Economics

When Royal Dutch Shell recently bought out Shell Canada, the world's most notorious oil corporation became directly involved in many of the world's most deadly plans for the environment, social rights and indigenous self-determination. In northern British Columbia, RD Shell has inherited an exploration permit to look in the sacred headwaters of the Nass, Skeena and the Stikine rivers for Coalbed Methane, perhaps the single worst water damaging form of gas extraction that has been linked to stillbirths in animals and humans nearby.

Enbridge still online with Gateway project
Jul 12, 2007 06:31 PM
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/235384
Dina O'Meara
Canadian press

CALGARY–Enbridge Inc. was taken by surprise Thursday by comments PetroChina, its major partner in an ambitious Alberta to British Columbia pipeline, was pulling out of the $3-billion project.

"We have not discussed CNPC's comments with them," spokesperson Glenn Herchak told The Canadian Press. "So it would not be appropriate to comment."

http://www.isa.org/InTechTemplate.cfm?Section=InTech_Home1&template=/Con...

InTech Home InTech Home
12 July 2007
Refineries retrofit for goop and gunk
Some oil companies are staking much of their future on the gunky oil that comes out of Canada’s oil sands. Automation has a piece of this action.

The Wall Street Journal reported the first crude from the Albertan oil sands reached the giant Cushing, Okla., pipeline hub last year.

Black gold's tarnish seen in Canada
Cash and jobs flow bountifully from Alberta's oil sands, but they come at a cost to the environment and native peoples.
By Tim Reiterman, Times Staff Writer
July 8, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-oilsands8jul08,0,732...
FORT MCMURRAY, CANADA — The Aurora Mine exudes the odor of petroleum and the look of untapped riches.

Alberta's inflation is everyone's interest
MICHAEL MENDELSON
Globe and Mail Update
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070711.wcomment0712...
July 11, 2007 at 11:45 PM EDT

What they didn't want you to know: oil's dirty little secret
Copyright 2007 Lloyd's List International
All Rights Reserved
Lloyd's List // July 13, 2007

The theory of Peak Oil is that world production will peak and plateau
at a undefined point in time and then begin to decline, while demand
continues to rise Five decades after it was first brought to the
world's attention, the finite supply of oil and what this means is
only just being accepted

"IT'S the end of the world as we know it", sang US rock band REM, a

World oil supplies are set to run out faster than expected, warn scientists

Scientists challenge major review of global reserves and warn that supplies will start to run out in four years' time
http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2656034.ece
By Daniel Howden
Published: 14 June 2007

Scientists have criticised a major review of the world's remaining oil reserves, warning that the end of oil is coming sooner than governments and oil companies are prepared to admit.

Will the coming oil crisis be the end of suburbia?
By ERIC R. GREEN
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/1183874885/6

Eric R Green is the library director at Lamar Community College and an adjunct sociology instructor. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Three years ago, when I started to teach Introduction to Sociology for Lamar Community College, my brother sent me the DVD, “The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream,” concerning the “coming oil crisis."

Oil majors target Canada after leaving Venezuela
http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/07/06/en_eco_art_oil-majors-target-c...

Oil giants have vowed to invest over USD 100 billion in projects to drill 174 billion barrels of oil in Alberta

Heavy crude oil in both Canada and Venezuela pose drilling technical difficulties and require costly enhancers to make them suitable for refineries, but unlike Venezuela, Canada offers political and tax stability

EL UNIVERSAL

After Venezuela, Tar Sands no Quick Fix
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN2741612020070705
By Jeffrey Jones and Scott Haggett - Analysis

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - For Exxon Mobil Corp. and ConocoPhillips it may appear simple: shift efforts, people and resources to Canada's oil sands now that the oil majors have retreated from Venezuela. In reality, it's no simple matter.

The oil sands have their own set of risks: surging costs due to a squeezed labor force, technical complexity and a shrinking pool of attractive available properties.