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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Offshore Drilling Backlash May Boost Shale, Tar Sands

Offshore Drilling Backlash May Boost Shale, Oil Sands

*Date:* /15-Jun-10/

*Author:* Jon Hurdle and Jeffrey Jones

The massive Gulf oil spill may hasten the development of shale gas and oil
sands, North America's two most important emerging energy sources.

The risk of pursuing deepwater oil reserves dwarfs the environmental concerns
facing both onshore sectors.

Neither Canadian oil sands petroleum nor natural gas from U.S. shale beds will
immediately substitute for delayed Gulf of Mexico crude output in the wake of a

2 weeks added to Keystone pipeline comment period (Kansas City, Mo.)

2 weeks added to Keystone pipeline comment period
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
June 8 2010

A federal agency on Wednesday delayed approval of a draft environmental impact statement on TransCanada's $12 billion Keystone pipeline, which will move oil from Canada through several northern and Midwestern states.

The U.S. Department of State added two weeks to the public comment period for the Keystone pipeline's impact statement, pushing the end of the comment period to July 2 instead of June 16, a State Department official said.

Stelmach defends tar sands on foreign, domestic fronts

Stelmach defends oilsands on foreign, domestic fronts

Premier calls protests 'unfortunate'

By Jason Fekete, with files from Dina O'Meara, Calgary Herald, and the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald June 10, 2010

Alberta's oilsands are facing a new cross-border assault, with a community in the U.S. boycotting the resource and a cosmetics store in Canada demanding development be halted.

Gulf oil disaster doesn’t make the tar sands green

Gulf oil disaster doesn’t make the tar sands green
Jeff Rubin's Blog // Globe and Mail
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 5:59 AM

Government of Morocco on Tar Sands 'potential' in Morocco.

This is a government ministry of Morocco report. Moroccans refer to tar sands and oil shale almost interchangeably, and even refer to Alberta's giant "oil shale" mines.

--M

Morocco Oil Shale Deposits, an Alternative Oil Source Following Oil Spill in US Golf
Thursday, May 20 2010 11:43

Gulf spill's ripples felt at petroleum show

Oilpatch Keeping Tabs On Leak

By Dan Healing
Calgary Herald
June 9, 2010

The subsea wellhead display at the FMC Technologies booth at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary is a tiny, perfect, clean representation of what a deepsea drilling environment should be.

But the display, with spindly threads representing pipes and cables leading from bright yellow miniature wellheads to ships and platforms floating above on a plate of glass, was designed long before the horrors of the BP oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico.

Canada tar sands industry hits back at critics

Canada oil sands industry hits back at critics
By Bernard Simon in Toronto
June 9 2010
Financial Times

Alberta’s oil sands industry has vigorously defended itself against an attack by Lush, the UK-based cosmetics group, in a sign of a more aggressive approach being taken by oil sands producers towards their critics.

Dave Collyer, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (Capp), issued a statement accusing Lush of distorting the industry’s environmental record.

Greenpeace divided on Boreal Forest Agreement

Greenpeace divided on Boreal Forest Agreement
Leaked conference call obtained by the Vancover Media Co-op exposes divergent views on CBFA

by Vancouver Media Co-op

» Download file 'gp_damage_control.mp3' (3.9MB) by going to the website:
http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/audio/3573

A leaked discussion between Greenpeace staff obtained by the Vancouver Media Co-op indicates the group is preparing damage control related to the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, which was announced on May 18.

Big Jump in Tar Sands Oil Tankers in Vancouver's Port

Big Jump in Oil Tankers in Vancouver's Port

Flow of tar sands crude to Burrard Inlet rising, and will more than double: Kinder Morgan.

By Mitchell Anderson, 3 Jun 2010, TheTyee.ca

The proposed Enbridge Gateway pipeline to Kitimat is stirring strong public opposition to the super tankers it would attract along British Columbia's northern coast.

But a bigger risk may lie in the steeply rising number of oil tankers already plying B.C.'s coast -- up nearly 50 per cent in just two years -- to handle the growing flow of tar sands petroleum from Alberta.

Oil-smeared logos to match BP’s tarnished image

Oil-smeared logos to match BP’s tarnished image
Jun 04 2010

Sarah Barmak Special to the Star

Oil giant BP is already besieged by mounting damage lawsuits, a U.S. Justice Department investigation, and a tumbling stock price. Now, some want to hit the company responsible for the Gulf oil spill where it hurts: right in the logo.