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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Right Wing Backlash against "Tar Sands: The Selling of Alberta" Documentary

Another hatchet job on oilsands
Industry threatens sovereignty, doc says
Gary Lamphier, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Saturday, March 15

EDMONTON - I fully expected a one-sided slag job, featuring the usual assortment of capitalist-bashing, America-loathing lefty ideologues.

I wasn't disappointed. Thursday's airing of Tar Sands: The Selling of Alberta, on CBC Television's Doc Zone, was merely the latest in a string of sensationalist hatchet jobs on Alberta's key industry, courtesy of the national media.

Doc builds convincing case against tar sands

Doc builds convincing case against tar sands
KATE TAYLOR
ktaylor@globeandmail.com
March 13, 2008

When Norway began extracting North Sea oil, its government worried that the sudden influx of revenue would distort the economy, so it placed its new wealth in a rainy-day fund. Now that the North Sea reserves are diminished, Norway's state-owned oil exploration company is looking elsewhere, to Alberta's tar sands.

Everything You Didn't Really Want to Know About Tar Sands

Do you ever think about the spot between the wall and the back of the stove? You know, the place where stray bits of dinner, splashes of marinara sauce and inexplicable assorted chicken parts gather to create a nasty, smelly, horrible part of your kitchen — your otherwise glorious, sparkling (OK, not so sparkling but in the right light it looks just lovely), bejewelled food preparation space, the place where you pack the kid's lunch, where you sit and read the paper and listen

Nuclear provider targets tar sands

Nuclear provider targets oilsands
Natural gas shortage looms by 2030: Areva
Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Alberta's oilsands industry faces a natural gas shortage by 2030 without new energy sources to offset gas use in oilsands expansions, the head of nuclear power giant Areva Canada Inc. said Monday.

Speaking in Calgary, Areva CEO Armand Laferrere said continued oilsands development would consume virtually all of Canada's current natural gas supply -- some 92 per cent -- by 2030.

Enbridge mulls re-reversal of Canada oil pipeline

Enbridge mulls re-reversal of Canada oil pipeline
Scott Haggett, Reuters
Published: 6:49 am

EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc is looking at moving oil sands crude to the U.S. Northeast and Eastern Canada by reversing the flow of one of its pipelines or building a new one, its chief executive said on Monday.

Enbridge, whose pipelines carry the lion's share of Canada's crude exports to the United States, may construct a new line to Philadelphia from southern Ontario or re-reverse the flow of Line 9 to Montreal from Sarnia, Ontario, Enbridge CEO Pat Daniel said.

Canadian [Tar Sands] Oil No Good for U.S.?

Canadian Oil No Good for U.S.?

Tuesday, March 11, 2008 9:25 AM

By: Newsmax.com Article Font Size

It might come as a surprise that the country with the largest oil reserves is not Saudi Arabia, Iran or Venezuela, but Canada.

Yet America’s No. 1 trading partner is concerned that the U.S. doesn’t want its oil.

Canada has an estimated 1.6 trillion barrels of oil on its territory. Saudi Arabia has an estimated 270 billion barrels. But much of Canada’s oil is locked in tough-to-excavate tar sands in the province of Alberta.

Speaker says nuclear power about economics

Speaker says nuclear power about economics
New and unexplored issues surrounding nuclear power were discussed by activist Jim Harding last Thursday evening with his presentation at the Blue Ridge Community Centre.
Whitecourt Star
Gina Racine // Wednesday March 05, 2008

With the numerous presentations made throughout the local area in the past few months, Whitecourt and area residents have had the opportunity to learn about a number of topics surrounding the nuclear debate, on both the pro-nuclear and anti-nuclear sides.

Tough new green plan targets tar sands

Tough new green plan targets oil sands
Regulations, which also apply to coal-fired power plants, would force future projects to store greenhouse-gas emissions underground

BRIAN LAGHI
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF; Compiled by Rick Cash; Shawn McCarthy, Global Energy Reporter
March 10, 2008

Ottawa will unveil new climate-change regulations this week that would force new oil sands projects and coal-fired electricity plants to capture and store the bulk of their greenhouse gases rather than spew them into the air.

The crude fact

The crude fact
Peak oil is no academic debate: the $100 barrel is a harbinger of the energy shortage to come

Jeremy Leggett

This week, oil reached its highest price ever, exceeding the inflation-adjusted record of $103.76 set in April 1980, at the height of the second oil shock. Then, the world was worried that the high price would trigger a global depression. Now, the scope for the oil price to soar ruinously higher than $100 does not seem to worry many people. The landmark record did not reach the front pages.

Emissions for the poor, subsidies for the rich

Emissions for the poor, subsidies for the rich
Latest budget continues the Harperite pattern of tax breaks for large-scale Green House Gas emitters.
Dateline: Monday, March 03, 2008
by Albert Koehl