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.
Tar Sands development edging closer in Trinidad and Tobago?
RBC appears at Trinidad government forum extolling their record in Canada's tar sands
by Macdonald Stainsby
April 19, 2011
Mediacoop.ca
In December of 2010, Rainforest Action Network [RAN], issued a press release that was full of praise for the Royal Bank of Canada adopting a new framework around investments in companies involved in tar sands production.
Is There Such a Thing as 'Ethical Oil'? Canada Claims it Has Lots and the US Is Buying It
By Jason Mark, Earth Island Journal
AlterNet
Sunday, Apr 17, 2011
To get to the quaint village of Fort McKay in the far north of Alberta, Canada, you first have to pass through some version of hell.
Draft Land Use Plan Infringes Treaty 8
First Nations in Oil Sands Region say that the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan does not protect enough land and resources to sustain their traditional livelihood and creates legal risk for Alberta
April 8, 2011, Fort McMurray
Montana issues permit for Imperial Oil test module
Associated Press, 04.11.11, 02:53 PM EDT
LEWISTON, Idaho -- The Montana Department of Transportation has issued a permit that would allow Imperial Oil to haul a huge load of refinery equipment from Idaho into Montana on its way to an oil sands project in Alberta, Canada.
Montana issued the permit to Imperial Oil on Friday, clearing the way for the 500,000-pound test load to leave the Port of Lewiston as early as Monday night.
Enormous Kearl-bound oilsands shipments target of Montana lawsuit
By: The Canadian Press
Posted: 04/1/2011
CALGARY - The Government of Montana is being challenged in court over its decision to approve the shipment of enormous truckloads of oilsands equipment through the state to northern Alberta.
Missoula County and three environmental groups say in a lawsuit that the state Transportation Department made the wrong decision in allowing the shipments and are demanding a full environmental impact assessment.
Enbridge pushes for political support of oil sands pipeline
CARRIE TAIT
CALGARY— From Friday's Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Mar. 31, 2011
Pat Daniel, Enbridge Inc.’s (ENB-T60.180.761.28%) soft-spoken but increasingly vocal chief executive office, wants Canada’s role in the global energy market to become an election issue, publicly pressuring politicians to support his company’s controversial oil sands pipeline – an unusual and risky tactic that highlights the growing resistance to the project.
Interviews with residents of Fort MacKay and Fort Chip, regarding cultural and environmental situations for their communities, especially with respect to the water coming from tar sands operation areas that are allegedly responsible for statistically impossible rates of cancer.
Sally Mauk: First Nations activists see changes since tar sands
By SALLY MAUK for the Missoulian missoulian.com |
Friday, March 18, 2011
I was standing on South Reserve Street in Missoula in the wee hours of the morning recently to report on the transport of two enormous coke drum halves and their impressive entourage of trucks and law enforcement as they snaked past a few dozen chanting protesters.
Waiting for the drums to arrive, I thought about the conversation I had the week before with two Canadians who live in northern Alberta near the world's second-largest deposit of oil.
Canadian Oil Sands Takeover
An Unconventional Future for Crude
By Keith Kohl
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
One quick glance out the window, and I knew we weren't in Baltimore anymore.
In fact, it didn't even seem like we were even in Canada...
The twister had scooped up my beaten-down Chevy and dropped us in the middle of a wasteland.
Having just woken up after rolling into Fort McMurray, my cohort's face immediately scrunched up as the smell of oil wafted inside the car.
Province says more study needed on oil sands impact
Ian Campbell Mar 09, 2011
660news.com
The provincial government says any impact from the oil sands warrants further study.
The latest report by a government-appointed panel failed to dig up any differences than the findings of independent scientists.
The province says contamination in the Athabasca River comes from natural sources, but University of Alberta researchers say they've traced hydrocarbons and heavy metals directly to the oil sands.
