Tarsands Infrastructure: South/East [US] is a category that represents the many connecting and supplying pipelines and associated projects that are needed to transport fuels for the production of tar sands bitumen and to move tar sand heavy bitumen to the Lower 48 of the US for refining. This involves some massive new pipeline projects to Illinois, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California, Pennsylvania, Texas and elsewhere including existing refineries in Ontario and Quebec.
Though the category is labelled "US", the proposed new projects also traverse untouched Canadian territory across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The names of some of the larger ones include The Alberta Clipper Project, The Spearhead Pipeline (expansion) and the Keystone Pipeline, along with other pipelines controlled by TransCanada and Enbridge, as well as Imperial Oil. Despite the massive size and scale of pipeline networks already existing through the continental United States, these pipelines and associated construction would be needed to achieve US and Canadian government goals of reaching 5 million barrels a day of tar sand oil being shipped out of the tar sands "ground zero" of Alberta.
Exxon boosts pipeline to oil sands by 50%
Joe Carroll, Bloomberg
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's biggest oil refiner, boosted its capacity to transport crude from Canada's oil sands to refineries in Texas and Louisiana.
Exxon Mobil increased the capacity of its 1,381-kilometre Pegasus Pipeline by 50% to about 96,000 barrels a day, the Irving, Tex.-based company said Wednesday in a statement.
TransCanada To Acquire Remaining ConocoPhillips' Interest in Keystone Pipeline; To Issue $1.6 Bln of Common Shares
6/16/2009
(RTTNews) - Tuesday, energy infrastructure giant TransCanada Corp.(TRP.TO: News ,TRP: News ) revealed an agreement to acquire Keystone Pipeline System through the acquisition of ConocoPhillips' (COP: News ) remaining interest in the project for approximately US$550 million plus the assumption of approximately US$200 million of short-term debt.
Sinkholes surface along Keystone route
Kevin Bonham, Grand Forks Herald
June 17, 2009
A small series of sinkholes — some 30 to 40 feet deep that have swallowed a handful of 20- to 30-foot pine trees — developed this spring in the sandy soil of the Pembina Escarpment along the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline route, limiting access to a spectacular panoramic view of the Pembina Gorge from a North Dakota Forest Service lookout.
The first sinkhole was discovered in March on the pipeline right-of-way along the Cavalier-Pembina county line.
Federal Court Approves of Regulatory Proceedings as an Appropriate Method to Address Aboriginal Concerns
Source: Fasken Martineau - On May 12, 2009, Mr. Justice Barnes of the Federal Court released his Reasons in Brokenhead Ojibway Nation v. Canada, 2009 FC 484. The court upheld the Governor in Council's approval of the National Energy Board's issuance of Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for the construction of three pipeline projects. The projects are the Keystone Pipeline Project, the Southern Lights Pipeline Project and the Alberta Clipper Pipeline Expansion Project.
June 9, 2009
Melinda Pruett-Jones
Executive Director
Chicago Wilderness
Patricia Cassady
Corporate Council Coordinator
Chicago Wilderness
Dear Ms. Pruett-Jones:
Again, sadly British Petroleum Whiting Refinery in northwest Indiana is in
the headlines for polluting our environment with the release of benzene, a
cancer causing chemical. One reaction to this latest violation is from 19
members of Congress calling for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to
conduct a comprehensive review of all BP permits (see below). Another
High Gas Prices Could Slow Recovery
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
Published: June 8, 2009
HOUSTON — After just a few months of relief at the pump, cheap gasoline is disappearing.
Gas prices have risen 41 days in a row, to a national average of almost $2.62 a gallon. That is a sharp increase from the low of $1.62 a gallon that prevailed at the end of last year.
Court rules against Chevron, city of Richmond in environmental review
By Katherine Tam
West County Times
06/05/2009
A Contra Costa Superior Court judge has ruled that the environmental document covering Chevron's bid to replace equipment at its Richmond refinery to refine a wider range of crude is insufficient and vague.
"Project description is unclear and inconsistent as to whether project will or will not enable Chevron to process a heavier crude slate than it is currently processing," Judge Barbara Zuniga wrote.
Tar sands' climate threat, security promise both exaggerated -- report
By NATHANIAL GRONEWOLD, Greenwire [NYTimes]
Published: May 22, 2009
NEW YORK -- Further development of Alberta's famous oil sands will be neither the climate disaster that activists fear nor the energy security panacea that proponents suggest it is, the Council on Foreign Relations concludes in a new report.
Groups unhappy with Chevron expansion
May 20, 2009
By Wayne Freedman
There may be a refinery upgrade in Richmond, but if environmental groups have it their way, it may never happen. This is frustrating Chevron.
"Well the whole intent of the project is to help modernize the refinery," said Chevron spokesman Dean O'Hair.
But the intent of lawyers was to delay it. There was wrangling in Superior Court after a ruling rejected an environmental impact report from Chevron and the city of Richmond. The court called it "unclear and inconsistent."
PUC extends deadline for filing in pipeline case
Published May 21 2009
The state Public Utilities Commission has extended a deadline to apply for party status in a case involving an oil pipeline in western South Dakota, but did not extend the deadline as much as one advocacy group requested.
Dakota Rural Action had requested that the PUC extend the deadline to file for party status to June 10, almost a month past the original deadline of May 11. The PUC on Wednesday announced it will extend the deadline, but only until May 31.
By: Austin Kaus, The Daily Republic
