Forests

Forests lose more trees and habitat to pipeline “right of way” cuts and tar pit building than to clearcuts. With minor variation, pipelines go the direct route. Through the strip mining of the land that contains tarsand petroleum and through pipeline construction to accomodate, only the Amazon Basin in Brazil would see larger rates of deforestation than the Boreal forest cover surrendered to the tarsands. Roads often accompany pipelines, as do various other developments. Hundreds of thousands of miles of forests, all combined, have been lost to infrastructure built to accommodate tarsands operations. Now the industry wants to build two approximately 1200 km long Mackenzie and Gateway pipelines as well as 2700 km's from Alaska's North Slope to accomodate tarsand oil production.

Enbridge Gateway Pipeline "back on the radar"

Pipeline back on the radar
Published: September 03, 2008 5:00 AM
Black Press

Public consultation on Enbridge's Gateway pipeline project is set to begin in Smithers sometime in November.

Roger Harris, Enbridge vice-president of communications and aboriginal partnerships, was in Smithers Aug. 27 to discuss the project with Town Council and the Chamber of Commerce.

U.S. foundations use money to pursue co-optation against Canadian environmental group

U.S. foundations use money to pursue co-optation against Canadian environmental group
Tue 2. Sep 2008
by Dru Oja Jay, Dominion writer

Since major foundations in the US began funding environmental groups in the late 1980s, many grassroots environmental activists have sounded the alarm about the rise of the “Big Greens.” Featuring six-figure salaries and foundation funding, critics say the large environmental NGOs co-opt grassroots movements and exercise control over what issues are brought up.

Toll road may aid pipeline costs to Mackenzie Gas Project

Toll road may aid pipeline costs
SHAWN MCCARTHY // GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER
August 29, 2008

OTTAWA -- The federal and territorial governments are looking at inviting private-sector partners to build a toll highway up the Mackenzie Valley as a way of opening the North for development and lowering costs for a long-delayed natural gas pipeline.

Why an oil refinery [in South Dakota] is a step in the wrong direction

Peter Carrels : Why an oil refinery is a step in the wrong direction
Saturday, August 23, 2008

In South Dakota, politicians and business leaders are cheering a massive oil refinery planned for the state’s southeast corner. If built, it will be the first oil refinery constructed in the United States in more than 30 years.

On Clean Coal...

If By Clean You Mean Filthy

by Umbra Fisk

Grist (July 23 2008)

Question

Dear Umbra,

I noticed that several of the presidential primary debates were
sponsored by clean coal. This was announced during breaks and several
commercials aired. I have since seen several more commercials and online
advertisements. Is clean coal an oxymoron? Is this a PR stunt or are
there any real environmental benefits to clean coal that rival solar and
wind? See www.americaspower.org.

Andrew S.
Brookline, Massachusetts

Answer

Dearest Andrew,

Canada's Harper Says Mackenzie Pipeline to `Come to Fruition'

Canada's Harper Says Mackenzie Pipeline to `Come to Fruition'

By Theophilos Argitis and Alexandre Deslongchamps

Aug. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he is ``optimistic'' Imperial Oil Ltd.'s Mackenzie pipeline project will ``come to fruition.''

``I am optimistic that in the not-too-distant future this project will come to fruition,'' Harper told reporters today in the village of Tuktoyaktuk on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

Shell slammed over "sustainable" tar sands advert

Shell slammed over "sustainable" tar sands advert

ASA rules advert claiming tar sands projects are part of a "sustainable future" is misleading
James Murray, BusinessGreen, 13 Aug 2008

Oil giant Shell has once again had its knuckles rapped by the watchdog for overstating its green credentials after it claimed in an advert that its $10bn oil sands project in northern Canada represented a "sustainable energy source".

Take Charge: Dirty Work in Alberta

Take Charge: Dirty Work in Alberta
By Morgan Goodwin - August 26, 2008
Take Charge Campaign

This newsletter is provided by the Take Charge Campaign, a local initiative to encourage and to help people to conserve energy. It is published twice a month.

This week in Dirty Energy: Alberta Tar Sands

What's happening in the Alberta tar sands in Canada is the most destructive project on Earth, according to Environmental Defence. Thousands of square miles of tundra are being scraped away to harvest an oil-rich layer of earth between 10 and 80 feet deep.

Enbridge begins early planning of $5-billion Gateway pipeline project

August 6, 2008
Oil and Gas Infrastructure
Enbridge begins early planning of $5-billion Gateway pipeline project
Richard Gilbert // staff writer

The largest private infrastructure project in the history of British Columbia is in the early planning stages.

Enbridge Corporation hopes to construct a twin pipeline and marine facility in Kitimat.

The Gateway pipeline project involves the construction of a petroleum export pipeline, a condensate import pipeline and a marine tank terminal to service both pipelines.

Early estimates peg the cost near $5 billion.

Rare cancer strikes

Rare cancer strikes
Small community near Alberta oilsands has disproportionate number of bile duct disease
By VIVIAN SONG

A mutated, two-mouthed fish caught downstream from the Alberta oilsands caught the attention of the Canadian public last week. Beneath its first mouth is a confusing aberration, a second, baby, jagged-toothed lower jaw that seems to grow timidly out of the fish-face.

Two boys fishing in Lake Athabasca caught the 2.5-kilo goldeye two weeks ago and handed it over to the Mikisew First Nation.