Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Energy

Energy and how it is captured and consumed is barely viable in tar sands production. While the amount of oil in places such as the tar sands in Alberta or the Orinoco Belt in Venezuela may have deposits of similar size to the reserves of countries such as Saudi Arabia or Iraq, the return of new energy after expending energy in production is not even close. In Iraq, the process of using one barrel of oil generates 100 new barrels. In the tar sands, estimates of 3 to 1 and even as low as 1.5 to 1 have been made. Offsetting the net energy loss would require minimally 25-30 tar sands facilities for one Saudi plant operating at the same capacity.

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /var/www/drupal-6.28/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

Europe must do what it can to stop the rush for ‘bad oil’

Europe must do what it can to stop the rush for ‘bad oil’
http://www.transportenvironment.org/Article440.html
Jul 26, 2007
Editorial by Jos Dings

Bad oil? To some people familiar with the environmental movement, the term “bad oil” may sound odd. Isn’t all oil bad from an environmental perspective?

Everything is relative. Yes, the oil we use today is very bad for the climate. But the so-called “unconventional” oil the world is looking to use in increasing intensity is so bad for the climate that today’s oil actually looks good in comparison.

Tar Sands: Royal Dutch Shell's Self-Described Most Profitable Oil

Shell rakes in profits from Canadian tar-sands unit: Times of London
By London Bureau
Last Update: 6:31 AM ET Jul 27, 2007
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/shell-rakes-profits-canadian-oil-s...

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The world's dirtiest oil is producing the highest profit per barrel for Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN), which yesterday said it would begin to report the earnings of its controversial Canadian oil sands operations as a separate business unit, the Times of London reports Friday.

Alberta building unions threaten tar sands strike

Alberta building unions threaten oil sands strike
Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:27 PM EDT

By Scott Haggett

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Five Alberta construction unions have voted in favor of their first strike in a quarter of a century as they seek higher wages and improved working conditions at a slate of multibillion-dollar oil sands projects.

Electricians, boilermakers, plumbers and pipefitters, millwrights, and refrigeration mechanics have approved a strike and 72-hour notice could be served as soon as Wednesday, though a quick walk-off is not yet certain, an analyst said.

Premier Not Safe From Tar Sands Justice!

EDMONTON SUN

By NICKI THOMAS, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA

A heavily guarded Ed Stelmach served pancakes to a crowd of early risers at yesterday's Premier's Capital Ex Breakfast.

Two weeks after an attempted pie attack at the Calgary Stampede, a beefed-up security team ensured a similar incident wasn't possible.

Plainclothes security staff as well as bicycle cops and uniformed sheriffs kept an eye on the crowd as Stelmach shook hands and spoke with visitors.

$100 Oil Price May Be Months Away, Say CIBC, Goldman

$100 Oil Price May Be Months Away, Say CIBC, Goldman (Update1)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYjwn7IqTlHQ&refer=home
By Mark Shenk

July 23 (Bloomberg) -- The $100-a-barrel oil that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said would prevail by 2009 may be only a few months away.

Not enough Labour, Building entire Towns in the Tar Pits

Labour Pool Will Continue To Be Stretched As More Projects Come On Board
By Paul Wells //July 23 2007
http://www.dobmagazine.nickles.com/article.asp?article=%5Cdob%5C070723%5...

The shear volume and complexity of large-scale projects planned or occurring in the oilsands combined with booming construction in other sectors in Alberta will only increase the strain on an already stretched labour pool, PennWell Corporation's oil sands and heavy oil technologies conference heard last week.

Alberta Clipper pipeline will endanger Canadian jobs: energy workers‘ union

Jul 25, 2007 11:27:00 AM MST
Alberta Clipper pipeline will endanger Canadian jobs: energy workers‘ union (Alberta-Clipper)

http://www.oilweek.com/news.asp?ID=10358

OTTAWA (CP) _ Canada‘s largest union of energy workers has filed for intervener status in National Energy Board hearings into Enbridge Inc.‘s Alberta Clipper oil pipeline project application, aiming to block the export of jobs and raw resources.

25,000 Alberta tradespeople poised for strike; 95% in favour of Job Action

25,000 Alberta tradespeople poised for strike
Last Updated: Monday, July 23, 2007 | 12:20 PM MT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2007/07/23/trades-vote.html

Alberta tradespeople in five unions have voted 95 per cent in favour of taking strike action, a move that threatens to bring the province's construction industry to a halt as early as the end of the week.

"Energy Alberta's nuclear maverick revamping power plant application"

Energy Alberta's nuclear maverick revamping power plant application
http://www.brandonsun.com/story.php?story_id=63520
Canadian Press, July 20, 2007

CALGARY (CP) - The head of Energy Alberta Corp., an upstart western company pushing nuclear power in the Prairies, isn't taking the summer off, as planned.

Instead, Wayne Henuset is revamping a site application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission from his office in the suburbs of southeast Calgary.

Conoco to use Keystone and Alberta Clipper to transport Tar Sands Crude to the Gulf

Conoco has big plans for oil sands
Third-largest U.S. oil firm is willing to pay billions to pump Alberta crude to Gulf Coast refineries
SHAWN MCCARTHY
July 20, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070720.RCONOCO20/TPSt...

ConocoPhillips Co. is prepared to spend billions of dollars on pipelines and refinery upgrades to allow it to process oil sands crude throughout its refinery network stretching to the U.S. Gulf Coast, company chairman Jim Mulva said yesterday.