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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Shifting Tar Sands

Shifting oil sands
Telegraph UK Magazine
15/09/2007

In the hunt for new fuel sources, a vast swath of western Canada is being mined for its precious 'oil sands'. Jack Fairweather visits the centre of the new gold rush. Photographs by Jonas Bendiksen

Donnie Leblanc is surprisingly nonchalant for a man who has just blown $20,000 on a two-day trip to Las Vegas. But then, since he came to northern Canada, he hasn't had to worry too much about money - and there is plenty more where that came from. In a few months' time he will have saved enough to hit the casinos again.

Rainbow Lake oil pipeline put on sale by Imperial; Tied to MGP?

Rainbow Lake oil pipeline put on sale by Imperial Oil and partners
Published: Thursday, September 6, 2007 | 8:44 PM ET
Canadian Press: JUDY MONCHUK

CALGARY (CP) - The energy champions behind the proposed $16-billion Mackenzie pipeline are selling a small oil pipeline in northern Alberta, bewildering observers who say the Rainbow line has strategic importance.

Rainbow is owned by Imperial Oil (TSX:IMO), ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell, all partners in plans to bring Canada's large Arctic reserves of natural gas to southern markets.

Editorial: North Dakota must step up on planned [Keystone] pipeline

North Dakota must step up on planned pipeline
Sep 14, 2007 - 08:30:11 CDT
By TIM MATHERN
Fargo

A pipeline company wants access to thousands of acres of private land in the state. Recent hearings before the Public Service Commission tell me this issue goes way beyond the PSC; the governor needs to provide leadership.

The TransCanada Keystone pipeline would carry Canadian "tar sands" oil from Alberta to refineries in other states. PSC approval of the route would make more than 400 landowners subject to condemnation proceedings.

Mackenzie Gas Project Proponents "Getting Optimistic" Again.

Horizon North optimistic on Mackenzie pipeline
Jon Harding, Financial Post
Published: Thursday, September 13, 2007

One of Canada's largest logistics companies catering to northern development projects added its name to a growing list of optimists who believe the $16-billion Mackenzie Gas Project will proceed.

"As others have said here this week, we believe it's not a question of 'if' but rather 'when'," said Bob German, CFO of Horizon North Logistics Inc., a publicly traded Calgary firm.

Tahltan Protest against Shell/CBM takes campaign to British media

Protest against Shell takes campaign to British media
CATHRYN ATKINSON
September 11, 2007
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070911.BCSHELL11/TPSt...

Native protesters and environmental groups are taking the next round of their fight against a coal-bed methane exploration project in a remote part of central B.C. to the British media.

Suncor Trying to Buy Up Natural Gas Supplies for Tar Pits

However benignly this article is written, it means that the pipeline infrastructure from all directions-- BC, NWT, southern AB, lower 48 and more-- is expected to grow heading *into* the tar pits so that it can grow heading *out of* the tar pits. This doesn't include the "into" pipelines for 'diluent' kerosene needed to convert heavy bitumen into a flowing sludge mock-oil. This article is timed with the corporate projection announcement made by Suncor that they intend to overtake Syncrude as the single largest producer of tar sands mock oil this year. Small wonder, it's a matter of physics.

S Dakota: Keystone Pipeline to be Allowed Violation of Safety Standards

Pipeline builder can waive U.S. rule

Canadian company to use thinner steel
By Terry Woster
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/NEWS/7090...
Published: September 8, 2007

PIERRE - A federal agency will allow TransCanada Keystone to design parts of its proposed crude oil pipeline for a stress level higher than current U.S. standards.