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
Vandals target another B.C. gas pipeline
Vandals target another B.C. gas pipeline
Thu Dec. 18 2008
ctvbc.ca
Vandals have targeted another set of natural gas well sites in northeastern British Columbia, but authorities aren't immediately linking the latest attacks to three earlier bombings to EnCana pipelines in October.
Const. Jackelynn Passarell said Thursday valves were tampered with and shots were fired at well sites operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (TSX:CNQ) and Iteration Energy (TSX:ITX).
Casey Camp-Horinek Speaking at Everyone's Downstream II
A moving speech by Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Nation in Oklahoma on the
theft and industrial devastation of their lands. Many Ponca are dying
from cancer in what is now Oklahoma´s refinery "hub". Now there are new
plans for refineries to process tar sands bitumen from Alberta.
Then, Dave Malka went to the Coalition Yes rally early in December and
collected a few interviews of attendees. Some opinions about the coalition
you might have missed on the mainstream radio.
http://www.cjsr.ualberta.ca/news/news.php?s=riseup
Downloadable link:
Industry upset over JRP deadline (Mackenzie Gas Project)
Industry upset over JRP deadline
Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 15, 2008
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Reaction to news that the Joint Review Panel will not have its report on the embattled Mackenzie Gas Project ready until December 2009 has been uniformly negative and in some cases incredulous.
"You've got to be kidding" was the initial reaction of Ann Marie Tout, president of the NWT Chamber of Commerce.
Thumbs down: Oil slick (BP Whiting Refinery)
Thumbs down: Oil slick
by Editors Dec 10, 2008
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is refusing a request by the Post-Tribune in Merrillville to provide a calendar showing when meetings were held dealing with the BP oil refinery’s air permit. IDEM approved a construction permit for BP in May, but environmentalists say it was improperly granted. IDEM has refused to release information on meetings leading up to the approval twice now — and has given two different excuses. The Post-Tribune is appealing.
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Council of Canadians blasts Alta. gov’t (over possible censorship of film productions)
Council of Canadians blasts Alta. gov’t (over possible censorship of film productions)
By CAROL CHRISTIAN
Fort McMurray Today staff
The Council of Canadians is asking Albertans to say no to censorship after the province recently suggested rethinking the funding of productions critical of the oilsands.
Who's dishing real tar sands propaganda?
Who's dishing real oilsands propaganda?
Gov't decries environmentalist agenda, but refuses to subject data to non-partisan scientific scrutiny
By David Schindler December 15, 2008
This week, Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner is in Poland, expected to defend the oilsands from being considered as a source of "dirty oil." I don't envy him. In the past, international criticism has been largely based on the high emissions of greenhouse gases from mining the oilsands. This is changing rapidly in recent weeks.
NAFTA likely safe from oil-focused Obama administration: experts
NAFTA likely safe from oil-focused Obama administration: experts
The Canadian Press
November 5, 2008
OTTAWA — U.S. President Barack Obama may turn out to be far better for Canadian free trade and economic interests than candidate Barack Obama ever pretended to be, experts on both sides of the border agree.
Obama - triumphant Tuesday in his bid to become America's first-ever black president-elect - was far from neighbourly in his pronouncements impacting Canada during the campaign.
Sunoco (founder of Pew Charitable Trusts-- financier of the CBI) Coming back into Tar Sands
Sunoco set up the original endowment for the Pew Foundation, now called the Pew Charitable Trusts. They also began the corporation now known as Suncor.
Sunoco currently refines bitumen in Ohio and are planning to do so soon in their home turf of Philadelphia.
Sunoco has, through either Pew family members (J Howard Pew's heirs, J Howard started Sun Oil/Sunoco) or current board members and CEO's of Sunoco, a majority of the board of trustees of the Pew Charitable Trusts to this very day.
Stephen Harper: "Mackenzie Gas now"
Stephen Harper: Mackenzie Gas now
December 12, 2008
Diane Francis // Financial Post
Ottawa need not sign a single check in order to kick start a gigantic $20-billion economic stimulus project that would also be in the national interest. The feds must short-circuit their dysfunctional system in order to start the Mackenzie Gas Project.
California Tar Sands In-Situ Development to Start
Tri-Valley Drilling Ahead on 8th Horizontal California Vaca Tar Sands Well
Posted 12 December 2008
