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.
I swear I'm not making this up. It's real. Got a problem employer in the Temporary Foreign Worker program where they can send you home tomorrow? Having trouble with English? The Alberta Government wants you to ask your boss to help translate a complaint against him/her. Isn't that wonderful? Problem solved, now go back to bed you idiots!
I really, really wish I *were* making this up.
-- M
Foreign workers should ask boss for language help: minister
April 22, 2008 // Edmonton Sun
Downstream from tarsands, Fort Smith worries over water
Monday, April 21, 2008
CBC News
Concerned residents in Fort Smith, N.W.T., met Saturday to talk about the water they drink, and how tarsands development south of the town may be affecting its quality.
"We don't know the answers. We don't know what's in our water," resident Keith Hartery said at Saturday night's public meeting in Fort Smith, located on the N.W.T.-Alberta border.
April 22, 2008
The Political Economics of Greenwashing
Green as a Blackjack Table
By STAN COX
Hard times are looming. And in their desperation to keep the American economy afloat, government and business will be tossing overboard any proposals for real environmental protection. No time for such romantic foolishness when there are investments to be protected. Get those tax refunds back into retailers' registers, quick!
Senator wants U.S. bill killed that limits oilsands imports
Canadian energy key to security of America
Dan Healing, With a file from Geoffrey Scotton, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, April 09, 2008
A U.S. senator called Tuesday for the repeal as soon as possible of an energy bill provision signed into law by President George W. Bush in December that could prevent government purchases of fuel originating in Alberta's oilsands.
Alberta plans to satisfy world's oilsands concerns
Expansion must be done responsibly, premier says
RENATA D'ALIESIO, Calgary Herald
Published: Friday, April 18, 2008
Alberta must develop its energy resources in a responsible and sustainable way because the eyes of the world are closely watching, Premier Ed Stelmach said Thursday.
In particular, they're eyeing the oilsands and how the second-largest reserve in the world is developed. Stelmach noted $20 billion of new investment is projected for the oilsands this year, according to Statistics Canada.
http://intercontinentalcry.org/lubicons-walk-out-of-auc-hearing/
“If TransCanada tries to build this pipeline across unceded Lubicon Territory without Lubicon consent — based on approval of an application to an Alberta Government regulatory agency that does not have legitimate authority in unceded Lubicon Territory — the Lubicon people will oppose it every inch of the way, every way we can, for as long as TransCanada Pipelines tries to operate in Lubicon Territory.”
STATEMENT OF THE LUBICON LAKE INDIAN NATION AT THE PREHEARING MEETING OF THE ALBERTA UTILITIES COMMISSION ON APPLICATION 1551990 OF NOVA GAS TRANSMISSION LTD, A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF THE TRANSCANADA CORPORATION, TO BUILD A 42-INCH DIAMETER GAS PIPELINE CALLED THE NORTH CENTRAL CORRIDOR PIPELINE ACROSS UNCEDED LUBICON LAND WITHOUT LUBICON CONSENT
April 14, 2008
Introduction
U.S. on 'monorail with a cliff at the end,' UA prof warns
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 13, 2008 10:37 PM
Guy R. McPherson is professor of conservation biology at the University of Arizona.
McPherson was the guest last week on Live Talk Wednesday, discussing dwindling oil supplies and what awaits the American Empire. Here are excerpts from the interview, which can be found in its entirety at aztalk.azcentral.com.
Enbridge gets approval to expand oil pipeline
Apr 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Enbridge Inc., Canada's largest pipeline company, has received regulatory approval to expand an existing oil pipeline in Alberta to reduce the chance of a bottleneck as tar-sands output rises.
The expansion's capacity will be 880,000 barrels a day, Canada's National Energy Board said yesterday in a written decision on the agency's website. Attached to the approval were 15 conditions, including a requirement to file an environmental protection plan before starting work.
Alberta Oil Sands affect the environment
COLBY STREAM
News Writer
"Problems don't stop at the border," Co-Director of Boise State Canadian Studies Lori Hausegger said. "They go across the border, so that's an issue everyone has to think about."
Canada week, which takes place the first week of April every year, addresses some of these problems.
"Canada week helps, I think, to educate folks and Boise State … about Canada. People don't know a whole lot about the country," Co-Director of Boise State Canadian Studies Ross Burkhart said.
