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
Suncor Executive to take Charge of Social Problems in Fort Muck?
Oilpatch fox to watch tar sands henhouse
Oil executives shouldn't run a key government agency, even temporarily.
Dateline: Monday, August 20, 2007
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=427
by Sheila Pratt for The Edmonton Journal
Ed Stelmach took some good advice last winter and set up an oilsands secretariat to help manage the serious growth problems in Fort McMurray caused by the rapid expansion of the oilsands. Good idea, long overdue.
S Dakota: "Some Canadians protest oil pipeline"
Some Canadians protest oil pipeline
They don't want to give up refinery jobs
By Peter Harriman
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/NEWS/7081...
August 11, 2007
In South Dakota, Trans-Canada's Keystone pipeline project is drawing attention for its potential effect on landowners.
But in Alberta, Canada, where the pipeline will draw its proposed 500,000 barrels per day from northern oil sands, people see South Dakota and other states benefitting from their country's labor drain.
N Dakota letter to the editor: Keystone Pipeline, Tar sands not such a good deal
Bob White, Emerado, N.D., letter: Pipeline, oil-sands oil not very good deal
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=174778§ion=Opinion&for...
Published Sunday, August 12, 2007
More Mexican Workers Headed for Albertan Tar Pits, Elsewhere
Canada looks to Mexico for more workers
JENNIFER DITCHBURN
Canadian Press
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070816.wCanadamexio...
August 16, 2007 at 4:56 PM EDT
OTTAWA — While the United States Congress turns up its nose at immigration reform, Canada is poised to start negotiations that would bring even more Mexican workers into this country.
An agreement to strike a commission into increased labour mobility is expected to be among the key accomplishments connected with next week's summit of North American leaders in Montebello, Que.
Review slams Mackenzie project's socio-economic agreement
Review slams Mackenzie project's socio-economic agreement
Last Updated: Thursday, August 16, 2007 | 12:19 PM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/08/16/gas-agreement.html
The socio-economic agreement between the Northwest Territories and the Mackenzie Valley gas project consortium is unenforceable, says a review released by a social justice group Wednesday.
Energy hungry U.S. is looking to hog-tie Alberta with agreement
Copyright 2007 Prince Rupert Daily News
All Rights Reserved
Prince Rupert Daily News (British Columbia)
August 15, 2007 Wednesday
NEWS; Green Justice; Pg. 13
Energy hungry U.S. is looking to hog-tie Alberta with agreement
Charles Justice, The Daily News
Remember the United States was going to bring freedom and democracy
to Iraq? It wasn't about Iraq's oil, they said. That must be why they
changed the name of the invasion from "Operation Iraqi Liberation" to
"Operation Iraqi Freedom." The reason I mention the U.S. invasion of
Alberta ground zero for green battle
Alberta ground zero for green battle
Fight would divide nation, Lougheed says
Janice Tibbetts, with files from Jamie Komarnicki, Calgary Herald, CanWest
News Service
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=e242ed29-ec94-4259...
Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007
CALGARY -- Canada is facing a bitter constitutional clash over the
environment and Alberta's oil industry that will threaten national unity and
eventually end up in the Supreme Court of Canada, former Alberta premier
Peter Lougheed warned Tuesday.
CEP takes on bitumen exports
CEP takes on bitumen exports
By CAROL CHRISTIAN
Today staff
Thursday August 09, 2007
http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/Local%20News/329822.html
Fearing Canadian jobs going down proposed pipelines to the U.S., the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) will intervene in upcoming regulatory hearings.
At the heart of the matter is the union’s intent to protect Canadian jobs, fostering development of the Canadian economy instead of watching all the benefits go south of the border, officials say.
S Dakota's Public Utilities Commission Withholding Landowners List During Keystone Hearings
Landowner list in pipeline case sought
By Terry Woster
twoster@argusleader.com
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070808/NEWS/7080...
Published: August 8, 2007
PIERRE – South Dakota’s Public Utilities Commission will hear arguments later this month on a request to make public the names of landowners with property along the route of a proposed crude-oil pipeline.
"Canadian energy company plans another pipeline in U.S."
Canadian energy company plans another pipeline in U.S.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/08/06/pipeline-oil.html
Last Updated: Monday, August 6, 2007
The Canadian Press
TransCanada Corp. is joining with Northwest Natural Gas Company on a proposal to build a natural gas pipeline in Oregon that could cost the companies up to $700 million US.
