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.
B.C. oil could ease crisis
Offshore exploration should be considered, agency says
Peter O'Neil with files from Kelly Sinoski
Canwest News Service
Monday, July 14, 2008
PARIS -- Canada could play a crucial role in helping alleviate the international energy crisis if it continues to expand Alberta oilsands production and considers allowing exploration off B.C.'s pristine coastline, says a senior official with the International Energy Agency.
Carrier Sekani question review of gas pipeline
Written by GORDON HOEKSTRA
Citizen staff
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council says a provincial review that gave a $1.1 billion natural gas pipeline project between Summit Lake and Kitimat the green light is inadequate, although it was expected.
The project -- a joint venture between Pacific Northern Gas and Kitimat LNG -- received an environmental assessment certificate last Friday after a review by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office.
Kinder Morgan ramping up pipeline plans
Dormant northern leg being revived
Jon Harding, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, July 02, 2008
CALGARY -- A second large shipper of oil from Canada to the United States has confirmed interest is heating up between Canadian producers and refining customers in Asia and along the United States' West Coast.
Oil sands: Canada's dirty secret
As oil prices continue to reach record highs, the search for new sources of energy has led the world to Alberta, Canada, and its vast oil sands. Now, John Vidal finds, the country famed for its wilderness and clean living finds itself caught between fuelling the world's oil-hungry economy and the ecological devastation and soaring greenhouse gas emissions that exploiting the tar sands produces
* John Vidal, environment editor, in Fort McMurray
* guardian.co.uk,
* Friday July 11, 2008
Ecuador Constitutional Assembly Votes to Approve Rights of Nature In New
Constitution
Legal Defense Fund: Ecuador First Nation in the World to Shift to
Rights-Based Environmental Protection Using Legal Defense Fund Support
Ecuadorians Follow Lead of U.S. Communities Partnering With Legal Defense
Fund
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
On July 7, 2008, the Ecuador Constitutional Assembly - composed of one
hundred and thirty (130) delegates elected countrywide to rewrite the
country's Constitution - voted to approve articles for the new constitution
This seems to be good news, but the underlying keys here are: Rising costs, costs due to the rising price of crude; these rises are directly linked to the *drive* to construct the pipelines that are ultimately needed for the continued growth of the Athabasca Tar Sands region. Two, as indicated, part of the reasoning against the MGP is the region of BC's Northeast corner perhaps containing vast reserves previously unknown.
This is rather, ahem, self explanatory...
Especially when you read the bio of the author, on a site with several ex-Fox writers.
--M
Alberta Heavy Crude to be World’s cleanest production
By Mark Smyth Monday, June 30, 2008
For those who were not aware of the joint statement from the 76TH ANNUAL U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS in Miami this past week, to boycott Canadian gasoline made from oil sands heavy crude, pay very close attention.
Disaster Capitalism: State of Extortion
by Naomi Klein
July 3, 2008
The Nation
Once oil passed $140 a barrel, even the most rabidly right-wing media hosts had to prove their populist cred by devoting a portion of every show to bashing Big Oil. Some have gone so far as to invite me on for a friendly chat about an insidious new phenomenon: “disaster capitalism.” It usually goes well–until it doesn’t.
Government records show close to no environmental regulation enforcement in Alberta's Tar Sands
LIBRARY LATE FEES IN CALGARY AND EDMONTON TOTAL 16 TIMES MORE THAN
ENVIRONMENTAL FINES LEVIED AT TAR SANDS COMPANIES
TORONTO, July 2 /CNW/ - After a recent spate of 'greening' campaigns by
government and industry for the Tar Sands, information obtained by
ForestEthics shows government is failing to enforce environmental regulations,
giving oil sands companies a free ride.
Oil companies operating in the Tar Sands were fined only $249,000 in
Monitoring office faces delay
Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 30, 2008
RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE - The Yamoga Land Corp. in Fort Good Hope is moving forward with plans to open an office that will monitor the activities of oil, gas and mining companies exploring around Fort Good Hope and Colville Lake, despite difficulties finding staff for the office.
