Economics

Should green-minded Norway invest in Canadian oil-sands?

Last week, Greenpeace failed in its bid to force Norway's StatoilHydro to abandon a $2 billion investment in a project that it says produces 10 times the greenhouse gases as North Sea drilling.

By Tom Sullivan | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
from the May 27, 2009

Stockholm, Sweden - It came as little surprise when Norway's partially state-owned oil company, StatoilHydro, rejected a shareholder motion last week to pull out of a $2 billion tar-sands venture in Alberta, Canada.

Court orders oilsands to list contents of tailings
Ecojustice lawyers convince judge to overrule environment minister

By Hanneke Brooymans, The Edmonton Journal
May 28, 2009

More information about the toxic content of oilsands tailings ponds that sprawl over 130 square kilometres in northeast Alberta will soon be made public because of a Federal Court decision.

N.W.T. fears pipeline guarantee for Alaska
By Jeffrey Jones, Reuters
May 25, 2009

CALGARY - The Northwest Territories is worried a little-noticed plan to boost U.S. federal loan guarantees for an Alaska gas pipeline to $30 billion US could raise yet another impediment to the construction of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline.

Cloudy forecast
Harper kicks up trade storm over U.S.'s ambitious low-carbon fuel rules
Alice Klein
Now Toronto May 25, 2009

It’s been a bad political week for the tar sands. Publicly, the Tories are still clinging to the cupid face they pulled on when U.S. President Barack Obama touched down in Ottawa this winter, but they’ve just pulled out the big, fat arrows and are aiming low.

As U.S. climate initiatives rev into real action, it shamefully ain’t our love that we Canucks are sending stateside.

Tar sands' climate threat, security promise both exaggerated -- report
By NATHANIAL GRONEWOLD, Greenwire [NYTimes]
Published: May 22, 2009

NEW YORK -- Further development of Alberta's famous oil sands will be neither the climate disaster that activists fear nor the energy security panacea that proponents suggest it is, the Council on Foreign Relations concludes in a new report.

Groups unhappy with Chevron expansion
May 20, 2009
By Wayne Freedman

There may be a refinery upgrade in Richmond, but if environmental groups have it their way, it may never happen. This is frustrating Chevron.

"Well the whole intent of the project is to help modernize the refinery," said Chevron spokesman Dean O'Hair.

But the intent of lawyers was to delay it. There was wrangling in Superior Court after a ruling rejected an environmental impact report from Chevron and the city of Richmond. The court called it "unclear and inconsistent."

Oil sands crucial to energy mix: Imperial CEO
By Claudia Cattaneo, Financial PostMay 15, 2009
Canwest News Service

CALGARY -- Canada’s oil sands represent such a large part of the remaining world oil resources it’s unrealistic to exclude them from North America’s future energy mix, said the CEO of Imperial Oil Ltd.

Despite a push to stop or contain their development, Bruce March said Alberta’s deposits represent 40% of known oil resources in the world that are not under the control of national oil companies.

PUC extends deadline for filing in pipeline case
Published May 21 2009

The state Public Utilities Commission has extended a deadline to apply for party status in a case involving an oil pipeline in western South Dakota, but did not extend the deadline as much as one advocacy group requested.

Dakota Rural Action had requested that the PUC extend the deadline to file for party status to June 10, almost a month past the original deadline of May 11. The PUC on Wednesday announced it will extend the deadline, but only until May 31.

By: Austin Kaus, The Daily Republic

Guujaaw, President, Council of the Haida Nation
May 19 2009

To: John Carruthers
President of Enbridge "Northern Gateway Pipeline"

In response to your letter dated April 29th.

You have invited us to attend a meeting in Kitimat on June 18 and 19, "to guide
the design, construction, and operations of the proposed project".

This project that you are proposing would necessitate the movement of tankers
through these waters on a daily basis, which of course, is of concern to us.

We are a people who depend on the health and well-being of the seas around us.

Hamm, producers try to combat a new concern in oil industry
By Robert Barron, Staff Writer
May 03, 2009

The United States has been concerned for many years about the influx of foreign oil, mostly from the Middle East into the United States. But now, a new concern from Canada is beginning to worry some oil producers, and, led by Enid’s Harold Hamm, they are taking steps to fight it.