Economics

Abu Dhabi National Said to Be Chasing Canadian Deals
By Joe Carroll

March 30 (Bloomberg) -- Abu Dhabi National Energy Co., the Persian Gulf petroleum and power producer known as Taqa, is hunting for acquisitions in Canada’s tar sands, home of the world’s second-largest crude deposits outside Saudi Arabia, according to two people involved in the search.

Taqa is assessing multiple potential targets that extract crude from Canada’s oil-soaked bogs and river valleys, according to people who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to make the information public.

Investor urges Enbridge to assess risk of delay
DAVID EBNER
Globe and Mail
March 30, 2009

VANCOUVER — — The prospect that Enbridge Inc. [ENB-T]'s $4-billion Gateway pipeline project, which would connect Alberta's oil sands with lucrative Asian markets, could become mired in disputes with first nations groups has at least one major shareholder demanding a reckoning.

The company is set to bring its Gateway proposal, which has $100-million in backing from 10 companies, oil sands producers in Canada and refiners in Asia, before the National Energy Board in the next three months.

Oilsands worker in coma after skull fractured in accident

By Ben Gelinas, edmontonjournal.com
March 29, 2009

EDMONTON — A 19-year-old contractor for Devon Energy is in an induced coma after he was hit in the head with a 2X4 on a construction site about 30 kilometres southeast of Conklin at the company's Jackfish 2 oilsands site.

The man was operating a small ride-on packer, levelling a tank base under construction around 9 a.m. Saturday, when his machine caught a rope used to secure a wooden light-tower nearby.

Oil sands firm rejects Total bid

By Dina O'Meara, Calgary Herald
March 27, 2009

Oil sands junior UTS Energy Corp. again publicly rejected an unsolicited bid by Total E&P Canada, Friday labeling the French energy giant's offer as inadequate against a "significant" new oil sands discovery and improved financial environment.

UTS is a minority stakeholder in the $21-billion Fort Hills oilsand project led by Petro-Canada, which this week announced it was merging with Suncor Energy Inc.

March 24, 2009
30 Years and Counting
People Died at Three Mile Island

By HARVEY WASSERMAN

People died--and are still dying--at Three Mile Island.

As the thirtieth anniversary of America's most infamous industrial accident approaches, we mourn the deaths that accompanied the biggest string of lies ever told in US industrial history.

As news of the accident poured into the global media, the public was assured there were no radiation releases.

That quickly proved to be false.

Separating Deh cho politics from business

Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, March 26, 2009

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - A recent forum held in Fort Simpson is being hailed as the first step in a new chapter of economic and business development in the Deh Cho.

The goal of the forum was to discuss economic development in the Deh Cho and the separation of politics and business within the Dehcho First Nations (DFN), said Cynthia Cardinal James, the chairperson of the Dehcho Economic Corporation.

"It's just in the interest of better business," she said.

Yesterday's fuel, yesterday's deal
The real 'crude' in Suncor's takeover of Petro-Canada — long stripped of its Canada-first credentials — is the push to deliver ever more 20th-century fossil fuels when the world is moving to renewables
GORDON LAXER

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
March 25, 2009

This is the real nature of what will happen during the economic downturn if we "leave the market devices to take care of things themselves"-- the amalgamation of tar sands operators into the world's largest energy companies only. As capital hurts, the biggest players survive and the medium to smaller players disappear. We must escalate the campaigns while they are teetering or else have a much harder time when the reality of peak oil inevitably drives the price of tar sands bitumen (and oil in general) right back where it all started a year ago.

--M

Well matched
Mar 26th 2009

Take a stand against the sands
Canada’s disaster
By Graeme Bousada

City councillor wants tar sands halted

Tim Edwards
Northern News Services
Published Friday, March 27, 2009

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - City council appears set to vote in favour of a motion calling on Alberta's government to halt new tar sands development south of the NWT border.

City council will vote on a motion next month which calls on the Alberta government to halt tar sands development until a number of environmental measures have been met.

Tar Sand Demands:

1. Public contingency plans for catastrophic breaches of oil sands tailing ponds.