Tar Sands 101
The Tar Sands "Gigaproject" is the largest industrial project in human history and likely also the most destructive. The tar sands mining procedure releases at least three times the CO2 emissions as regular oil production and is slated to become the single largest industrial contributor in North America to Climate Change.
The tar sands are already slated to be the cause of up to the second fastest rate of deforestation on the planet behind the Amazon Rainforest Basin. Currently approved projects will see 3 million barrels of tar sands mock crude produced daily by 2018; for each barrel of oil up to as high as five barrels of water are used.
Human health in many communities has seriously taken a turn for the worse with many causes alleged to be from tar sands production. Tar sands production has led to many serious social issues throughout Alberta, from housing crises to the vast expansion of temporary foreign worker programs that racialize and exploit so-called non-citizens. Infrastructure from pipelines to refineries to super tanker oil traffic on the seas crosses the continent in all directions to allthree major oceans and the Gulf of Mexico.
The mock oil produced primarily is consumed in the United States and helps to subsidize continued wars of aggression against other oil producing nations such as Iraq, Venezuela and Iran.
To understand the tar sands in more depth, continue to our Tar Sands 101 reading list
United Steelworkers join with Sierra Club, challenge Keystone Pipeline
United Steelworkers Challenges TransCanada Keystone Pipeline Permit for Safety
PITTSBURGH, PA UNITED STATES
Joins Sierra Club filing on leak risk of under-standard thin-wall pipe
PITTSBURGH, April 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The United Steelworkers (USW) announced it has challenged the pending federal permit in the controversial $5.4 billion TransCanada Keystone Pipeline that's using under-standard thin-wall pipe for transport of crude oil from Alberta, Canada to Houston, Tex.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080131/DC12982LOGO)
A Supermajor Bargain in the Oil Patch
During the economic crash, we are seeing VERY cheap stocks in the major corporations in Tar Sands and oil in general. This article basically shows us what we should fear (we aren't all day traders, after all): the downturn will mean consolidation of the largest players, not stop or slow down production much at all in the long term and leave the tar sands with only the ardest to influence and effect mega-corps possible.
--M
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A Supermajor Bargain in the Oil Patch
Peter Shearlock, Editor, Growth Company Investor
Enbridge analyzed [British Columbia]
Enbridge analyzed
By Rebecca Billard - Burns Lake Lakes District News
April 07, 2009 11:00 PM
Carbon capture and storage 'being oversold as a panacea'
The Hill Times, April 13, 2009
Carbon capture and storage 'being oversold as a panacea'
But critics and experts say there are geological risks, it's a waste of taxpayers' money and the 'economics are deadly.'
By Bea Vongdouangchanh
Promise To Protect The Great Bear Rainforest A Cruel Joke.
Promise To Protect The Great Bear Rainforest A Cruel Joke.
Where Is The Outrage?
China buys more of tar sands; Now owns 50% of proposed mine
China buys more of oil sands; Now owns 50% of proposed mine
By Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post
April 2, 2009
The purchase of an additional 10% interest in the proposed Northern Lights oil sands project Wednesday by China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) points to a renewal of interest by the Chinese in Canada's oil, said a University of Alberta expert.
If Suncor sells foreign assets, will China buy?
If Suncor sells foreign assets, will China buy?
DAVID EBNER
April 8, 2009
Suncor Energy Inc. SU-T will likely create a "fortress North America" if it completes its $19-billion merger with Petro-Canada, jettisoning international assets to hungry buyers such as China as it focuses on the oil sands, natural gas and East Coast offshore oil.
Shell affirms "too uncertain" outlook for oil industry
Shell affirms "too uncertain" outlook for oil industry
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
* Links Niger delta crisis, falling oil prices to low output
By Taiwo Hassan, with Agency Reports
CITING falling oil prices and crisis in Nigeria's Niger delta region, Anglo Dutch oil giant, Shell, has conceded that the industry's outlook has become "too uncertain" for long term projections.
CN plans 'pipeline on rail' to tar sands
CN plans 'pipeline on rail' to oil sands
Diane Francis, Financial Post
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
CN could gear up its capacity to ship by rail up to four million barrels a day of oil at less cost and more quickly, bypassing the need to finance huge pipelines.Courtesy of CNCN could gear up its capacity to ship by rail up to four million barrels a day of oil at less cost and more quickly, bypassing the need to finance huge pipelines.
Former tar sands exec named head of climate working group
Former oilsands exec named head of climate working group
By Glen McGregor , The Ottawa Citizen
April 7, 2009
OTTAWA — The Harper government has named a former oil and gas industry executive who led a company active in the Alberta oilsands as a representative on a U.S.-Canada working group on clean energy.
Charlie Fischer, who until recently served as president and chief executive officer of Calgary-based Nexen Inc., will head up one of three working groups with American counterparts as part of the Clean Energy Dialogue, Environment Minister Jim Prentice has confirmed.
