Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

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.

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The Dirty Dilemma of Canadian Crude...

The Dirty Dilemma of Canadian Crude
Tar sands oil comes at an environmental cost. But blocking it from the U.S. may make matters worse

By Damian Joseph
January 21, 2008

Globalization is Fueling Global Warming

Globalization is Fueling Global Warming
by Les Leopold
AlterNet (December 28 2007)

As global warming negotiations move from Bali towards a worldwide
treaty, it is important to address how global warming and global trade
work hand-in-hand.

Globalization is to global warming what warm water in the Gulf of Mexico
waters was to Hurricane Katrina. And, unless we wisely limit rapidly
accelerating global trade, we will see equally disastrous and deadly
results - worsening global warming and a continued chemical poisoning of
our world.

Stelmach Goes to Washington; Controversial Kearl Tar Sands Project Goes to Court

EcoJustice: Stelmach Goes to Washington; Controversial Kearl Tar Sands Project Goes to Court

Canada tar sands projects flunk green test-groups

Canada oil sands projects flunk green test-groups

By Jeffrey Jones
CALGARY, Alberta, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Canadian oil sands mining projects, seen as a key source of North American energy supply for decades to come, have been given poor environmental marks in a report released on Thursday, with even the best performer barely garnering a passing grade.
Environmental groups Pembina Institute and World Wildlife Fund surveyed 10 Alberta oil sands ventures, including seven yet to start producing, for attention to land, air emissions, water, climate change and overall environmental management.

A Kinder, Gentler Tar Sands, brought to you by the Pembina Institute and World Wildlife Fund

What is it that prevents Pembina Institute and WWF from just saying "Stop!" to the tar sands instead of just lobbying to improve their "environmental performance." Maybe it is something to do with the fact that they both receive multi-million dollar funding from the Pew Charitable Trusts, whose parent companies Sun Oil/Sunoco built the first tar sands project in 1967 and who continue to refine large amounts of sythetic tar sands crude oil in Ohio and are planning to extend tar sands supply pipelines as far east as their refineries in Philadelphia.

- Tarpit Pete

Gas producers await fate of Alaska pipeline

Gas producers await fate of Alaska pipeline
West at risk
Jon Harding, Financial Post Published: Tuesday, January 08, 2008

CALGARY -- Almost half the natural gas pipeline capacity leaving Alberta today for markets across the continent could sit empty by 2018 unless an Alaska pipeline gets built and connects to the Alberta hub, says a new study by the Canadian Energy Research Institute.

TransCanada wins bid to build natural gas pipeline out of Alaska

January 4, 2008 - 18:57

By: Jeannette Lee, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP) has beat out four competitors in a bid to build a natural gas pipeline out of Alaska that would supply energy to millions of consumers throughout North America, state officials announced Friday.

Liberal Opposition Criticize Alberta Inaction on Fort Chip Health

Liberal Opposition Criticize Alberta Inaction on Fort Chip Health
By LEA STORRY, SRJ Editor 17.DEC.07

Alberta Health and Wellness is not saying anything new in terms of a controversial report to come out of Fort Chipewyan. But the Alberta Liberal caucus thinks the Conservatives need to take a look at what they’re doing to the province.

“The government is not doing due diligence in Fort Chipewyan,” stated Laurie Blakeman, MLA Edmonton-Centre and Liberal shadow minister for health and wellness. “The government tests the wrong thing at the wrong time for the wrong people.”

Canada's forests aren't bailing us out, study says

Canada's forests aren't bailing us out, study says
Not getting better at absorbing gases. And longer growing seasons no help, after all
Thursday » January 3 » 2008
TOM SPEARS
CanWest News Service

Last year brought glum news that Canada's forests are only a so-so defence against global warming. Today, it gets a little worse: We thought our forests were getting better at soaking up greenhouse gases, but they're not.

Kitimat: Enbridge Revives Gateway, Looking to Super Tanker Tar Sands Bitumen to Asia

Pipeline to B.C. back on track
Asian demand for Alberta crude makes 1,300-km route to B.C. port feasible, Enbridge president says
Gordon Jaremko, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Saturday, December 29 2007

Courses are being charted for supertankers to fetch Alberta oil for Asia from a new British Columbia terminal planned for Kitimat.

Engineers are designing tunnels to put a new pipeline beneath the mountains between Edmonton and the Pacific Ocean without scarring alpine scenery or wildlife habitat.