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
The World's Most Expensive Babysitters
The World's Most Expensive Babysitters
By Tom Dyson
August 6, 2007
http://www.dailywealth.com/archive/2007/aug/2007_aug_06.asp
Today, I heard the story of Angela.
Angela is 17 years old. Recently, she was offered $3,500 per month to babysit three children for a few hours after school each day while the parents work late. Two of the children are grown up. The third is a toddler. The toddler sleeps. The other two children take care of themselves. Angela watches TV, does her homework, then goes home. That's it.
Enviros Target Tar Sands while in Fort McMurray
Green groups target oilsands projects
'It's time to get . . . opinions swayed'
Joel Kom, Calgary Herald; with a file from The Edmonton Journal
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/story.html?id=4302ec43-2a9c-4117-a72...
Published: Sunday, August 05, 2007
Environmentalists have come to the epicentre of oilsands development this weekend to highlight the vast changes taking place near Fort McMurray.
National Post "Warns" of Consequences of Tar Sands Problems
Oilpatch risks turn from value creation to value destruction
Everybody Wants A Bigger Cut Of The Booming Industry
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=40c0596f-...
Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post
Published: Tuesday, August 07, 2007
For the first time in a generation, Alberta is facing a general strike within its construction trades that threatens to disrupt its booming oilsands industry and is introducing a new type of uncertainty --labour unrest.
Buying our way out of sin
Buying our way out of sin
THE TELEGRAM [St Lohn's, NFLD)
The Telegram
http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=51665&sc=80
For such a modern-day problem, it seems like a terribly Medieval solution. The problem is climate change — the way humanity is altering the Earth’s weather by spewing fossil-fuel emissions into the atmosphere.
Shell unveils plan for biggest upgrader
GLOBE AND MAIL:
Print Edition 31/07/07 Page B1
RESOURCES: EXPANDING IN THE OIL SANDS
Shell unveils plan for biggest upgrader
Proposal could cost up to $27-billion as price of refining Alberta's heavy crude continues to climb
NORVAL SCOTT
July 31, 2007
CALGARY -- Royal Dutch Shell PLC is planning construction on the largest oil sands upgrader to date, even as other firms delay or cancel their own projects in the face of spiralling costs.
Greenpeace in Edmonton, their sights set on shutting down Alberta’s tarsands.
Target: tarsands
Greenpeace comes to Edmonton
By NICKI THOMAS, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2007/07/31/4383282.html
Greenpeace is setting up shop in Edmonton with their sights set on shutting down Alberta’s tarsands.
“The tarsands are one of the most environmentally destructive projects in Canada, if not the world,” said tarsands campaign organizer Geeta Sehgal.
Sehgal said the tarsands create 40 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year, ensuring Canada can’t meet its commitments to the Kyoto Protocol.
Oil, gas development could harm First Nations' quality of living: Sierra Club
Oil, gas development could harm First Nations' quality of living: Sierra Club
Last Updated: Friday, July 27, 2007 | 12:23 PM MT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/07/27/nwt-sierra.html
CBC News
Decades of oil and gas activity in northern Alberta has done little to improve the lives of aboriginal people living there, according to a national environmental group that used federal government numbers that gauge community well-being.
Growth and Pipelines Everywhere
- Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands
- Enbridge Gateway Pipeline/ Offshore Tanker Traffic [BC]
- Mackenzie Gas Project / Alaska Highway pipelines [NWT/AK]
- Tarsands Infrastructure: South/ East [US & Can]
- International oil & gas
- Climate Change / Emissions
- Economics
- Energy
- Indigenous
- Land
- Peak Oil
- Social Impacts
- Water
Snippets from the Business pages:
1 Enbridge Promises to build Gateway Pipeline without PetroChina & build Alberta Clipper
2 Largest Companies trying to get in on Expansion of Tar Sands
3 CP to further Expand in Tar Sands
4 Husky adding more Refineries
5 Imperial Oil buys huge exploration permit in Arctic /Beaufort Sea
These stories paint a collective picture of development of mock "oil" out of control.
Populations Tar Sands Demands Ignored by Province
some may think it a bit unfair of myself to often change the headlines originated by the newspapers or other news sources the story is fair-used from. But this one begs to be the prototypical reason why that is necessary: The recommendations concluded have only the small or nearly inconsequential ideas approved, and things from water use to moratoriums to land use, to greenhouse gas emissions and more are "not able to reach consensus". In other words, the whole procedure is a giant play, and the consultations are not to be incorporated.
Suncor: To get Bigger & Outgrow Syncrude
As the article explains, this is not only Suncor but one of many new vast expansions being planned by the "major players". The upgrader facilities are essential and not hard to understand. All of this development is, as always, continuous and along side existing facilities and tar pits, none of it slowing down or remaining static at a certain speed but like a run-away freight train. This train loaded with gas is headed straight for the water.
--M
Suncor to expand tar sands mining operations
By Scott Haggett
