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.
October 21, 2007
Harper's Index
Stephen Harper introduces the tar sands issue
by Stephen Harper
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
We are currently the fifth largest energy producer in the world. We rank 3rd and 7th in global gas and oil production respectively. We generate more hydro-electric power than any other country on earth. And we are the world’s largest supplier of uranium. But that’s just the beginning.
October 17, 2007
Working Full-Time
The work camps of Fort McMurray
by Lindsay Bird
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
Two mechanics from site picked me up at the Fort McMurray Greyhound station at 2pm. I had spent the uncomfortable six-hour bus ride from Edmonton beside a large, sweating man from Bathurst, New Brunswick, who worked at the same site to which I was travelling. When this connection was discovered, he excitedly phoned his sons, also on-site, to tell them 'a girl was coming.' My introduction to the alternate society of work camps had begun.
NUCLEAR SMOKE AND MIRRORS FROM ALBERTA TO AUSTRALIA:
The AECL’s Advanced Candu and Bush’s Global Nuclear Partnership
By Jim Harding
Gil McGowan: A Union Vision For The Future Oilpatch
By Mike Byfield
[from: Dob Magazine: "on online source for the oil and gas industry"
Non-OPEC Oil Production
Toni Johnson, Staff Writer
October 19, 2007
Council on Foreign Relations
Introduction
October 20, 2007
Passing Out in Upgrader Alley
In Alberta's "Industrial Heartland," massive developments rival those of the Athabasca tar sands region
by Lori Theresa Waller
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
Shell’s upgrader in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. [creative commons] Photo: Matthew Dance
October 18, 2007
Tar Sands and the American Automobile
Heavy crude largely heads south to fuel American cars
by Yves EnglerBianca Mugyenyi
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
A traffic jam during shift change, near Fort McMurray. The tar sands will primarily fuel North America's vast fleet of cars. Photo: Dru Oja Jay
The following is an edited excerpt from a forthcoming book by Bianca Mugyenyi and Yves Engler, tentatively titled Stop Signs: A road trip through the USA to explore the culture, politics and economics of the car.
October 21, 2007
The Tar Sands and Canada's Food System
Are beans the only cure for natural gas?
by Dru Oja Jay
The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca
Canada’s industrial food system is deeply reliant on natural gas.
Tar sands opponents point out that burning natural gas, a relatively clean fuel, to extract oil will result in massive increases in greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, some experts say the implications of using natural gas go far beyond global warming.
The Energy Challenge
Fight Against Coal Plants Draws Diverse Partners
Robin Loznak/The Great Falls Tribune
By SUSAN MORAN
Published: October 20, 2007
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Richard D. Liebert turned his back against a hard wind the other day, adjusted his black cap and gazed across golden fields of hay. Explaining why he is against construction of a big coal-burning power plant east of town, Liebert sounded like one more voice from the green movement.
Richard D. Liebert, who owns the Windwalker Ranch near the planned site, is a vocal, and unusual, opponent of the power plant.
Beaufort find is oil, not gas
Devon Canada gas hunt yields oil; company seeks partners; oil poses challenges
By Gary Park
For Petroleum News
Devon Canada has posted the first oil find in the Canadian Beaufort Sea in 25 years — a twist of fortune for the company which had been hoping for trillions of cubic feet of gas to spur progress on the Mackenzie Gas Project.
“We had expected gas, so we are somewhat surprised, but this is a lot better than just water,” Dennis Johnston, Devon Canada’s frontier exploration manager, told Petroleum News.
