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.

Impacts of Pew Funding: What others are saying

Impacts of Pew Funding

What others are saying

from "Offsetting Resistance: The effects of foundation funding from the Great Bear Rainforest to the Athabasca River", a special report by Dru Oja Jay and Macdonald Stainsby. Released September, 2009.

ConocoPhilips Selling Off 9% Syncrude Stake

All eyes on $4B Syncrude stake
By Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Herald
October 30, 2009

ConocoPhillips' stake in Syncrude is up for grabs. Will the taker be an existing co-owner of Syncrude or will a new player--even a foreign national oil company--buy it as an entree into the oilsands?

Who is going to buy ConocoPhillips' nine per cent interest in Syncrude?

Exxon Mobil takes over UTS Energy tar sand leases

Approximately a year ago, at the outset of the economic crash, the debate became whether or not the economic slow down in the tar sands would be good for tar sands resistance. Some stated that the medium to small players would lose out and that at the other end of the temporary slow down would be mega-energy companies with a strangle hold on production and future leases, leaving our work harder to resist, not easier.

Devon to seek approval for third phase of Jackfish Lake

Devon to seek approval for oilsands project
Company plans third phase of Jackfish Lake

By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald
November 4, 2009

CALGARY - In another sign the log jam of stalled oilsands projects may be easing, Devon Energy Corp. on Wednesday said it plans to seek approval in 2010 for the third phase of its Jackfish Lake thermal project.

The Pew funds Canada: Canadian Boreal Initiative

The Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) is funded by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The CBI is a project of Ducks Unlimited Canada, which receives money directly from oil companies and other industrial operators.

Land-use planner Petr Cizek notes that the CBI has evolved quickly in a few years.

‘Get off our property!’

This article was published on Oct 1, 2009 in the News section
Lawsuit seeks to halt expansion of Athabasca tar sands into Cree territory
Alex Ross
theVarsity.ca

Alberta-Superior pipeline takes center stage in world climate debate (Clipper)

BusinessNorth Exclusives
Alberta-Superior pipeline takes center stage in world climate debate
10/27/2009
by Richard Thomas

On Aug. 20, the U.S. State Department granted a Presidential permit for the 1,000-mile “Alberta Clipper” pipeline from Canada’s Alberta oil sands to Superior, due for completion in mid-2010.

On Sept. 2 Enbridge (U.S.) Inc., the partner of Canada-based Enbridge, celebrated in Carlton County, where the company had stacks of pipes ready for construction.

Funder-driven outcomes: The structures and methods of ForestEthics

Funder-driven outcomes

The structures and methods of ForestEthics

ForestEthics is registered as a non-profit and is similar in appearance to most ENGOs. However, both in origin and structure, many who have worked with ForestEthics suggest that there is something qualitatively different about the group.

Husky predicted to do poorly

The Sunrise Project, along with a held lease in the southern Athabasca region called Kirby as well as a project to massively expand refineries in both Ohio and Indiana to take tar sands bitumen, are projects that involve BP (British Petroleum) and would signify a new level of depravity for the former "Beyond Petroleum" company headquartered in London near the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and others investing in these disastrous projects.

--M

Husky earnings 'surprise' affects shares
Analysts predict slow growth for energy firm

By Dina O'Meara, Calgary Herald

"Suncor Energy seeks regulator's OK for new way to deal with tailings"

Suncor Energy seeks regulator's OK for new way to deal with oilsands waste
CP
Oct. 23, 2009

CALGARY — Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU) says it has a promising a new technology that will turn tailing ponds near its oilsands operations in Northern Alberta into a solid landscape in a matter of weeks, thereby speeding the reclamation process significantly.