Economics

Emissions for the poor, subsidies for the rich
Latest budget continues the Harperite pattern of tax breaks for large-scale Green House Gas emitters.
Dateline: Monday, March 03, 2008
by Albert Koehl

Environmentalists Win landmark Tar Sands Lawsuit
Court Finds Gaping Holes in Environmental Assessment

EDMUNTON - March 5 -The Federal Court of Canada today released a judgment finding fatal legal errors in the environmental assessment of the Kearl Tar Sands Project, north of Fort McMurray.

Ecojustice lawyer Sean Nixon was in court in January on behalf of the Pembina Institute, Sierra Club of Canada, the Toxics Watch Society of Alberta and the Prairie Acid Rain Coalition.

Are the Sacred Headwaters being sacrificed for the Tar Sands?

The Athabasca Oil Sands are the largest single source of greenhouse
gases in Canada. They are also one of the largest users of methane, also
known as natural gas.

Bitumen extraction is an energy intensive process that requires between
700 and 1200 cubic feet of natural gas to produce one barrel of bitumen.
The natural gas is used to heat water, which is mixed with tar sands to
separate the crude bitumen (a semi-solid form of crude oil), from
silica, clay and other minerals.

Oil sands pipeline to U.S. refineries nears approval
JAMES MCPHERSON
Associated Press
March 4, 2008

BISMARCK, N.D. -- The U.S. State Department intends to issue a permit this month for a $5.2-billion (U.S.) pipeline that would transport crude oil from central Alberta through seven states to U.S. refineries.

The State Department, in a decision published yesterday in the Federal Register, said that if no other federal agency objects, a permit will be issued within 15 days for the Keystone pipeline, a project of TransCanada Corp., Canada's largest natural gas shipper, based in Calgary.

Sherritt International [in partnership with the Ontario Teachers Pension
Plan and Epcor] is proposing to develop a large $1.5B coal gasification
project 3/4 of an hour south east of Edmonton. The primary purpose of this
project will be to produce syngas and/or hydrogen which then can be sold to
bitumen upgraders, refineries and the heavy oil industry. Sherritt hopes to
cash in on further tar sands expansion.

The area of the project is approximately 312 sq kms [most of which is
productive agricultural land] and will be bordered by the town of Tofield,

Finally Canada's establishment newspaper gets it right! The proposed partial moratorium is indeed a PR greenwash smokescreen:

Proportionality
by Richard Heinberg
Energy Bulletin (February 07 2008)

There is a strange clause in the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) that applies to only one country - Canada. The clause states
that Canada must continue to supply the same proportion of its oil and
gas resources to the US in future years as it does now. That's rather a
good deal for the US: it formalizes Canada's status as a resource
satellite of its imperial hub to the south.

From a Canadian perspective there are some problems with the

TransCanada plans direct oil line to Gulf Coast

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Feb. 25 -- TransCanada Corp. said it is considering an oil pipeline directly to the US Gulf Coast from Alberta's oil sands, press reports said Feb. 21.

An alternative would be to connect Alberta oil sands with Gulf Coast refineries by converting underused natural gas pipelines for part of the route, Chief Executive Officer Hal Kvisle was reported as saying.

Pipeline approvals ease strain on network
NORVAL SCOTT
Globe and Mail Update

February 24, 2008 at 10:39 PM EST

CALGARY — Pipeline companies are set to build the projects needed to transport higher levels of crude production from Alberta's oil sands, resolving the question of how energy firms will bring their future output to market.

Last week, the National Energy Board – Canada's energy regulator – approved two projects being proposed by Calgary-based Enbridge Inc., including its giant Alberta Clipper pipeline that would allow increased exports to Wisconsin.

Sun, February 24, 2008
Clipper pipeline project approved
But Canadian regulator attaches conditions
By LAUREN KRUGEL, CP

CALGARY -- The National Energy Board has approved the $2-billion Alberta Clipper oil pipeline proposed by Enbridge Inc. but attached certain conditions in response to concerns raised in public hearings last November.

The 1,600-km pipeline will stretch from Alberta to Wisconsin and will have an initial capacity of 450,000 barrels of oil a day.