dividend and watched its stock price plunge when a rival pipeline came on the scene.
Energy sector transformed by 2009 transactions.
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
Canwest News Service // Calgary Herald
CALGARY – It was the year of the mega-deal.
Despite fewer overall transactions, merger and acquisitions in 2009 were dominated by a handful of super-deals that reshaped the oilpatch landscape for the decade to come as familiar faces fell by the wayside, to be replaced by some new players sure to become household names.
If you ever needed evidence that the consciousness rising around tar sands the world over was powerful, look at the horse-hockey that the Can West chain (through their Edmonton Journal) is reduced to. There is no technoligcal fix. It is currently science fiction.
Rick George is also one of the main architects of the NACC (North American Competitiveness Council) that, among many things, authored the now-defunct Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and has been one of the leading voices in 'helping' to deliver the Olympic corporate farce to Vancouver for February, 2010. When PetroCanada was bought out by Suncor, Rick George became the president and CEO of the principle energy supplier to the Games.
Canada Approves PetroChina's $1.9 Billion Majority Stake In Athabasca Oil Sands
January 1, 2010 6:55 a.m. EST
AHN Staff
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) - Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement has okayed PetroChina International Investment Company Limited to take a majority ownership in the Athabasca Oil Sands Corporation.
Clement said he approved the application for PetroChina to pay $1.9 billion for a 60 percent stake in Athabasca's MacKay and Dover Oil Sands projects after he became satisfied the investment would provide a net benefit to Canada.
U.S. consul general watching oilsands closely
The Canadian Press
Date: Saturday Jan. 2, 2010
CALGARY — A career diplomat is keeping a close eye on the failures and successes within Alberta's oilsands and is reporting what she learns to the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Lawyers, not engineers, to dominate work on carbon storage in 2010
[Pembina endorses the concept of carbon capture and sequestration at the end]
By Bob Weber (CP)
December 26 2009
EDMONTON — Before you start putting carbon in the ground, you first have to put lawyers in a room.
After a year that saw billions of dollars in public funds sprayed around a variety of carbon capture and storage pilot projects, the focus in 2010 will shift from splashy press conferences to quiet boardrooms where officials will work out exactly how all that money will be spent.
Chinese oilsands takeover bid under review
Investment law says big deals must represent 'net benefit' for Canada
By Andrew Mayeda, Canwest News Service
December 19, 2009
The Harper government is quietly reviewing the $1.9-billion investment by a state-owned Chinese oil company in two oilsands projects, more than a month after the deal was originally supposed to close.
December 23, 2009
Statoil Committed To Canada's Oilsands
By: Lynda Harrison
Statoil Canada Ltd. has a new Canadian president who says this country's oilsands represent a key part of the company's global strategy and his company is committed to developing them in a manner that balances social, economic and environmental concerns.
Alberta oilsands comeback predicted to fuel economic growth
By MARKUS ERMISCH, QMI AGENCY
Last Updated: 24th December 2009
Following a sharp economic contraction this year, Alberta's economy is forecast to be one of Canada's fastest growing provinces in 2010.
Scotiabank economist Alex Koustas predicts that in 2010, the energy province's GDP will grow by 2.9% after shrinking 2.6% this year.
Only B.C., at 3%, is forecast to grow at a faster rate.
