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
High-speed rail may help Midwest with energy crunch (Illinois)
High-speed rail may help Midwest with energy crunch
by Chris Gray
Oct 09, 2008
World oil supplies are depleting and gas prices are volatile. The federal highway program — fueled by gas taxes — is running out of money.
Air travel, also tied to fuel costs, is becoming less affordable.
The cities of the Midwest are getting farther apart, practically speaking, if not literally.
Rick Harnish, the executive director of the Chicago-based Midwest High Speed Rail Association, believes there is a way out.
Depressed Canadian oil giants ripe for takeover
Depressed Canadian oil giants ripe for takeover
Market Caps Down
Carrie Tait, Financial Post Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
CALGARY - Canadian oil and gas companies are ripe for becoming merger bait -and we're not talking about the small and medium-sized shops. The biggies -- Suncor Energy Inc. (SU/TSX), En- Cana Corp. (ECA/TSX), Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNQ/TSX), Talisman Energy Inc. (TLM/TSX) and Nexen Inc. (NXY/TSX) -- could all be targets for the world's super biggies.
The Stock Market up. Now which way mining?
The Stock Market up. Now which way mining?
By Jack A. Caldwell
Mining columnist
14 October 2008 @ 09:53 am EST
The good news today is that the stock market is up. That is relief to be relished. We hope the trend continues, without pulling up the price of oil.
BP announces oil discovery in Gulf of Mexico
BP announces oil discovery in Gulf of Mexico
Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:15pm EDT
HOUSTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - BP America Inc (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (BP.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Tuesday announced that a well drilled in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico has found hydrocarbon-bearing sands.
The well, which BP calls Freedom and partner Noble Energy (NBL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) has called Gunflint, was drilled in 6,100 feet (1,860 meters) of water to a depth of 29,280 feet (8,927 meters).
2 new (tar sands) oil refinery plans in the pipeline (Arizona, South Dakota)
2 new oil refinery plans in the pipeline
Dirk Lammers, Associated Press
(10-12) 04:00 PDT Elk Point, S.D. --
The United States hasn't built an oil refinery on a new site in more than 30 years, but a pair of projects eyeing out-of-the way corners of South Dakota and Arizona are slowly working their way up to the big leagues.
Bailout boosts refinery (South Dakota)
Bailout boosts refinery
Hyperion stands to get big tax break
Thom Gabrukiewicz • tgabrukiew@argusleader.com • October 10, 2008
Hyperion Resources could benefit in its quest to finance and build an oil refinery near Elk Point with a 50 percent tax write-off - an extension of an existing credit that was inserted into Congress' historic, $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.
Dirty Fuels and the Bailout
Dirty Fuels and the Bailout
As Dayo noted earlier, the final version of the bailout bill was sprinkled with goodies for renewable energy—including tax credits for solar investments and a one-year renewal of the production tax credit for wind power. Unfortunately, clean energy wasn't the only kind of energy to get a tax break. The bill also contains some sizeable tax giveaways intended to promote what may well be the dirtiest energy sources in existence: oil shale, tar sands, and liquefied coal.
Protesters block rail line hoping to halt Olympic Spirit Train
Protesters block rail line hoping to halt Olympic Spirit Train
Canadian Press // October 12, 2008 at 7:55 PM EDT
VAUGHAN, Ont. - Protesters say they have barricaded a rail line north of Toronto in hopes of stopping CP Rail's Olympic Spirit Train.
Protester Dan Keller says about 20 non-violent activists have assembled on the rail line with one woman having chained herself to the tracks.
At this time, York Region police are monitoring the situation.
Breaking News: Rail Blockade Disrupts CP Rail’s Olympic Spirit Train
BREAKING NEWS For Immediate Release
October 12, 2008
Rail Blockade Disrupts CP Rail’s Olympic Spirit Train
“Six Nations and solidarity activists resist Olympic theft of Indigenous land, ecological destruction, and attacks on the poor”
Venezuela goes to natural gas cars
Venezuela goes to natural gas cars
Compiled from Herald News Services
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Venezuela, the biggest oil exporter in the Americas, will trade gas-
guzzlers for new vehicles that run on natural gas and provide drivers
with natural gas for their cars for a year in a bid to boost gasoline
exports.
The old cars will be recycled and the country will profit from
increased fuel exports, President Hugo Chavez said Friday.
"We're going to exchange these mobile squanderers with a beautiful
modern family vehicle that uses gas that doesn't cost anything,"
