Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Energy

Energy and how it is captured and consumed is barely viable in tar sands production. While the amount of oil in places such as the tar sands in Alberta or the Orinoco Belt in Venezuela may have deposits of similar size to the reserves of countries such as Saudi Arabia or Iraq, the return of new energy after expending energy in production is not even close. In Iraq, the process of using one barrel of oil generates 100 new barrels. In the tar sands, estimates of 3 to 1 and even as low as 1.5 to 1 have been made. Offsetting the net energy loss would require minimally 25-30 tar sands facilities for one Saudi plant operating at the same capacity.

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Enbridge Gateway pipeline back on track in B.C.

Enbridge Gateway pipeline back on track in B.C.
Customers demanding new facilities despite sliding oil price
Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, November 13, 2008

Enbridge Inc. is shrugging off the effects of a sagging world economy to restart its dormant Northern Gateway pipelines project in British Columbia and Alberta.

Northern Gateway Pipelines communications director Neil Sweeney said in an interview that the project, which bore a $4.5-billion price tag when it was suspended in 2006, is likely to be submitted to the National Energy Board in 2009.

"Oil Slow Down Will Not Stop TransCanada" (Keystone)

Oil Slow Down Will Not Stop TransCanada

Gas prices dropped another nickel in Sioux Falls Wednesday as the price for a barrel of oil fell to 56 dollars. While the falling oil prices are good news for drivers, its not so good news for oil producers in Canada. Canadian crude is more costly to produce than regular oil, so when the price goes down so do profits.

Because Canadian crude is so costly to produce the falling oil prices are slowing production in northern Alberta.

And that's why both TransCanada and Hyperion are keeping their eyes on the oil industry north of the border.

Nebraska: Power companies plan for Keystone pipeline

Power companies plan for oil pipeline
By Joelyn Hansen/Daily Sun staff writer
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 - 09:02:10 am CST

DILLER -- Norris Public Power District and the Nebraska Public Power District hosted a public open house in Diller on Monday to provide information and collect input on plans to build a 115,000 volt (115 kV) transmission line from Harbine to Steele City to enable operation of a $5.2 billion crude oil pipeline to be built through Nebraska.

Big Oil's Pipe Dream (Enbridge Gateway)

Big Oil's Pipe Dream
An interview with Dustin Johnson about the Gateway Pipeline
November 13, 2008
by Dawn Paley

The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca

PRINCE RUPERT and VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–The Gateway Pipeline Project, proposed by Calgary-based Enbridge Gateway Pipelines Inc., would snake through the unceded territories of over 40 Native communities. If fully developed, the Gateway Pipeline would transport a half-million barrels of oil per day from Alberta's tar sands through sensitive ecosystems of BC's northwest coast.

World oil prices fall to $59

World oil prices fall to $59
Lisa Wright
Business Reporter

Oil prices fell below $60 a barrel yesterday – and gasoline prices are tumbling too – but you may want to hold off on celebrating those sweet savings at the pumps.

Economists warn of the gloomier big picture: namely, that we're far from out of the woods when it comes to the global financial crisis.

And with oil and our coveted tar sands crucial to Canada's economy and prices continuing to fall, things are likely to get much worse before they get better, they say.

Oil-shale projects are going ahead in Utah — for now

Oil-shale projects are going ahead in Utah — for now
By Jasen Lee
Deseret News
Published: Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 12:09 a.m. MST

The falling crude-oil prices of recent weeks will have little impact on the current oil-shale and tar-sands boom going on in eastern Utah, according to companies now working to develop the resources in the Uintah Basin.

'They are flexing their muscles' [Tahltan Nation]

'They are flexing their muscles'

Companies want to mine a remote region of B.C., but, unlike some previous bands, the Tahltan insist on controlling access to the area

MARK HUME
mhume@globeandmail.com

September 27, 2008

VANCOUVER -- Between the abandoned mining town of Cassiar and the struggling port of Stewart, in the northwest corner of British Columbia, Highway 37 runs through one of the most dramatic and resource-rich landscapes in Canada.

Keep 'world's dirtiest fuel' out of Quebec, green groups say

Enbridge project. Tar sands oil would flow by pipeline from Alberta
The Gazette
Thursday, November 06

Environmental groups want the Quebec government to stop a plan that would ship the dirtiest kind of oil from Alberta's tar sands projects through Quebec to the U.S. East Coast and on to Texas - with some possibly being refined in Montreal's east end.

Harper Pledges Cooperation With Obama on Credit, Climate, Oil

By Greg Quinn and Theophilos Argitis

Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's victory this week ``historic'' and pledged to cooperate with him on issues ranging from the financial crisis to climate change.

Canadian Natural's cuts a blow to oil patch

Canadian Natural's cuts a blow to oil patch
Company scales back Horizon spending as list of stalled oil sands projects grows; 'this environment is scary'

NORVAL SCOTT

November 7, 2008

CALGARY -- The bulk of the next phase of the oil sands is effectively on hold.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. slashed spending yesterday on its Horizon oil sands project, its biggest development ever, because of spiralling costs and lower oil prices, joining a long list of producers that have significantly scaled back or altered their plans.