Climate Change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, in particular carbon. 40% of Canada’s emissions already come from Alberta alone, not counting the entire tar sands infrastructure across North America nor counting the projected increase in tar sands production or the infrastructure built across the continent to accommodate such increases in production. Factor it all in and you get the picture. You haven’t even burned the petrol yet.
Stephen Harper announces cancellation of Earth Day
By rabble staff | April 1, 2009
LONDON, UK -- "Canada, among all the advanced countries, is best positioned to prosper and profit from the ecological crisis," announced Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shortly after arriving for the opening of the G20 summit.
Becoming No. 1: Suncor's story
March 23, 2009
CBC News
If the deal goes down, one of the first companies to pull oil from the sticky tar sands of Alberta is about to become Canada's biggest energy company and the fifth-largest in North America.
Suncor and Petro-Canada plan a merger that would give the company a market capitalization of $43.3-billion US. For comparison, energy giants Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips are worth about $326.6 billion and $55.97 billion, respectively.
What is Suncor?
Investor urges Enbridge to assess risk of delay
DAVID EBNER
Globe and Mail
March 30, 2009
VANCOUVER — — The prospect that Enbridge Inc. [ENB-T]'s $4-billion Gateway pipeline project, which would connect Alberta's oil sands with lucrative Asian markets, could become mired in disputes with first nations groups has at least one major shareholder demanding a reckoning.
The company is set to bring its Gateway proposal, which has $100-million in backing from 10 companies, oil sands producers in Canada and refiners in Asia, before the National Energy Board in the next three months.
Yesterday's fuel, yesterday's deal
The real 'crude' in Suncor's takeover of Petro-Canada — long stripped of its Canada-first credentials — is the push to deliver ever more 20th-century fossil fuels when the world is moving to renewables
GORDON LAXER
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
March 25, 2009
City councillor wants tar sands halted
Tim Edwards
Northern News Services
Published Friday, March 27, 2009
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - City council appears set to vote in favour of a motion calling on Alberta's government to halt new tar sands development south of the NWT border.
City council will vote on a motion next month which calls on the Alberta government to halt tar sands development until a number of environmental measures have been met.
Tar Sand Demands:
1. Public contingency plans for catastrophic breaches of oil sands tailing ponds.
From the Athabasca to the Saint Lawrence and the Great Lakes:
Events in Montréal, Toronto, Ann Arbor and Chicago.
Montreal Event:
Tar Sands: Stopping the flow of destruction
from the ATHABASCA to the SAINT LAWRENCE
WHEN: Friday March 20, 7pm
WHERE: Room 26, Stephen Leacock Bldg (855 Sherbrooke Ouest)
Toronto Event:
WHEN: Saturday, March 21, 7pm
WHERE: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
252 Bloor St. West, Room 5-250
Ann Arbor Event:
Tuesday, March 24. TBA
Chicago Event:
WHEN: Wednesday, March 25. 6:45pm.
WHERE: The Lincoln Park Library Auditorium.
March 19th, 2009
Tar sands to blacken MTL?
Punching holes in tar sands pipeline
Meg Hewings
A giant pipeline extension carrying over 200,000 barrels of tar sands oil a day into or through Montreal for refining has stalled because of the credit crunch.
"This is temporary," warns Macdonald Stainsby of OilSandsTruth.org . "The slowdown we are seeing in tar sands development is not because of political opposition or new environmental regulations, but a lack of excess capital available in the construction industry."
Is this the risk we should take?
March 18, 2009
Smithers Interior News
On March 24, 1989 the Exxon Valdez began spilling what amounted to approximately 40 million litres of crude oil into Prince William Sound. While the incident ranks well down on the list of the world’s largest oil spills by volume, it is considered one of the most devastating.
As we commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez, it’s worth looking at the trauma that 40 million litres of misplaced oil can cause, and comparing it to what is being asked of Northern communities today.
CNRL PR: First oil produced at Horizon project
ALBERTA — The first synthetic crude oil from the Horizon oil sands project was produced on Feb. 28, 2009, reported owner Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNRL). The event marked four years of construction work.
