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.
If you aren't cynical enough and want further proof that none of the Canadian political parties are serious about tackling climate change, the fact they never mention the tarsands demonstrates that it is mostly for show.
When the recent document urging the five fold expansion of the tarsands was leaked through the CBC, this should have made it quite clear why this new water regime is necessary.
The world is running out of fresh water and Canada has lots of it.
Committee report urges end to oilsands tax break
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/187693
Mar 02, 2007 05:35 PM
Dennis Bueckert
Canadian press
OTTAWA – The federal government should cancel its generous tax treatment of the Alberta oilsands industry, putting it on the same footing as the rest of the energy sector, says a draft report by a House of Commons committee.
The tax break, estimated to be worth $1.4 billion annually, has been a point of growing controversy as oilsands operators reap record revenues.
Oil Sands: The Costs of Alberta's "Black Gold"
Alana Herro – July 7, 2006 – 4:27am
December 22, 2006
Okalik: Devolution must include internal waters
“It is, frankly, an area where, for the moment, we agree to disagree.”
http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/61222_05.html
JIM BELL
Ottawa-Nunavut devolution talks hit a snag last week when Nunavut
Premier Paul Okalik and Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice came out
with opposing views on jurisdiction over the vast oil and gas reserves
lying within Nunavut’s internal waters.
Prentice said last week in an interview broadcast on CPAC, the Canadian
What is of concern here is not what is mentioned, but rather what isn't. There are two equally disturbing environmentally dangerous aspects to the proposed pipeline. One cannot be hidden but only minimized and "greenwashed", the other can be lied about, declared irrelevant, or simply left unspoken. The first is what we have discussed by the NEB: land and water protection from both the construction and the operation phases of the MGP. The other is the impact on the overall atmosphere via the transport of the gas to be used in the operation of the Alberta tarsands.
Black Gold, Black Death
Oil Sands Frenzy in Canada
http://www.counterpunch.org/holt02042006.html
February 4 / 5, 2006
By JOHN HOLT
Introductory minirant:
While absolutely correct to be calling the federal government on the final destination of the gas for the MGP, it is problematic to call for the greening of the Mackenzie
Gas Project. The fact is that the MGP is not one pipeline, and the tar sands in Alberta are a possible destination. The tarsands cannot move forward without the MGP-- and seeing the pipeline as a critical component means realising we need to stop the construction of the pipeline period-- regardless of any location being pre-determined for this amount of energy.
