Water is needed in huge amounts in tarsands production and in all other construction stages of tarsands infrastructure across the continent. It takes five litres of water to produce one of usable petrol. There is also water used to move gas, build new tar pits or that water which becomes polluted in the outlying areas. Waste tailings ponds are so vast as to be visible from outer space at this early point in production. Water is now being privatized in slow motion, as “access rights” are available in Alberta. As production grows and climate change continues to parch southern Albertan land, more and more water will be needed to help supply fuel for the American market. This water will ultimately be diverted from rivers, lakes, farms and cities throughout Canada; the water levels in the Athabasca River have already dropped several meters. The Deh Cho/Mackenzie River is already threatened, both from development along its valley and it is downstream from tar sands operations. A generation ago, the Athabasca River was clear and drinking was common. Now, those that live with the river consider it poison and off-limits.
Long Lake oil sands output may lag targets
Thu Feb 10, 2011
By Scott Haggett and Jeffrey Jones
CALGARY, Alberta, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Nexen Inc, the operator of the Long Lake oil sands project, warned that output may fall short of forecasts because of operational problems that analysts say may take heavy spending to fix.
Nexen shares dropped more 3 percent on Thursday when it said January output fell at the underperforming oil sands project in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Exporting energy
2011-02-07
By Jodi Lundmark,
tbnewswatch.com
According to the president of the Oil Sands Developers Groups, Thunder Bay's port and rail lines make the city an important gateway for oil exports.
It might surprise people to know that more than 21 per cent of the United States’ crude oil comes from Canada, said the president of the Oil Sands Developers Group.
ISRAEL: A controversial shale project and energy security
February 6, 2011
LA Times
The suspension of Egyptian gas supply to Israel has lighted a fire under the feet of Israeli officials, businessmen and shareholders trying to assess how events in Egypt will affect Israel's energy economy.
Initial assessments that it is in Egypt's interests to keep the lucrative gas deals with Israel may prove right when the dust settles. But the shake-up in Egypt is a wake-up call for Israel, too.
Energy regulator okays Alberta’s ninth open-pit oil sands mine
JOSH WINGROVE
Edmonton— Globe and Mail Update
Published Thursday, Feb. 03, 2011
Despite mounting criticism from academics and the federal government over Alberta’s patchwork environmental monitoring regime, a provincial energy regulator approved the province’s ninth open-pit oil sands mine last week.
The approval is based on data from the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program, an industry-led body that has been the subject of extensive, pointed criticism from three separate reports over the past two months.
Ditch oilsands monitoring group
Edmonton Journal February 3, 2011
Imagine your boss gave you a job evaluation where you only passed one category out of nine. You would probably be packing up your desk or laying down your tools.
But not if your job was to monitor the impact of the oilsands on rivers and lakes. In that case, you'd be allowed to "adjust" your performance in the future.
Extreme Offshore: The Hunt for Hard to Find Crude
Written by Al Fin
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Brazil's quest for extreme oil may cost as much as US$ 1 trillion. That is a lot of money to invest in a such a risky proposition -- to retrieve oil that is miles deep underwater. But oil prospectors and producers around the world are on the prowl for extreme crude -- found in places that previous generations would not have dreamed of going.
Education, action forum set on pipeline
By the Lincoln Journal Star JournalStar.com |
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Pipeline expert Paul Blackburn of Plains Justice and author Mary Pipher will speak Saturday at an education and action forum about the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline.
A panel will present information on the pipeline, followed by a Q&A with attendees. The forum will run from 10-11:30 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 2723 N. 50th St., and will wrap up with a grassroots activism training and launch of a new action guide, according to a news release.
Groups ask Upton to remember the Enbridge oil spill
Upton promises work on pipeline safety legislation
By Eartha Jane Melzer | 01.26.11
When Enbridge’s Lakehead 6B pipeline spilled a million gallons of tar sands crude into the river that runs through the heart of Rep. Fred Upton’s (R-St. Joseph) district last year, the congressman pledged aggressive action to protect the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Harper’s embrace of ‘ethical’ oil sands reignites 'dirty' arguments
STEVEN CHASE
OTTAWA— From Saturday's Globe and Mail (January 08, 2011)
Stephen Harper is embracing the notion that Canada’s controversial oil sands are an “ethical” source of energy, strengthening his support of the maligned resource and kicking off a new chapter in the debate over what critics call “dirty oil.”
The Prime Minister told reporters Friday that his government wants to “explain to the world” that petroleum from Western Canada’s oil sands is superior in respects to crude from other countries.
Damaged oil sands upgrader to resume production soon
January 11, 2011 | 08:21
Frank Landry | QMI Agency
EDMONTON - An oilsands upgrader damaged by fire last week could resume production at half-capacity sooner than expected, says Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL).
But that will depend on whether the province gives the go-ahead.
The company said it is working with Occupational Health and Safety to determine what went wrong at the site, about 75 km north of Fort McMurray.
