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
"Oil Slow Down Will Not Stop TransCanada" (Keystone)
Oil Slow Down Will Not Stop TransCanada
Gas prices dropped another nickel in Sioux Falls Wednesday as the price for a barrel of oil fell to 56 dollars. While the falling oil prices are good news for drivers, its not so good news for oil producers in Canada. Canadian crude is more costly to produce than regular oil, so when the price goes down so do profits.
Because Canadian crude is so costly to produce the falling oil prices are slowing production in northern Alberta.
And that's why both TransCanada and Hyperion are keeping their eyes on the oil industry north of the border.
Nebraska: Power companies plan for Keystone pipeline
Power companies plan for oil pipeline
By Joelyn Hansen/Daily Sun staff writer
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 - 09:02:10 am CST
DILLER -- Norris Public Power District and the Nebraska Public Power District hosted a public open house in Diller on Monday to provide information and collect input on plans to build a 115,000 volt (115 kV) transmission line from Harbine to Steele City to enable operation of a $5.2 billion crude oil pipeline to be built through Nebraska.
Big Oil's Pipe Dream (Enbridge Gateway)
Big Oil's Pipe Dream
An interview with Dustin Johnson about the Gateway Pipeline
November 13, 2008
by Dawn Paley
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
PRINCE RUPERT and VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–The Gateway Pipeline Project, proposed by Calgary-based Enbridge Gateway Pipelines Inc., would snake through the unceded territories of over 40 Native communities. If fully developed, the Gateway Pipeline would transport a half-million barrels of oil per day from Alberta's tar sands through sensitive ecosystems of BC's northwest coast.
World oil prices fall to $59
World oil prices fall to $59
Lisa Wright
Business Reporter
Oil prices fell below $60 a barrel yesterday – and gasoline prices are tumbling too – but you may want to hold off on celebrating those sweet savings at the pumps.
Economists warn of the gloomier big picture: namely, that we're far from out of the woods when it comes to the global financial crisis.
And with oil and our coveted tar sands crucial to Canada's economy and prices continuing to fall, things are likely to get much worse before they get better, they say.
Oil-shale projects are going ahead in Utah — for now
Oil-shale projects are going ahead in Utah — for now
By Jasen Lee
Deseret News
Published: Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 12:09 a.m. MST
The falling crude-oil prices of recent weeks will have little impact on the current oil-shale and tar-sands boom going on in eastern Utah, according to companies now working to develop the resources in the Uintah Basin.
Air- and water-monitoring program "promised" for Fort Chipewyan
Air- and water-monitoring program promised for Fort Chipewyan
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 | CBC
Alberta's environment minister said Monday he will support the creation of a program to help people in the northern part of the province check if their food, air or water is contaminated.
Rob Renner made the promise after meeting with representatives of First Nations in Fort Chipewyan, Alta.
'They are flexing their muscles' [Tahltan Nation]
'They are flexing their muscles'
Companies want to mine a remote region of B.C., but, unlike some previous bands, the Tahltan insist on controlling access to the area
MARK HUME
mhume@globeandmail.com
September 27, 2008
VANCOUVER -- Between the abandoned mining town of Cassiar and the struggling port of Stewart, in the northwest corner of British Columbia, Highway 37 runs through one of the most dramatic and resource-rich landscapes in Canada.
Keep 'world's dirtiest fuel' out of Quebec, green groups say
Keep 'world's dirtiest fuel' out of Quebec, green groups say
Enbridge project. Tar sands oil would flow by pipeline from Alberta
The Gazette
Thursday, November 06
Environmental groups want the Quebec government to stop a plan that would ship the dirtiest kind of oil from Alberta's tar sands projects through Quebec to the U.S. East Coast and on to Texas - with some possibly being refined in Montreal's east end.
Harper Pledges Cooperation With Obama on Credit, Climate, Oil
Harper Pledges Cooperation With Obama on Credit, Climate, Oil
By Greg Quinn and Theophilos Argitis
Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's victory this week ``historic'' and pledged to cooperate with him on issues ranging from the financial crisis to climate change.
Canadian Natural's cuts a blow to oil patch
Canadian Natural's cuts a blow to oil patch
Company scales back Horizon spending as list of stalled oil sands projects grows; 'this environment is scary'
NORVAL SCOTT
November 7, 2008
CALGARY -- The bulk of the next phase of the oil sands is effectively on hold.
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. slashed spending yesterday on its Horizon oil sands project, its biggest development ever, because of spiralling costs and lower oil prices, joining a long list of producers that have significantly scaled back or altered their plans.
