Economics drive tar sands operations. Record highs in oil prices, though still fluctuating, will make tar sand oil ‘economical’ (read: profitable) well into the future. Government subsidies to this environmentally disastrous process remain in place from a time when the federal government was sponsoring research into the possibility of recovering this oil. Stock prices of tar sands developers grow the more conventional oil is scarce.
Green groups say US refiners produce more greenhouse gases with oilsands
(AlbertaIndex, June 10, Tuesday) --- Two green lobbies have charged that US refiners will produce much more greenhouse gases processing Canada’s oilsands than if they used ‘traditional’ crude oil.
The Washington DC-based Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Toronto-headquartered Environmental Defence Canada (EDC) said the emissions production increase would be the equivalent of 16 new refineries in the US.
Heavy Problem: Dirtier Oil, Though Cheaper, Sparks Green Backlash
June 12, 2008, 11:45 am
The Wall Street Journal’s Ben Casselman reports:
Cheap oil! Get your cheap oil here!
Well, “cheap” may be pushing it. But even as benchmark crude futures have soared above $130 per barrel, there’s still oil out there for about $105 a barrel. The bad news: it’s nasty stuff.
No balance on tar sands
Jun 10, 2008 04:30 AM
Prime Minister Stephen Harper often talks about finding the right balance between economic growth and environmental protection.
But Harper put growth well ahead of the environment last week when he gave the green light to Imperial Oil's proposed $8 billion Kearl tar-sands project, which is predicted to create 3.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually – equivalent to putting another 800,000 cars on the road.
Council backs spill response planning
June 11, 2008
A Geographic Response Plan (GRP) is being piloted for Kitimat through the BC Environment ministry.
The project is being led by Mike Drumm, from the ministry office in Smithers.
He told city council a GRP contains maps and descriptions of sensitive natural and cultural resources as well as outline strategies to minimize damage from an oil spill.
“GRPs are designed to reduce those decision making times,” explained Drumm.
Reopen NAFTA, reclaim our oil
Linda McQuaig
Canada will need tough negotiators to gain parity in trade agreement.
Yes, let's punish the official who leaked the Canadian memo that created
heat for Barack Obama, future president of the United States.
But let's not waste much time examining the mouth of this particular gift
horse.
Let's just consider ourselves lucky that the heated US Democratic
presidential race may result in NAFTA (the North American Free Trade
Agreement) being put back on the table.
NAFTA is deeply flawed from Canada's point of view. We failed to get the
Settlement reached in Keystone pipeline's first eminent domain trials
Associated Press - June 9, 2008 7:05 PM ET
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Some landowners in eastern South Dakota have reached a settlement with TransCanada Keystone for the company's use of eminent domain to build an oil pipeline.
Terms of the agreement were confidential.
The company, based in Calgary, Alberta, is building a more-than 2,000-mile pipeline designed to deliver 590,000 barrels of crude oil daily from Alberta to refineries in Oklahoma and Illinois. The pipeline will run through Nebraska.
Ottawa awards BP $1.2B in exploration permits in Beaufort Sea
Last Updated: Monday, June 9, 2008
CBC News
Energy giant BP came out the big winner in the federal government's latest auction for oil and gas exploration leases in the Beaufort Sea, offering to spend nearly $1.2 billion to explore on the Arctic seabed.
BP Exploration Company Ltd. won three of five exploration leases announced late Friday by the federal Indian and Northern Affairs Department.
On the Matter of Tar Sands & Indigenous Lands
Check out the video podcast:
http://citizen.nfb.ca/blogs/citizenshift/on-the-matter-of-tar-sands-indi...
Oil sands demand spurs U.S. refinery boom
As refiners increase capacity to handle Alberta oil, environmental organizations ratchet up the pressure
SHAWN MCCARTHY
GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER
June 5, 2008
OTTAWA -- American refiners are making massive investments to dramatically increase imports from Alberta's oil sands, even as they face mounting pressure in the United States over the oil sands' impact on greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution.
Imperial's oilsands permit restored
Reuters
Published: Saturday, June 07, 2008
CALGARY - Imperial Oil Ltd. again has all the approvals it needs to go ahead with its $8-billion Kearl oilsands project after the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) reinstated its authorization, revoked in March during a legal battle.
The federal department gave Imperial, Canada's biggest oil producer and refiner, a new permit yesterday to disturb fish habitat at the proposed northern Alberta mining site, DFO spokesman Phil Jenkins said.
