Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Land

Land, regardless of whether covered by forests, tundra or grasslands, is threatened by mining operations such as Alberta’s vast open tar pit operations, or through incredible networks of “right of way” cuts for pipelines that extend in the hundreds of thousands of miles, all told, and across the continent in four directions and to three oceans—either through feeding the tarsand operations with fossil fuel energy or through feeding energy markets from tarsand operations after production. In the case of pipeline right of ways, they can blast directly through mountains or be buried in permafrost if needed, to get the energy to move.

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Ignatieff — in Alberta — talks down proposed Gateway pipeline

Ignatieff — in Alberta — talks down proposed oilsands pipeline

By Renata D’Aliesio, Canwest News Service
July 11, 2010

CALGARY — Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff chastised the Harper government Saturday for waiting too long to build a relationship with China — but he remained steadfast against the prospect of tankers shipping oilsands fuel to Asia from the northern B.C. coast.

Ignatieff, in Calgary for a Liberal Stampede breakfast fundraiser, renewed his call for a ban on oil tankers in northern British Columbia.

Blowout near Conklin shoots steam and bitumen into the air

This project-- Devon Jackfish-- had only just announced their approval to double in size. They also just got a few million dollars as "cutting edge leaders" in C02 "capture" technology. They are supposed to be among the best of the tar sands companies in terms of "performance" and "doing the right thing".

Devon Energy reports Alberta Tar Sands well leak

Devon Energy reports Alberta Oil Sands well leak
By Edward Welsch

CALGARY (MarketWatch) -- A blowout at one of Devon Energy Inc.'s oil sands wells in northeastern Alberta over the weekend sprayed an oil mist into the air for nearly 36 hours, the company and regulators said Monday.

Devon employees discovered a leak in one of the producer wells at the company's 35,000 barrel-a-day Jackfish facility mid-day Saturday and managed to seal the leak by midnight Sunday, a Devon spokeswoman said.

Rally at Canadian Embassy, White House Opposes Tar Sand Pipeline

Rally at Canadian Embassy, White House Opposes Tar Sand Pipeline
July 10, 2010
Kansas City Info Zine

By Jessica Kokesh - Environmentalists are protesting plans for a second pipeline that would send tar sands from Canada to Texas to be refined into oil.

Washington, D.C. - infoZine - Scripps Howard Foundation Wire - Environmentalists urged government officials to block construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline during a protest Thursday.

Representatives ask Obama to examine impacts of tar sands [Keystone] pipeline

Representatives ask Obama to examine impacts of tar sands pipeline
Caitlin Sislin | Jul 06, 2010 11:55 AM

Powerful member of Congress slams Alberta to Texas tar sands pipeline

Powerful member of Congress slams Alberta to Texas tar sands pipeline
By Kevin Grandia July 6, 2010
Tyee.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), a senior member of Congress and chair of the powerful Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce has penned a public letter to the Secretary of State, Hilary Rodham Clinton, in which he states strong opposition to a planned oil pipeline that would transport Canada's controversial tar sands oil to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

In the letter Waxman writes:

Ignatieff promises B.C. oil-tanker-traffic moratorium

By SCOTT SIMPSON, Vancouver Sun
June 21, 2010

Federal Liberals would formalize a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia's north coast waters, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff announced on Monday.

Global Forces Making Vancouver a Major Oil Port

China craves oil sands fuel. Ottawa wants to diversify its US market. So huge amounts of crude will have to pass through a risky Second Narrows.

By Mitchell Anderson,
17 Jun 2010,
TheTyee.ca

Burrard Inlet and Second Narrows bridge

Second Narrows Bridge in Burrard Inlet received highest hazard rating by Coast Guard.

What Happened on the BP Oil Rig?

The facts, now out, are detailed here. The moral reckoning has yet to begin.

By Rex Weyler, TheTyee.ca
June 18 2010

Red flags were ignored.

After the Deepwater well blew out, the first announcement from British Petroleum (BP) assured the public that "we have the best engineers in the world." Then they announced that the damaged well flowed at a rate of "one thousand barrels per day" (b/d).

Estimates now range between 50 and 150 b/d.

How do the "best engineers in the world" get this wrong by two orders of magnitude?

Fort McMurray MP urges Stelmach to safeguard Clearwater river from tar sands [!!]

Alberta MP urges Stelmach to safeguard river from oilsands plan
By Trish Audette and Mariam Ibrahim,
Edmonton Journal
June 17, 2010

EDMONTON — A Fort McMurray Conservative MP wants Premier Ed Stelmach to protect a northern Alberta river and send a "clear signal" to the oil industry about safekeeping freshwater sources.

In a two-page letter sent last month, Fort McMurray-Athabasca MP Brian Jean took aim at Nexen Inc.'s plans for the Long Lake oilsands project, which include tapping into the Clearwater River.