Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Water

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.

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Protesters march against Quebec pipeline project

Protesters march against Quebec pipeline project
Aug. 15 2010
The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — A group of environmentalists protesting a planned oil pipeline project that would crisscross Quebec's bucolic countryside has set up camp to voice its opposition.

On Sunday, about 100 protesters attended a rally in the province's Eastern Townships to decry a project by Calgary-based oil giant Enbridge that would carry 200,000 barrels of Canadian crude per day from Alberta's oil patch to Portland, Maine.

First ever 'Tar Sands Healing Walk' voices of concerned citizens

By Kyle Ashmead.
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Fort Mcmurray - A "Tar Sand Healing Walk" was held in Fort MacMurray, AB, Canada. On August 14th, 2010.

The first of its kind in the tar sands region of Alberta.

"Knocking tar sands bolsters Northern Gateway"

Unfortunately for all of us and not just the venerable Ms Yaffe, this is not in fact, true. The plans of Kinder Morgan, et al to pump more and more tar sands bitumen via a pipeline through the Rocky Mountains and down into Vancouver (Burnaby) to both bolster a Chevron and perhaps a Shell refinery there, while loading up tankers in the Vancouver Burrard Inlet to ship out to places both near (California) and far (Asia) has been touted as "making Gateway redundant". Tar Sands bitumen shipments from the Burrard Inlet is not a victory.

Michigan Oil Spill: The Tar Sands Name Game (and Why It Matters)

* by Kari Lydersen August 13, 2010

Michigan oil spill on Kalamazoo River

After up to a million gallons of oil spilled into Michigan's Kalamazoo River from an underground pipeline late last month, investigators and local residents focused on concerns about where and when the spill started and what should have been done to prevent it.

Don’t tar Utah

Don’t tar Utah
The Salt Lake Tribune
Aug 7, 2010

With little advance notice, a plan to extract Utah’s tar sands was presented last week at a hearing of Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, which can rule on the plan in a month (“Groups challenge plans for Utah tar sands mine,” Tribune, July 27).

Beautiful destruction disturbs and enchants

Beautiful destruction disturbs and enchants
Thursday,
05 August 2010
Centretown News

Imagine a world of swirling technicolour among unearthly vistas of an unfathomable scale, without any obvious signs of flora or fauna.

While it seems like a description of a fantastic land like those of Tolkien or Star Trek, photographer Louis Helbig exposes these landscapes as those of the Canadian hinterland in Northern Alberta.

Canada's energy industry: Tarred with the same brush

Canada's energy industry
Tarred with the same brush
The Gulf spill has focused American minds on pollution from Canadian oil producers. But cleaning up the tar sands will not be easy

Aug 5th 2010 | ottawa
The Economist

Tar Sands Mining in Canada Creates Mercury, Arsenic Pollution

Oil-Sands Mining in Canada Creates Mercury, Arsenic Pollution, Globe Says
By James Kraus - Aug 10, 2010
Bloomberg

Canada’s oil sands mining operations are producing vast and fast-growing amounts of mercury, heavy metals, arsenic and other toxic substances, the Globe and Mail reported, citing data released by Environment Canada.

The volume of arsenic and lead produced and left behind in talings ponds by bitumen mines run by Syncrude Canada Ltd, Suncor Energy Inc. Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc rose 26 percent, the newspaper reported.

Tar sands toxins growing rapidly

Oil sands toxins growing rapidly
Volume of arsenic, lead increased 26 per cent in last four years, Environment Canada says

Nathan VanderKlippe

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Aug. 09, 2010

Canada’s oil sands mining operations produce vast and fast-growing quantities of deadly substances, including mercury, heavy metals and arsenic, new data released by Environment Canada shows.

Oil leak in Michigan shines negative spotlight on Canada's Enbridge

By: Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press

3/08/2010

WASHINGTON - The leak of more than three million litres of Alberta crude from a Canadian pipeline into a rural Michigan creek is shining a harsh spotlight on Canada's Enbridge Inc. in a country increasingly fed up with Big Oil after months of devastation in the Gulf of Mexico.