Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Climate Change / Emissions

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.

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The First Nations United Front: Days of Action

"Shut down the tar sands," NDP candidate urges

Shut down the oilsands, NDP candidate urges
Tim Lai, Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, September 25, 2008

VANCOUVER - Saying climate change may result in his two sons never seeing polar bears in the wild, a star NDP candidate from British Columbia called Thursday for the shutdown of Alberta's tarsands.

"We have to do something to address the climate change crisis, we need to do so now," said Michael Byers, the New Democrat hopeful in the key battleground riding of Vancouver Centre.

"We need to go after the big polluters, we need to shut the tarsands down."

Proposed Oil Refinery in Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation's Homeland

PROPOSED OIL REFINERY IN MANDAN, HIDATSA, ARIKARA NATIONS' HOMELAND

“There is a reason that a new oil refinery has not been built in our USA for over 30 years, no one wants these proven extremely toxic & polluting industries in their back yard!”

Harper's plan may hit tar sands exports to Asia

Harper's plan may hit oil sands exports to Asia
Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:55pm EDT
By Jeffrey Jones

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A campaign promise to ban exports of tar-like bitumen from Alberta's oil sands to countries that do not match Canadian efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions could affect shipments to Asia, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday.

Enbridge Inc, which operates the main pipeline for Canadian oil exports to the United States, is proposing a new line to Canada's west coast from Alberta to allow oil sands-derived crude to be shipped to Asia.

Oil industry studies Harper's surprise bitumen pledge

Oil industry studies Harper's surprise bitumen pledge
Dave Cooper, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Friday, September 26, 2008

EDMONTON - The Alberta government and the oil industry are studying Prime Minister Stephen Harper's surprise election pledge this morning to place restrictions on the export of raw bitumen.

Premier Ed Stelmach is expected to respond this afternoon.

Fowl play

Oilsands: Fowl play
Andrew Nikiforuk
From the September 29, 2008 issue of Canadian Business magazine

On a late July morning, 11 members of Greenpeace did what entrepreneurial activists do best: bold ventures. Armed with bolt cutters, the green crew drove north of Fort McMurray, Alta., severed a chain lock and then broke into Syncrude Canada Ltd.’s Aurora North settling basin, now known to millions around the world as the infamous watery graveyard for 500 migrating ducks. (Locals just call the waste pond “Dead Duck Lake.”)

Resource Council withdraws from lawsuit over the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline.

Resource Council withdraws from lawsuit

Sep 24 2008 // Associated Press

Bismarck, N.D. (AP) The Dickinson-based Dakota Resource Council is withdrawing from a federal lawsuit over the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline.

DRC Board Chairman Roger Brenna says his group will keep its focus local by closely monitoring the pipeline construction.

The Natural Resources Defense Council says it will carry on the case, which challenges the U.S. State Department's environmental review of the pipeline.

Industry minister: Canada could build gas pipeline first

Well, this article is wrong three times. A) The MGP would not negate the Alaska Pipeline. B) The MGP would not feed the lower 48 States, but instead feed production of dirty tar sands crude. C) Natural Gas is another fossil fuel and the combination of both climate change and peak oil make it impossible to see natural gas as "...the only option for a long term energy solution."

Other than that, the article is great!

--M

Industry minister: Canada could build gas pipeline first
by Ted Land
Monday, September 22, 2008

EnCana, ConocoPhillips proceed with refinery expansion

The Canadian Press

September 24, 2008 at 7:06 AM EDT

CALGARY — — EnCana Corp. [ECA-T]and partner ConocoPhillips [COP-N] said Wednesday they are starting construction this month on an expansion at the Wood River refinery in Roxana, Ill.

The coker and refinery project is expected to cost $3.6-billion (U.S.) over three years, half from each company, to increase bitumen-based production for the U.S. Midwest market.

Cutting Deadly Sulphur Dioxide Emissions Costing Syncrude Billions

Sulphur costs rise at Syncrude
Herald News Services
September 20, 2008

Oilsands - Syncrude Canada Ltd.'s cost for installing equipment to cut emissions of deadly sulphur dioxide has more than doubled to $1.6 billion, the joint-venture's biggest shareholder said Friday.

Canadian Oil Sands Trust, which owns 36.7 per cent of Syncrude, said the cost of the project to retrofit two upgraders with equipment to cut output of sulphur and other particles by 60 per cent had risen from its previous $772-million estimate because of delays and rising labour and material costs.