Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Alberta (& Saskatchewan) Tar Sands

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.

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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.

Representatives ask Obama to examine impacts of tar sands [Keystone] pipeline

Representatives ask Obama to examine impacts of tar sands pipeline
Caitlin Sislin | Jul 06, 2010 11:55 AM

CNRL announces tar sands production gain

CNRL announces oil sands production gain
John Shmuel, Financial Post
Jun. 30, 2010

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. revealed in its June forecast that its oil sands production will hit between 116,000 and 118,000 barrels a day for the month, after a maintenance shutdown in May helped boost efficiency.

The June figures are significantly higher than last month's, when the Calgary-based energy company produced 81,400 barrels a day after a partial shut down of operations for maintenance.

Debate Heats Up Over Tar Sands

Debate Heats Up Over Oil Sands
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
NYTimes
July 1 2010

Stelmach buys U.S. ad touting tar sands

Stelmach buys U.S. ad touting oil sands

Article submitted to the Washington Post was rejected by op-ed section, so Alberta government turns to half-page ad

Josh Wingrove
Edmonton — Globe and Mail
Jul. 02, 2010

For lack of another way to reach U.S. lawmakers wary of the “filthy” Canadian oil sands, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach’s office bought a half-page advertisement in Friday’s Washington Post championing its energy industry and a proposed pipeline that would reach down into the United States.

A Run for the Canadian Border

A Run for the Canadian Border
By Marin Katusa
June 21, 2010

The Gulf of Mexico disaster has changed U.S. priorities, costs, and energy supply sources for years to come. But the fact that the U.S. needs energy isn’t changing any time soon and as mass sources of green energy are still a while away, the most likely alternative might be the most surprising one.

Scientist admits defaming tar sands researchers

Scientist admits defaming oilsands researchers
June 21, 2010
CBC News

A scientist who works for the Alberta government has apologized to two scientists for calling their research "a lie."

Dr. Preston McEachern, an environmental effects biologist who works for the government of Alberta, issued a letter of apology and retraction to Kevin Timoney, a researcher with Treeline Ecological Research, and Peter Lee, executive director with Global Forest Watch Canada.

Fort McMurray MP urges Stelmach to safeguard Clearwater river from tar sands [!!]

Alberta MP urges Stelmach to safeguard river from oilsands plan
By Trish Audette and Mariam Ibrahim,
Edmonton Journal
June 17, 2010

EDMONTON — A Fort McMurray Conservative MP wants Premier Ed Stelmach to protect a northern Alberta river and send a "clear signal" to the oil industry about safekeeping freshwater sources.

In a two-page letter sent last month, Fort McMurray-Athabasca MP Brian Jean took aim at Nexen Inc.'s plans for the Long Lake oilsands project, which include tapping into the Clearwater River.

In Oil Spill Address, Obama Offers No Answers on Climate Bill

In Oil Spill Address, Obama Offers No Answers on Climate Bill
President Avoids Mention of Climate Change or Carbon Cap
By Aaron Wiener 6/16/10 12:00 AM

In his speech to the nation from the Oval Office Tuesday night, President Obama laid out a three-step plan to mitigate the damage from the BP oil spill and compensate affected residents along the Gulf Coast.

Rethinking Alberta's energy sector

Oilsands and emissions are key issues in report from a think-tank funded by BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie

By Deborah Yedlin, Canwest News Service June 16, 2010

There are a number of interesting, if not controversial, assumptions made in a study released last week by the Canadian International Council, the think-tank funded by Research In Motion billionaire Jim Balsillie.

Liberal MP accuses government of stalling release of tar sands report

Liberal MP accuses government of stalling release of oilsands report

By Laura Stone, Canwest News Service
June 15, 2010

OTTAWA — A Liberal MP has accused the Conservative government of blocking the release of an environmental report that highlights the negative impact of the oilsands on Canada's freshwater supply, even as meetings to discuss the report are supposed to remain closed to the public.