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.
Reflections of Fidel
The unjustifiable destruction of the environment
CAN capitalist society avoid it? News about the issue is not encouraging. In Poznan, they are discussing the project to be presented in December of next year in Copenhagen, where the agreement that will replace the Kyoto Protocol will be discussed and voted on.
Industry upset over JRP deadline
Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 15, 2008
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Reaction to news that the Joint Review Panel will not have its report on the embattled Mackenzie Gas Project ready until December 2009 has been uniformly negative and in some cases incredulous.
"You've got to be kidding" was the initial reaction of Ann Marie Tout, president of the NWT Chamber of Commerce.
Stephen Harper: Mackenzie Gas now
December 12, 2008
Diane Francis // Financial Post
Ottawa need not sign a single check in order to kick start a gigantic $20-billion economic stimulus project that would also be in the national interest. The feds must short-circuit their dysfunctional system in order to start the Mackenzie Gas Project.
David Suzuki: Tar sand wealth comes with environmental costs
By David Suzuki and Faisal Moola
If you want to be scared, you don’t need to watch a horror movie or read the latest Stephen King bestseller.
Real terror can be found by simply firing up Google Earth, the computer program that allows users to look at satellite pictures of any place on the planet. By mousing over and zooming in, you can see what Alberta’s tar sands look like from space.
It is not a pretty sight. In fact, it’s scary—and for good reason.
B.C. government awards tenure to BP Canada for coalbed methane project
December 8//2008
VANCOUVER, B.C. - The provincial government has given the green light to a contentious coalbed methane project in southeastern B.C.
Energy minister Richard Neufeld says BP Canada has been awarded tenure for its Mist Mountain project, near Fernie in the East Kootenay region.
Mackenzie pipeline stakeholders ''disappointed'' at environmental review delay (Mackenzie-Delay)
CALGARY _ A panel examining the Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline project said Friday it will take another year to complete its long-awaited review in the latest setback for the multibillion-dollar plan that originally hoped to have gas flowing in 2009.
Tahltan Nation Applauds Government Decision to Suspend Coalbed Methane Development in the Sacred Headwaters
DEASE LAKE, BC, Dec. 5 /CNW/ - The Tahltan Central Council (TCC), the
organization responsible for protecting Tahltan Title and Rights, applauds
today's provincial government announcement to amend Shell Canada's petroleum
and natural gas tenure license. The amendment will stop Shell from exploring
and developing coalbed methane (CBM), a form of natural gas extracted from
coal beds, in the Klappan region. The Klappan is a region in northwestern
Tar sands threatens millions of birds, report says
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
December 2, 2008
The development of the tar sands could lead to the loss of more than 160 million birds over the next 30 to 50 years because of the elimination of habitat and deaths from drowning in tailings ponds, according to a report being released today.
CANADA: Native Rights Concerns Cloud 2010 Games
By Jon Elmer
VANCOUVER, Dec 1 (IPS) - A coalition of indigenous elders, social
justice activists and community organisers is voicing opposition to
the upcoming Winter Olympics, promising to continue their protests up
to and throughout the 2010 games.
Taking advantage of a three-day media briefing hosted by the official
Olympic body in late November, the Vancouver Organising Committee
(VANOC), activists and native representatives invited the local and
Shell moves to slow Canadian oil sands project
Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:57pm EST
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L: Quote) is delaying another Canadian oil sands project, saying on Thursday it has withdrawn a regulatory application for its 100,000 barrel per day Carmon Creek thermal project as it looks to shave costs by revamping the project.
