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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Save Our Soil (SOS) is a group of North Dakota people who are resisting the
Keystone pipeline by means of a ballot initiative that would let the voters
decide. More information: www.saveoursoil.net or www.saveoursoil.info.

Exxon oil production struggles for growth

Exxon oil production struggles for growth
By Sheila McNulty in Houston and Carola Hoyos in London

Published: May 1 2008 14:55 | Last updated: May 1 2008 23:09

ExxonMobil, long regarded by its peers and investors as the most
successful interational oil company, is beginning to show signs of
weakness, revealing on Thursday that it is struggling to increase oil
production and to squeeze profit out of its refining business.

The world's biggest energy group announced a first-quarter record
profit of $10.9bn but its oil production fell almost 10 per cent in

Uncomfortable truths about global oil depletion

Uncomfortable truths about global oil depletion
By David Strahan
Telegraph UK

Polishing the portholes on the Titanic hardly does it justice. This week saw ministers giving an uncanny impersonation of Corporal Jones urging calm over the Grangemouth refinery strike; lorry drivers protesting in Park Lane over a two pence rise in fuel duty; and much righteous indignation over the level of profits reported by Shell and BP. All of which entirely misses the point.

Tar sands suck dollars from cleaner oil and gas

Oilsands suck dollars from cleaner oil and gas
Dave Yager, For The Calgary Herald
Published: Sunday, May 04, 2008

There's a giant sucking noise emanating from northeast Alberta that gets louder as oil prices rise.

Called the Athabasca Tar Sands, its rapid development is draining imagination from the Stelmach government, flexibility from labour markets and diversification from Alberta's economy. It has also sucked Edmonton into a hopeless global environmental confrontation.

Fund managers attack BP over tar sands plan

From The Times
April 18, 2008
Fund managers attack BP over tar sands plan
Robin Pagnamenta

A group of American and British shareholders in BP joined forces yesterday to protest over the oil company's decision to start extracting oil from Canadian tar sands.

Eleven fund managers, which together manage total assets worth more than $10 billion (£5 billion), said that BP's move into tar sands last year was “deeply disappointing” and represented a “disturbing step backwards” for the company.

Opponents line up against proposed Alberta Clipper tar sands oil pipeline (Minnesota)

Opponents line up against proposed Canada oil pipeline
by Bob Kelleher, Minnesota Public Radio
April 22, 2008

A new oil pipeline proposed in northern Minnesota is getting resistance from an unusual direction. Opponents say the large pipeline would contribute significantly to global warming -- not so much from the oil itself, but for how the oil is extracted in Canada.

"Poor leadership nudged push for eminent domain" [Keystone Pipeline]

Poor leadership nudged push for eminent domain (S Dakota)
Apr 20, 2008
Eminent domain is now front and center in the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline project.

Eminent domain, according to library.findlaw.com, is sometimes called "condemnation," and is the legal process by which a public body (and certain private bodies, such as utility companies, railroads, redevelopment corporations and -- in this case -- a pipeline company) is given the legal power to acquire private property for a use that has been declared to be public by a constitution, statute or ordinance.

China's thirst for oil isn't being quenched by Albertan crude

China's thirst for oil isn't being quenched by Albertan crude
Relations between Canada and 'the dragon' are at a 30-year low, expert says
Shaun Polczer, Canwest News Service
April 21, 2008

Despite Asia's insatiable thirst for oil, the prospects for oil exports from Alberta to the Far East are growing more remote by the day, a leading China expert said in Calgary last week.

BP Sent Talking Points to Governor (Whiting Refinery Expansion, Indiana)

Report: BP Sent Talking Points to Governor
InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report

The Office of Governor Mitch Daniels is denying any intervention on behalf of BP Whiting's request for an air permit after the Gary Post-Tribune reports that the company maintained contact with state officials. The Post-Tribune obtained materials include talking points, advance copies of newspaper ads and company responses to media inquiries.

The Post-Tribune also reports that BP met with state officials prior to a public hearing on the air permit.

Rain doesn't halt BP protest (Whiting Indiana)

Rain doesn't halt BP protest
By Erik Potter
(Chicago) Post-Tribune
April 21, 2008

Mother Earth was feeling a little crabby on Saturday's Earth Day activities in Whiting.

Rain pounded the area all day, but subsided long enough for the group of area residents and environmentalists to hold an outdoors rally at Whiting's Whihala County Park.

The group was protesting the $3.8 billion expansion of the BP's Whiting Refinery facility, which will allow it to process crude oil extracted from Canadian tar sand.