Economics

"Co-generation"-- a term that means burning the waste gunk at the bottom of a barrel of extracted bitumen, for energy-- is a massive increase in carbon footprint, in the name of 'efficiency'. It was originally developed by Ormat-- the parent of tar sands developer Opti-- to develop oil shale in 1948 Palestine. The dirtiest plant in terms of "intensity" (the reduction of which is supposedly the goal of the Harper co2 plan) is the Opti and Nexen Long Lake plant south of Fort McMurray.

Native Americans to join London climate camp protest over tar sands

Canadian First Nations seek to highlight UK's 'criminal' role in CO2-heavy oil schemes

Terry Macalister
guardian.co.uk,
Sunday 23 August 2009

Native Americans are to join the Climate Camp protests in the City of London this week in an attempt to draw attention to corporate Britain's "criminal" involvement in the tar sands of Canada.

Five representatives from the Cree First Nations are coming to co-ordinate their campaign against key players in the carbon-heavy energy sector with British environmentalists.

Tar sands oil dirty as ever despite Alberta and industry spin: Sierra Club
on Aug 3rd, 2009

CALGARY, OTTAWA – Tar sands oil is as dirty as ever despite the most recent communications spin by the Alberta government and oil industry says Sierra Club Canada.

State Department Gives Green Light to Canada-U.S. Oil Pipeline
By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 21, 2009

The State Department has approved the construction of a multibillion-dollar pipeline from Canadian oil sands to refineries in the United States, prompting an outcry from environmental groups opposed to oil sands development.

Tar Sands protest comes to UK Climate Camp
Ecologist
18th August, 2009

Oil extraction from tar sands is causing large-scale environmental damage, say activists

The fight against the extraction of oil from the tar sands of Alberta in Canada will reach the UK later this month.

Representatives from First Nations, the group that speaks for Canada's aboriginal people, will join in the London Climate Camp protest from August 27th to 31st.

Search Narrows for Pipeline Bomber
Second threatening letter sets eyes on Tomslake community.
By Greg Amos, 17 Jul 2009, TheTyee.ca

The investigation related to the six northeast B.C. pipeline infrastructure bombings is narrowing in on a small community near the Alberta border, where bloodlines lead back to Sudeten Germans expelled from western Czechoslovakia after World War Two.

Is the Mackenzie Pipeline dead?
Peter Foster
National Post
August 18, 2009

Here’s a thorny question to pose as Prime Minister Stephen Harper moves
about the Canadian North this week promoting Arctic sovereignty and
use-it-or-lose it development: is the Mackenzie Valley natural gas
pipeline dead?

A year ago, Imperial’s CEO Bruce March declared that he was as optimistic
about Mackenzie development as he had been “in five or six years.” As
recently as January, Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice was talking

Peace wants say on massive dam

Region wants consideration before any studies on $6-billion Site C

BY SCOTT SIMPSON, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE
AUGUST 19, 2009

Northeast British Columbia won't yield to B.C. Hydro's Site C mega-hydroelectric project without a fight.

Directors of the Peace River Regional District have voted to recommend the B.C. government reject Hydro's request to undertake geotechnical surveys of potential locations for the estimated $6-billion Site C dam and its reservoir.

Three energy deals, $78B
August 18, 2009

While there's been a frenzy of deals in the alternative energy market, fossil fuels still dominate the numbers when it comes to consumption and investment from companies such as Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM). Note these three deals involving China and Australia, Russia and Venezuela, and Iran and Malaysia.

Alberta cuts funding for acid-rain tests

Edmonton — The Canadian Press
Aug. 18, 2009

Alberta has cut funding for tests to determine how much acid rain is falling in the oil sands region around Fort McMurray, according to a government document obtained by The Canadian Press.

The cut went ahead even though the briefing note for the province's Environment Minister dated Aug. 11 acknowledges acid rain is falling on the energy boomtown.

The note adds that precipitation falling in northeastern Alberta has a "similar" acidity to that falling downwind in Saskatchewan.