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.

Ethical Funds Company calls for pause in tar sands development

Ethical Funds Company calls for pause in tar sands development
By Travis Lupick

A “heady mix of litigious, liability, regulatory, and reputational risks” are in store for any company involved in Alberta oil sands development, a new report warns.

Imperial profit surges on higher oil, gas prices

CALGARY, Alberta, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Imperial Oil Ltd's (IMO.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) third-quarter profit surged 70 percent as crude prices hit records before the world financial crisis led to a steep drop, Canada's largest oil producer and refiner said on Thursday.

Imperial, which is majority owned by U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), earned a company-high C$1.4 billion ($1.1 billion), or C$1.57 a share, in the quarter, up from year-earlier C$816 million, or 88 Canadian cents a share.

Deputy Premier of Alberta aims to increase trade with Middle East, esp Israel

Deputy Premier aims to increase trade with Middle East

Edmonton... Alberta Deputy Premier and Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations Ron Stevens will support a delegation of 30 Alberta companies to the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), the largest oil and gas conference in the Middle East.

The four-day conference brings together more than 1,800 exhibitors from around the world, featuring 200 international speakers and is one of the highlights of the Oct. 30 to Nov. 14 mission.

World is facing a natural resources crisis worse than financial crunch

The Guardian October 29, 2008

Biocapacity

World is facing a natural resources crisis worse than financial crunch

Two planets need by 2030 at this rate, warns report
Humans using 30% more resources than sustainable

Juliette Jowit

The world is heading for an "ecological credit crunch" far worse than
the current financial crisis because humans are over-using the natural
resources of the planet, an international study warns today.

The Living Planet report calculates that humans are using 30% more

Abuse of Temporary Foreign Workers underlies labour dispute

Maple Leaf poultry plant plucks more than chickens

Abuse of Temporary Foreign Workers underlies labour dispute

EDMONTON, Oct. 7 /CNW/ - Maple Leaf Foods' misuse of the temporary
foreign worker (TFW) program is an attempt to maintain an artificially low
wage in their poultry plant according to the United Food and Commercial
Workers Local 1118 and is a key element in the ongoing strike at the plant.
"Canadians were assured by the government that TFWs would always be paid
fair market wages and promised that employers like Maple Leaf would not be

Energy, Mining Stocks Collapse on Late Day TSX Selloff

Late-day selloff sinks TSX
STEVE LADURANTAYE
Globe and Mail Update
October 27, 2008

A late-day selloff in financial, energy and mining stocks pushed the S&P/TSX to a deep loss Monday, even as commodities recovered from earlier losses.

The S&P/TSX tumbled 8.1 per cent, or 756.75 points, to 8,537.34 points, its lowest close in four years. Manulife Financial, which may need to raise capital to appease regulators, led the downward charge with a loss of 15.3 per cent.

Olympic resistance conference media

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Activists met in Vancouver Sunday to talk strategy around
resisting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

While opposition to the Games has been steady since before Vancouver won
them in 2003, protests are usually connected to a single of the many issues
around them.

But dozens gathered at the one-day conference to focus on converging
Canada's diverse activist community under one banner for the Games.

"It's important to use to connect with each other," said conference
participant Phillipa Ryan.

"Our humanity needs to be respected."

CBI Partner Nexen Pats Self on the Back with Greenwash Paint

Keep in mind: Nexen waste burning "co-generation" will create up to EIGHT TIMES the C02 and other greenhouse gas emissions footprint of a regular pump jack.

--M

Long Lake partners praised for efforts
Calgary Herald
October 26, 2008

All but 10 per cent of the water is to be recycled. The project will have ponds, but not giant tailings ponds like those at mining projects such as Syncrude Canada, Suncor Energy and Shell's Athabasca Oil Sands Project.

Quick Sand: Credit Crunch and Falling Oil Hit Tar-Sands Projects

Quick Sand: Credit Crunch and Falling Oil Hit Oil-Sands Projects
October 24, 2008, Wall Street Journal
Posted by Keith Johnson

From Canada, more signs that the oil industry is starting to feel pinched.

Two big Canadian oil-sands producers are delaying oil-production projects and scaling back capital expenditure. Suncor and Petro-Canada both pushed back plans to install “upgraders” that can turn tar sands into crude oil.

Canada tar sands slowdown may halt runaway costs

Canada oil sands slowdown may halt runaway costs
10.24.08
Canada - By Jeffrey Jones

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A slowdown in spending on multibillion-dollar projects to develop Canada's oil sands, one of the world's largest deposits of crude, should help cure one ailment the industry has so far been unable to shake: runaway inflation.