Energy

Hyperbolic invective like this should be embraced and treasured, not shunned. It is a sign of power, and not vulnerability that hogwash can be printed like this.

--M

Oil sands tarred with environmentalists' brush
By: Marilyn Scales

In the last couple of weeks environmentalists have loudly condemned Canada's oil sands producers. They call the industry dirty, polluting and a potential cause of increasingly foul emissions from U.S. refineries. These loudmouths have even reverted to the name "tar sands" lest anyone think "oil sands" is more benign.

First Nations town plans road blockade
Florence Loyie, The Edmonton Journal
June 13, 2008

EDMONTON - A First Nations community straddling a section of the border between northern Alberta and British Columbia is planning a blockade later this month to draw attention to health and safety concerns caused by oil and gas exploration on its traditional lands.

Clayton Anderson, a consultant working for Kelly Lake Cree Nation, said the blockade will be held in conjunction with an emergency disaster preparedness drill the community plans for next week.

Green groups say US refiners produce more greenhouse gases with oilsands

(AlbertaIndex, June 10, Tuesday) --- Two green lobbies have charged that US refiners will produce much more greenhouse gases processing Canada’s oilsands than if they used ‘traditional’ crude oil.
The Washington DC-based Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) and Toronto-headquartered Environmental Defence Canada (EDC) said the emissions production increase would be the equivalent of 16 new refineries in the US.

No balance on tar sands
Jun 10, 2008 04:30 AM

Prime Minister Stephen Harper often talks about finding the right balance between economic growth and environmental protection.

But Harper put growth well ahead of the environment last week when he gave the green light to Imperial Oil's proposed $8 billion Kearl tar-sands project, which is predicted to create 3.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually – equivalent to putting another 800,000 cars on the road.

Reopen NAFTA, reclaim our oil
Linda McQuaig

Canada will need tough negotiators to gain parity in trade agreement.

Yes, let's punish the official who leaked the Canadian memo that created
heat for Barack Obama, future president of the United States.

But let's not waste much time examining the mouth of this particular gift
horse.

Let's just consider ourselves lucky that the heated US Democratic
presidential race may result in NAFTA (the North American Free Trade
Agreement) being put back on the table.

NAFTA is deeply flawed from Canada's point of view. We failed to get the

Ottawa awards BP $1.2B in exploration permits in Beaufort Sea
Last Updated: Monday, June 9, 2008
CBC News

Energy giant BP came out the big winner in the federal government's latest auction for oil and gas exploration leases in the Beaufort Sea, offering to spend nearly $1.2 billion to explore on the Arctic seabed.

BP Exploration Company Ltd. won three of five exploration leases announced late Friday by the federal Indian and Northern Affairs Department.

Oil sands demand spurs U.S. refinery boom
As refiners increase capacity to handle Alberta oil, environmental organizations ratchet up the pressure

SHAWN MCCARTHY
GLOBAL ENERGY REPORTER
June 5, 2008

OTTAWA -- American refiners are making massive investments to dramatically increase imports from Alberta's oil sands, even as they face mounting pressure in the United States over the oil sands' impact on greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution.

Imperial's oilsands permit restored
Reuters
Published: Saturday, June 07, 2008

CALGARY - Imperial Oil Ltd. again has all the approvals it needs to go ahead with its $8-billion Kearl oilsands project after the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) reinstated its authorization, revoked in March during a legal battle.

The federal department gave Imperial, Canada's biggest oil producer and refiner, a new permit yesterday to disturb fish habitat at the proposed northern Alberta mining site, DFO spokesman Phil Jenkins said.

Regulatory delay hits pipeline

Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, May 26, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - The Mackenzie Gas Project is facing another regulatory delay.

A report by the Joint Review Panel (JRP) expected in mid-2008 has now been once again delayed to sometime next year.

"We cannot see this as a positive development for the project," said Pius Rolheiser, a spokesperson for Imperial Oil in Calgary.

Rolheiser said it will delay the ultimate decision on whether the pipeline will proceed.

Exxon Mobil CEO takes aim at environmentalists
Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post
Thursday, May 29, 2008

DALLAS -- Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest oil-and-gas company, came out swinging Wednesday against the environmental movement, arguing the science of climate change is far from settled and that his company views it as its "corporate social responsibility" to continue to supply the world with fossil fuels.