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.
Alberta aims to streamline permit process
Environmental hurdles under scrutiny
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE
CALGARY — From Friday's Globe and Mail
Oct. 03, 2009
The Alberta government and Canada's oil sands industry are working on a controversial new plan to make it easier for companies to get environmental permission for certain types of projects.
Environmental Services — October 6, 2009
Prominent lawyer questions Stelmach's interference in judicial system
EDMONTON, Oct. 6 /CNW/ - Prominent Alberta lawyer Brian Beresh raised concerns today that Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is unconstitutionally using his position as premier to exert political influence over the judicial system and undermine the right to fair trials for Greenpeace activists.
Greenpeace activists occupy Alberta Shell site
By Richard Warnica and Laura Drake, Edmonton Journal
October 3, 2009 2:52 PM
Greenpeace activists occupy an exhaust stack at the Shell Scotford Upgrader Expansion near Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. on October 3, 2009
Photograph by: Ryan Jackson, Edmonton Journal
FORT SASKATCHEWAN, Alta. — Greenpeace protesters occupied an oilfield property outside Edmonton on Saturday, the third dramatic demonstration the group has staged against Alberta’s controversial oilsands development in recent weeks.
EnCana spinoff plans new oil sands project
By Carrie Tait, Financial Post, with files from Reuters
October 1, 2009
CALGARY -- A year after dreary news blanked the oil sands thanks to a rapid-fire procession of project delays, EnCana Corp. Thursday said it plans to kick off the process to launch a new multi-billion project with a technological twist.
Oil exports to U.S. set record
Oilsands output helps fill shortfall from Venezuela, Mexico
By Lisa Schmidt, Calgary Herald
September 30, 2009
Canada --already the largest oil supplier to the U.S.--pumped out record exports south of the border this summer, as Alberta's oilsands crude fill the gaps left by competitors.
U.S. imports of crude oil from Canada rose 5.4 per cent in July to the highest monthly level in at least 36 years, according to figures released by the U.S. Energy Department.
Greenpeace takes action again, blocking Suncor tar sands operations
International activists join Canadians in saying no to tar sands
FORT MCMURRAY, AB, Sept. 30 /CNW/ - Greenpeace activists are disrupting Suncor operations today in the heart of the tar sands north of Fort McMurray by blocking two bitumen conveyor belts to highlight the climate crime of tar sands operations.
As of this moment on September 30, 2009 there is a direct action taking place against Suncor by Greenpeace activists. Live feed below.
Oil sands: bruised, but not out
The oil-price collapse took some steam out of the boom in Canada's energy sector. Development is likely to proceed at a more sedate pace
For Immediate Release:
Offsetting Resistance
The effects of foundation funding from the Great Bear Rainforest to the Athabasca River
A report by Macdonald Stainsby and Dru Oja Jay
www.offsettingresistance.ca
A movement is building to shut down the tar sands, one of the most destructive projects in human history. Decisions are being made about the strategies that will be used and the goals that will be pursued.
Good to see Ms Francis up to her usual turgid nonsense.
-M
Oil sands need positive spin
Diane Francis, Financial Post
September 19, 2009
Alberta and Canada have an image problem and it's called the oil sands. Non-government organizations such as Greenpeace and others have made these gigantic open-pit mining operations their current whipping boy. And by deploying hyperbole or inaccuracies, these organizations are winning the public relations game in the United States where the lion's share of this oil is destined.
