Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

International oil & gas

Stock markets and global oil interests (including war) would be included here, as would attempts to get oil out of high risk, low return areas from oil shale in Colorado, to natural gas and heavy oil in the high eastern Arctic. The tar sands are part of this trend and should be seen as such. What happens with the tar sands will have a tremendous impact on what kind of choices are made elsewhere, environmentally and socially.

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International Oil & Gas is a category for stories relating to tar sand production or climate change but not in any of the projects already listed geographically. This includes other regions of the planet with horrible environmental and high energy costs that, like the tar sands, are only a "choice" because of high prices and the global depletion of easily recoverable oil reserves. Such issues as the threat of war on Iran, "instability" in Iraq and Venezuela or disasters like Katrina will all drive up oil prices, which in turn doubly encourages tar sand production-- by price demand and energy demand. Stock markets and global oil interests (including war) would be included here, as would attempts to get oil out of high risk, low return areas from oil shale in Colorado, to natural gas and heavy oil in the high eastern Arctic. The tar sands are part of this trend and should be seen as such. What happens with the tar sands will have a tremendous impact on what kind of choices are made elsewhere, environmentally and socially.

Venezuelan Labourers, Big Oil Players to head to Fort Mac?

After Venezuela, Tar Sands no Quick Fix
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN2741612020070705
By Jeffrey Jones and Scott Haggett - Analysis

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - For Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips it may appear simple: shift efforts, people and resources to Canada's oil sands now that the oil majors have retreated from Venezuela. In reality, it's no simple matter.

The oil sands have their own set of risks: surging costs due to a squeezed labor force, technical complexity and a shrinking pool of attractive available properties.

"California clean air standards a danger to Cdn oil industry"

California clean air standards a danger to Cdn oil industry
2007-06-08
http://money.canoe.ca/News/Other/2007/06/08/4243714-ap.html

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Clean-air agreements signed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and two Canadian provinces could dramatically slow oil production in the Alberta tar sands.

Ontario and British Columbia have agreed to adhere to California's low-carbon fuel standards, which means the provinces will have to curb oil production sources that create high amounts of global-warming emissions.

China National Petroleum Co. starts Exploring in Tar Sands

CNPC Signs Canadian Oil-Sands Agreement
2007-07-02
The Wall Street Journal
http://english.cri.cn/3130/2007/07/02/262@244638.htm

In a sign of the expanding international ambitions of China's oil companies, China National Petroleum Corp. has bought the rights to explore for oil in Canada.

The state-owned parent of Hong Kong- and New York-listed PetroChina Co. will develop an oil-sands field that is estimated to contain about two billion barrels of a thick and hard-to-process form of oil called bitumen.

Gulf Times/ Qatar: Tar Sands as 'Alternative' to Venezuela

Anyone else noticing a pattern here?

Petro-Canada Plans C$26.2 Billion 'Oil-Sands' Project

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=ayjHX7wsn1WA&refer=c...

Petro-Canada Plans C$26.2 Billion Oil-Sands Project (Update7)

By Ian McKinnon

June 28 (Bloomberg) -- Petro-Canada, the third-largest oil company in Canada, and its partners will spend C$26.2 billion ($24.6 billion) on an oil-sands project in northern Alberta that's one of the world's most costly energy developments.

NDP and Environmentalists decrie tanker traffic- Gas Headed to Tar Sands

http://www.goldstreamgazette.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=12&cat=23&i...

NDP decries tanker traffic

Environmentalists and the NDP want the federal government to block passage of oil tankers, such as this one, along B.C.’s coast.
By Brennan Clarke
News staff

Jun 29 2007

Environmentalists allege federal Conservatives turning blind eye to moratorium

Increasing oil tanker activity in B.C.’s northern waters has West Coast NDPers calling on Ottawa and Victoria to “formalize” a long-standing moratorium on tanker traffic and offshore exploration.

The Peak Oil Crisis: Twin problems

Written by Tom Whipple
http://www.fcnp.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1374&Itemi...
Thursday, 07 June 2007

Venezuelan Gusanos Flock to Fort McMurray

Fleeing Chavez, oil workers flock to frigid Alberta
By JOEL MILLMAN, The Wall Street Journal
Associated Press Financial Wire
June 26, 2007 Tuesday 2:10 PM GMT

FORT McMURRAY, Alberta Before he left Venezuela in April for this
petroleum outpost in northern Alberta, Freddy Mendez heard tales
about bone-chilling winter cold and lumbering moose. Since he's come
to town, he's seen two black bears in his neighborhood. Still, the
toughest adjustment is the late-night sun.

"You get a lot of work done when the sun doesn't set until 11," he

Nuclear CO2 warming costs-- Helen Caldicott

http://www.upi.com/Security_Terrorism/Analysis/2007/05/21/ou...
Published: May 21, 2007 at 2:23 PM
Outside View: Nuclear CO2 warming costs

By HELEN CALDICOTT UPI
Outside View Commentator

MELBOURNE, May 21 (UPI) -- The fact is, it takes energy to make energy --
even nuclear energy. And the true "energetic costs" of making nuclear
energy -- the amounts of traditionally generated fuel it takes to create
"new" nuclear energy -- have not been tallied up until very recently.

What exactly is nuclear power? It is a very expensive, sophisticated and

Will Royal Dutch Shell Turn B.C. into Nigeria North?

Nigeria North

Will Royal Dutch Shell Turn B.C. into Nigeria North?

June 7, 2007 (Victoria, BC) - A video released today draws attention to
the takeover this month of Shell Canada by Royal Dutch Shell and its
implications for a northern BC First Nation.

View Nigeria North video online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2RUhJGbjDM

The five-minute documentary by the Victoria-based Dogwood Initiative
focuses on Royal Dutch Shell's poor human rights track record in