Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Social Impacts

Social Impacts. Overnight injections of migrant workers will not build healthy communities and can have severely adverse impacts on existing communities, especially those of indigenous nations on their traditional lands. Such development brings vices and long term displacement too often. Drugs, alcohol and associated violence spreads. Hunting becomes difficult when the land is threatened, leading to a further loss of culture and tradition. In towns like Fort McMurray there is no planning for the future, but merely consumption in the present. However transient the individuals may be, the populations will not leave, as “development” takes on a logic all its own. All levels of run away development are subordinate to that development, not social need.

Andrew Frank's whistle-blowing letter about Tides Canada reveals need for charities commission

By Charlie Smith, January 25, 2012

Environmental whistle blower Andrew Frank's allegations about threats by the Conservative government warrant more than a one-day story in the news.

In an open letter issued this week, the former ForestEthics communications staffer alleged that the Prime Minister's Office tried to silence critics of the proposed Enbridge pipeline by crushing Tides Canada Foundation's ability to fund environmental groups.

Is our neighbor to the north becoming a jingoistic petro-state?

Saudi Arabia. Nigeria. Venezuela. Canada?
Is our neighbor to the north becoming a jingoistic petro-state?

By Will Oremus|Posted Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
Slate.com

How Enbridge Sawed Off Good Relations with BC First Nations

Killing Haisla's sacred trees just one way firm has undercut dealings with aboriginals on Pacific Gateway route.

By Geoff Dembicki, 16 Jan 2012, TheTyee.ca

More than five years ago, in a patch of coastal rainforest not far from the mouth of the Kitimat River, what was supposed to have been a quiet land survey turned into a public relations nightmare.

The Great Pipeline Scam

January 19, 2012

When Will Environmentalists Ever Wake Up?
The Great Pipeline Scam
by MICHAEL LEONARDI
Counterpunch

Oil Shale Mining and Research Picking Up Steam

Oil Shale Mining and Research Picking Up Steam
By Al Fin | Sat, 15 January 2011
Oilprice.com

Estonia's largest oil shale mining company, Eesti Energia, reported the largest oil shale production figures in 18 years for 2010 - 17 million tons, up 3 million tons from the year before.

The bulk of the national power company Eesti Energia's mining subsidiary's production is used in the furnaces of the Narva power plants, which have significantly geared up electricity production due to a sharp decline in imports after the closure of Lithuania's Ignalina nuclear plant. _ERRNews

How lemurs fight climate change

Illegal rosewood logging in Masoala National Park. Photo by Rhett A. Butler

Black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) feeding on a tamarind. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.

How lemurs fight climate change
Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
January 09, 2012

An interview with Kara Moses, a part of our on-going Interviews with Young Scientists series.

Chávez and Venezuela beat Exxon in Arbitration

Exxon Mobil Gets $908 Million in Venezuela
By AP / IAN JAMES Sunday, Jan. 01, 2012

(CARACAS, Venezuela) —

An international arbitration body has awarded Exxon Mobil Corp. nearly $908 million in a dispute with Venezuela over compensation for the nationalization of its assets, the company said Sunday.

Exxon Mobil sought arbitration after President Hugo Chavez's government nationalized an oil project in the country in 2007.

Enbridge loses their sole First Nation "agreement", has zero suppport

Enbridge undeterred by B.C. chiefs’ rebuke of Northern Gateway
wendy stueck
VANCOUVER— From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012

With its sole public agreement with a native group in tatters, Northern Gateway proponent Enbridge Inc. on Wednesday said it will continue to court the Gitxsan First Nation and other bands whose traditional territories would be crossed by the $5.5-billion pipeline project.

Exxon 'loses' Venezuela nationalisation case

Exxon 'loses' Venezuela nationalisation case
World's biggest oil company receives ten per cent of what it demanded in a dispute over the planet's "largest" deposit.
Chris Arsenault
06 Jan 2012

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has taken a tough line with multinational oil companies [GALLO/GETTY]

Hugo Chavez must be smiling.