Alberta Tar Sands is a category limited to the location and production of tar sand bitumen, an area the size of the state of Florida in northern Alberta province. The giant processing plants near Fort McMurray where the land itself is strip mined as well as the primarily "in situ" in-ground steam separation/production and extraction plants in the Peace and Cold Lake Regions, all in Alberta, are the "Ground Zero" of the single largest industrial gigaproject ever proposed in human history.
The process of removing the tar from the sand involves incredible amounts of energy from clean-burning natural gas (with nuclear proposed along side), tremendous capital costs during build up, incredibly high petroleum prices to protect investments, and the largest single industrial contribution to climate change in North America. Production also involves the waste of fresh water from nearby lakes, rivers and aquifers that have already created toxic tailing ponds visible from outer space. None of the land strip mined has yet to be certified as reclaimed. It takes 4 tonnes of soil to produce one barrel of oil. The tar sands are producing over 1.2 million barrels of oil a day on average. The oil companies, Canada and the United States governments are proposing to escalate production to 5 million barrels, almost all destined for American markets-- and lower environmental standards while doing so. They also would need to violate the national and human rights of many indigenous nations who are rightly concerned about many dire social, environmental and economic repercussions on their communities.
To get the needed energy supplies, diluent for the bitumen and diverted freshwater to produce and then to transport the flowing heavy bitumen for refining would require massive new infrastructure and pipeline building from three different time zones in the Arctic, across British Columbia and through Alberta in a criss-cross pattern, into pipelines to such destinations as California, China, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ontario, Illinois, Wisconsin and Texas. This entire project is now estimated at over $170 billion dollars. And after the whole process described so far, only then will all this dirty petroleum get burned and expel greenhouse gasses into the air causing further climate change.
Canada Helps Create an Oil Sands World
Alberta is showing the way for nations with similar reserves. Brace for a global 'age of tough oil.'
By Geoff Dembicki, Yesterday, TheTyee.ca
Efforts to develop oil sands in Alberta are serving as a model for many other nations eager to exploit similar reserves within their borders.
Evolution of an oilsands 'dinosaur' killer
Potential alternative to upgraders untapped for two decades
By Dave Cooper, Edmonton Journal September 8, 2010
EDMONTON - A process developed in Alberta almost two decades ago that turns bitumen into oil without using upgrading facilities could be a "game changer" for the province, says the co-developer.
"I could never understand why we wouldn't try something simpler and easier for handling bitumen," said Edmonton's Keng Chung, president of Well Resources Inc., who now spends much of his time in China.
Keep industry out
Calgary Herald September 7, 2010
The provincial government's proposal to have members of the oilsands industry sit on a committee tasked with overseeing a study into the unusual rates of cancer at Fort Chipewyan is an absolute nonstarter.
Neither the residents of Fort Chip, downstream on the Athabasca River from oilsands operations, nor Albertans in general, can have confidence in the conclusions of any study in which members of the industry suspected of being linked to those cancers, have oversight or control.
Enbridge signs Husky deal
Sunrise Project Next In Line; Project raises investments in oilsands to $2.3B
By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald September 8, 2010
CALGARY -- Enbridge Inc. on Tuesday continued to redouble its oilsands expansion plans with a deal to tie Husky Energy's proposed Sunrise oilsands project to its Cheecham distribution hub in northeast Alberta.
The Calgary-based shipper said it had signed a $475-million deal with Husky to build and operate the facilities which will initially ship 90,000 barrels per day to its transportation hub near Conklin starting in 2013.
Reports critical of oilsands keep piling up
'There needs to be an end to industry monitoring itself'
Published September 9, 2010 by Trevor Scott Howell in News
Alberta’s oilsands tailings ponds are killing birds at a rate 30 times higher than government and industry figures imply, according to a new study.
Ecologist Kevin Timoney, who co-authored the report, calls industry self-reporting of bird deaths “ad hoc” and says it consistently underestimates actual mortality.
Canadian Natural Resources, subcontractor charged in 2008 oilsands drowning
By The Canadian Press
September 3, 2010
EDMONTON - Workplace safety charges have been filed against petroleum producer Canadian Natural Resources and one of its subcontractors in an oilsands death two years ago.
Rick Boughner, 47, died in September 2008 when an excavator he was using tipped over and sank into a tailings pond, causing him to drown.
Now it all becomes clear: Premier due on Pelosi's mat next week
Stelmach's measured response to recent petro-goofs seemed out of character until we learned of his plans to see U.S. Speaker
By Graham Thomson, edmontonjournal.com
September 4, 2010
Every week the Alberta government releases what's officially called the "public itinerary" of meetings for the premier, cabinet and caucus -- which means, of course, journalists are left wondering what's on the unofficial "private" itinerary that we don't get to see.
Johann Hari: How much proof do the global warming deniers need?
Everything the climate scientists said would happen - with their pesky graphs and studies and computers - is coming to pass. This is proving the hottest year ever
Friday, 27 August 2010
West Moberly says Site C would power tar sands not homes
Monday, 30 August 2010
Amid a bevy of resource projects in northeast B.C., the West Moberly First Nation claims the province is green-washing its Site C hydroelectric project.
“It’s not clean and it’s not green,” West Moberly Chief Roland Willson told BIV in a recent interview.
The First Nation community is a member of the Treaty 8 Tribal Association near Fort St. John where dozens of companies are snapping up land to build the next shale gas well, coal mine or renewable power project.
