Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

International oil & gas

Stock markets and global oil interests (including war) would be included here, as would attempts to get oil out of high risk, low return areas from oil shale in Colorado, to natural gas and heavy oil in the high eastern Arctic. The tar sands are part of this trend and should be seen as such. What happens with the tar sands will have a tremendous impact on what kind of choices are made elsewhere, environmentally and socially.

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /var/www/drupal-6.28/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

International Oil & Gas is a category for stories relating to tar sand production or climate change but not in any of the projects already listed geographically. This includes other regions of the planet with horrible environmental and high energy costs that, like the tar sands, are only a "choice" because of high prices and the global depletion of easily recoverable oil reserves. Such issues as the threat of war on Iran, "instability" in Iraq and Venezuela or disasters like Katrina will all drive up oil prices, which in turn doubly encourages tar sand production-- by price demand and energy demand. Stock markets and global oil interests (including war) would be included here, as would attempts to get oil out of high risk, low return areas from oil shale in Colorado, to natural gas and heavy oil in the high eastern Arctic. The tar sands are part of this trend and should be seen as such. What happens with the tar sands will have a tremendous impact on what kind of choices are made elsewhere, environmentally and socially.

Industry PR as Utah Tar Sands Get Ever Closer...

Cobra Oil & Gas Provides Technology Update for Utah Oil Sands Prospect
July 23, 2009 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Suncor boosts heavy oil sales to U.S.

This is a HUGE deal; as a result of the largest single tar sands operator expanding the amount of procesing done in the US, the number-- according to the FTA and NAFTA-- can NEVER GO BACK DOWN in terms of percentage, or "proportion".

This is where the "proportionality clause" kicks in; the amount of an energy source sent south in one day must stay at that proportion permanently.

Therefore this is the announcement that the state of Canada is now further beholden to the US state, never mind what happens to the indigenous nations as a direct result.

--M

Alberta seeks input on bitumen royalties

Alberta seeks input on bitumen royalties
By Jason Fekete, Calgary Herald
July 21, 2009

CALGARY - The Stelmach government is expected to ask energy producers today for their interest in a new provincial bitumen royalty-in-kind policy, as the premier faces mounting criticism for failing to keep his promise to stem the flow of oilsands to the United States.

Canada dead last on climate change

Canada dead last on climate change
We can no longer use the U.S. as an excuse for inaction
GERALD BUTTS, Freelance
Published: Wednesday, July 08

Here is a sobering thought to consider as Canada prepares to assume the presidency of the G8 following this week's meeting in Italy: Canada has for the first time replaced the United States as the worst performer on tackling climate change among G8 nations. This was revealed in the recent G8 Climate Scorecard, released jointly by WWF, the global conservation organization, and the global insurance company Allianz.

Let's cut the top off of Colorado, flip it and spin it, burn it-- Freedom!

OIL FROM STONE: SECURING AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE

Rising prices and security concerns raise important questions about America's energy options. Currently, the United States imports 66 percent of its oil -- about 4.7 billion barrels per year or 9,000 barrels every minute. However, there are vast amounts of oil shale -- a type of rock rich in kerogen, an organic sedimentary material -- which can be converted into high-quality liquid fuels, says H. Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow, and Tomas Castella, a research assistant, both with the National Center for Policy Analysis.

Kinder Morgan pipes march through BC

West Coast oilsands exports at record

Shipments open new markets for Alberta crude

By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald
July 9, 2009

CALGARY - Exports of oilsands via tanker ships off the West Coast hit an all-time high this spring, the head of the only pipeline company to cross the Rocky Mountains said in Calgary Wednesday.

Chinese firms say they don't owe Alberta tar sands [TFW] worker any wages

Chinese firms say they don't owe Alberta oilsands worker any wages
Canadian Press
By John Cotter
July 10 / 2009

EDMONTON — Companies linked to a Chinese energy giant say they don't owe any wages to a man who was employed as a temporary foreign worker at an Alberta oilsands project.

He is one of 132 Chinese men who worked at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.'s Horizon project in 2007. The Alberta government says the workers are owed $3 million in missing wages.

End of the US $ as Reserve Currency?

Globe and Mail July 6, 2009
Calls grow to supplant dollar as global currency

France joins China, India and Russia in calling for a new reserve standard on the eve of the G8 summit

Karim Bardeesy

The call to find an alternative to the U.S dollar as the global reserve currency is gaining momentum as France joined calls by China, India and Russia for a review of the world's currency practices.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde challenged the dollar's supremacy “in a world that has changed because of the crisis and the growing role of emerging countries.”

Peak Oil And World Food Supplies

Peak Oil And World Food Supplies
By Peter Goodchild
29 June, 2009
Countercurrents.org

Only about 10 percent of the world’s land surface is arable, whereas the other 90 percent is just rock, sand, or swamp, which can never be made to produce crops, whether we use “high” or “low” technology or something in the middle. In an age with diminishing supplies of oil and other fossil fuels, this 10:90 ratio may be creating two gigantic problems that have been largely ignored.

Shell To Become Most CO2-Intensive Oil Co -Study

UPDATE: Shell To Become Most CO2-Intensive Oil Co -Study

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) is on track to become the most carbon intensive international oil company because of its focus on unconventional oil resources like Canadian tar sands, said a study published by a coalition of environmental groups Monday.

"In the age of carbon reduction, Shell is fast heading in the opposite direction, massively increasing the carbon intensity of its production of oil and gas," the report said. "This represents a real risk for Shell, for investors and for the climate."