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.

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Nuclear Power for Alberta being labelled "Inevitable"

The language of "inevitability" is the only thing that is truly inevitable. A rule of thumb for something that your instincts tell you may not be a good idea and perhaps might see opposition is that the moment it is treated as "inevitable" means that those who plan such things truly fear it is actually not at all inevitable.

TransCanada prefers Coal Power to Nuclear; Ruling nothing out for Tar Sands Power

TransCanada considers Alberta nuclear source
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/208153
Apr 27, 2007 07:02 PM
Dina O'Meara
Canadian press

CALGARY–Pipeline and power giant TransCanada Corp. (TSX: TRP) said today coal is still king in Alberta, but that building a nuclear power plant in Western Canada could be an option in the future.

"The way we look at it, nuclear is primarily an option for supplying electricity demand in Alberta, long-term" Hal Kvisle, president and chief executive said, following the company's annual meeting.

TransCanada to extend reach of Keystone right to the East Coast

Yet another great example of how impossible it is for a democratic discussion for the people of all of North America to be commenced without a realistic environmental impacts assessment from the tarsands-- an assessment that must take place for the entire continent, necessary components therein, and all of the "natural extensions" that will "guarantee the lifetime" of this or that pipeline (For example in the Mackenzie Valley-- stage one of the pipeline would ultimately lead to a decimation of the Colville Lake/Sahtu region through a gazillion and one gas pads).

Dakotas look to Fast Track Keystone Pipeline from Tarsands

Oil pipeline on fast track
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070429/NEWS/7042...
Firm hopes to pump 435,000 barrels per day under S.D. by 2009
By Peter Harriman
pharrima@argusleader.com
April 29, 2007

For South Dakotans used to seeing large projects such as the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad expansion toil for years to gain regulatory approval and fight legal challenges, a proposed oil pipeline through eastern South Dakota appears to be moving at astonishing speed.

Energy Alberta Announces Plans for Nuclear Plant near Whitecourt, Elsewhere

Nuclear power plant proposed for Whitecourt

Energy Alberta Corporation, an Alberta-based energy company, is actively looking at the town of Whitecourt and other Alberta communities as a potential host for a nuclear power plant.
http://www.whitecourtstar.com/News/303973.html
Tuesday May 01, 2007

The company has said they expect the plant to be part of an exciting new venture that will benefit Alberta for decades to come and will provide clean, emission free power required by the ever-growing oil sands projects.

Norway Buys Into Tar Sands

It is going to be incredibly illustrative how Canadian elites treat this-- if it gets a mention in more than stating-the-facts ways such as this announcement below. Silence would be every bit as loud. A major, non-private oil corporation for a 'foreign' country (that is, not the United States or Canada) has purchased Calgary based North American Oil Sands. Will the same level of fear mongering that accompanied Chinese investments be unleashed, along with a 'white peril' thinly veiled reference to base reactions towards Norway?

I seriously doubt it.

--M

Ali Samsam Bakhtiari and Peak Oil

Published on 24 Apr 2007 by Energy Bulletin / Whiskey & Gunpowder. Archived on 25 Apr 2007.
Ali Samsam Bakhtiari and Peak Oil
http://www.energybulletin.net/29162.html
by Byron King

I HAVE RECEIVED more correspondence from Ali Samsam Bakhtiari of Tehran, Iran. I want to bring Dr. Bakhtiari's important work to the attention of the readers of Whiskey & Gunpowder.

Tar Sands Completely Untouched by "Green Plan"

When we are able to chart where the tar sands are going, and by adding up the component plans that are already announced we can, the sheer size and scope makes ignoring them or allowing -- as the article says-- for "business as usual" a complete, total surrender to being decimated by climate change. Mr Harper has already had private meetings with the US Dep't of Energy and Natural Resources Canada, along with the oil executives.

Sunoco Gives More to Democrats now than Republicans

The tactic being assumed by all the major players in the tarsands as of late is to pretend to love the earth too, but just that they have a different idea of what it will take to save the atmosphere and, well, life. This is right up the alley of the Democratic Party, who have a long history of pretending to care about green causes while assassinating all legislative and participatory attempts to make them back it up.

Nor is it at all surprising that Sunoco would be involved today. The story of Sunoco in tarsands?

Husky CEO Promises to Pass on 'Greening Costs' of Tar Sands to Customers

Public to pay for green policy: Lau
Husky CEO blunt about passing on government-mandated higher costs
Jon Harding, Financial Post
April 20, 2007
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=3ba6045c-...

CALGARY - John Lau, president and chief executive of Husky Energy Inc., fired off a warning yesterday to Alberta and Canadian legislators circling the oilsands: Consumers, not oil companies, will bear the brunt of government policies that add costs to the massive energy developments.