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.

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /var/www/drupal-6.28/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

Climate Neros fiddle while Rome burns

Jan 28, 2008 04:30 AM
Tyler Hamilton
Energy Reporter

Governments and industry love to talk about the things they plan to do, perhaps to detract attention away from what they haven't done or aren't doing.

How many radio or television debates have shown an environmentalist pointing out the devastating effects of oil sands and power production in Alberta, only to have industry officials tout concepts like "clean coal" or "carbon capture and sequestration" – as if the solution is here and the problem is being overcome as they speak?

Green groups rally against tar sands development

Green groups rally against oil sands development
ROBERT MATAS
From Monday's Globe and Mail

January 28, 2008 at 5:09 AM EST

VANCOUVER — An environmental group that successfully shifted the buying power of Victoria's Secret, Home Depot and Staples in a campaign to protect British Columbia's old-growth forests has now turned its attention to Alberta's northern oil industry.

Energy hogs rule

Energy hogs rule
Elites love to pig out on energy.

Dateline: Monday, January 21, 2008

"We use 30 percent of all the energy... That isn't bad; that is good.
That means we are the richest, strongest people in the world and that we
have the highest standard of living in the world. That is why we need so
much energy, and may it always be that way."

— US president Richard Nixon,
November 1973

Things have changed since Nixon proudly proclaimed America the world's
biggest energy guzzler. Or have they?

Oil Exec Explains the Hunt for Unconventional Oil in Lower 48

Five questions with George Stapleton
Looking for oil where others don't
Jan. 24, 2008, 10:50PM
Moneymakers
Brett Clanton

It's not Saudi Arabia. But there is oil in Kansas. In Montana and Missouri, too.

In fact, the lower 48 U.S. states contain enough heavy crude oil deposits to power the nation's economy for several years. But they've been largely overlooked in favor of much bigger heavy oil deposits in Canada's oil sands and elsewhere.

Time has come to defend environment

Time has come to defend environment
Posted 1 day ago

Sir: Are Canadians going to stand idly by while the American czars of the Alberta Oil Sands and our politicians play Russian Roulette with their health and their future? Will Vice-President Dick Cheney and the Americans continue to buy Canada's super dirty oil in desperation? Will the horrendous environmental destruction wreaked by the Alberta Tar Sands Projects and their colossal impact on climate change qualify as Canada's "Crime Against Humanity?"

A licence to pollute dressed up in rhetorical petticoats

Commentary
A licence to pollute dressed up in rhetorical petticoats

JEFFREY SIMPSON
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
January 26, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST

Canada's conventional oil supplies are running down. They are being replaced with oil from Alberta's tar sands.

Each barrel of tar-sands oil produces two to three times more greenhouse-gas emissions than a barrel of conventional oil. The result is obvious: Greenhouse-gas emissions from Alberta oil have been rising.

It will cost Suncor $200 Million to deal with the fact they literally stink

Odour problem fix will cost $200M, Suncor says
Firebag output to be expanded

Reuters; With files from Canwest News Service

CALGARY - Suncor Energy Inc. says clearing up odour problems at its Firebag thermal oilsands operations near Fort McMurray will cost about $200 million, but it hopes to complete the work later this year, allowing it to boost output at the site.

Deline says no to further uranium development

Deline says no to further uranium development
Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008

FORT FRANKLIN - The Deline Land Corp. will oppose all future uranium development in its district until outstanding issues having to do with the old Port Radium mine are resolved, the organization announced recently.

A different kind of climate politics is needed

Environment Minister Baird even copied his Washington mentors by holding out to the last minute and then dramatically withdrawing his objections so that the vote could be unanimous.
by Ian Angus
January 16, 2008

“We are ending up with something so watered down there was no need for 12,000 people to gather here in Bali to have a watered-down text. We could have done that by email.” —Dr. Angus Friday, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States