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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Pasta, Beer, Easter Eggs too Expensive because of Ethanol

Meat, dairy and other food producers assail ethanol
Congress about to decide whether to require sixfold hike in fuel output
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.16.2007

WASHINGTON — Already this year, ethanol has been blamed for more expensive Easter eggs, dying shrimp along the Louisiana coastline and costlier milk in school lunches.

Germans curse biofuels for higher beer costs. In Italy, consumer advocates organized a pasta boycott last week, complaining that pasta prices have soared because farmers grow crops for fuel, not food.

Peak Pasta in Italy: Biofuel increases price of Wheat

Wheat Prices Send Italian Pasta Costs Up

By COLLEEN BARRY
The Associated Press
Thursday, September 13, 2007; 8:40 PM

MILAN, Italy -- Consumer groups urged Italians to refrain from buying pasta Thursday to protest rising prices for the beloved Italian staple, in a strike that was high on symbolic value but apparently low on real impact.

Lunn: It should be the market that determines the pace of development

Sep 12, 2007 9:41:00 PM MST
Federal energy minister tells pipeline group plans to reduce regulatory process on track (Pipeline-Regulatory-L)

CALGARY (CP) _ Plans to reduce the regulatory process for major pipeline projects in the future are on track Federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said Wednesday evening but won‘t be any help to the $16.2 billion Mackenzie Gas pipeline.

The Harper government put aside $150 million over five years in the last federal budget to set up a new Major Projects Management Office to help streamline the regulatory process.

Rainbow Lake oil pipeline put on sale by Imperial; Tied to MGP?

Rainbow Lake oil pipeline put on sale by Imperial Oil and partners
Published: Thursday, September 6, 2007 | 8:44 PM ET
Canadian Press: JUDY MONCHUK

CALGARY (CP) - The energy champions behind the proposed $16-billion Mackenzie pipeline are selling a small oil pipeline in northern Alberta, bewildering observers who say the Rainbow line has strategic importance.

Rainbow is owned by Imperial Oil (TSX:IMO), ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell, all partners in plans to bring Canada's large Arctic reserves of natural gas to southern markets.

CNN gets in on the Peak: "The End of Oil"

The article here, rather poorly put together, nonetheless should be noted for a multitude of reasons & not least that this is on CNN and is a follow up on the GAO in the lower 48 actually discussing the problem. There is a slow but clear trend towards not just peak oil, but peak denial. We have hit the peak in reasonable denial; the costs of continuing any further such denial are simply too great for the "market of ideas" to bear.

--M

The end of oil
A small - but growing - group of experts think world oil production will peak in the next few years, to devastating effect.

Nuclear just too hot for Alberta

It is important that the industry PR men & women are able to believe their own press-- but it is equally important that they are not believed by those of us who wish to counter their stories.

Shell Claiming "Psychology" Driving Oil Prices; Aim to ramp up Tar Sands Production 5 times

Shell Chief Says `Psychology' Boosting Oil Prices

By Sonja Franklin

Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc Chief Executive Officer Jeroen van der Veer said there is sufficient crude oil supply in global markets and that prices are driven by speculation.

``The supply and demand is pretty OK,'' he said at a briefing with reporters in Calgary today. ``What we do have is a lot of psychology in the price. We have to expect volatility in the oil price due to this psychological component.''

Peak Oil Facts Converge with Theory

Copyright 2007 Financial Times Information
Global News Wire - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
Copyright 2007 Kasturi & Sons Ltd,
The Financial Times Limited
September 14, 2007 Friday
PEAK OIL FACTS CONVERGE WITH THEORY

Peace River: Environmental group protests the nuclear plant

Environmental group protests the nuclear plant
Peace River Environmental Society questions economic benefit and ecological effect
Justin Pot / R-G Staffwriter
Tuesday September 11, 2007

It’s Wednesday afternoon. Inside the Peace Valley Inn’s Emerald Room representatives from Energy Alberta are handing out pamphlets and talking to citizens about their concerns regarding the proposed nuclear power plant. A Power Point presentation loops on a white screen, tables are arrayed with information and refreshments as the representatives make the rounds, talking to everyone who comes in.

Mackenzie Gas Project Proponents "Getting Optimistic" Again.

Horizon North optimistic on Mackenzie pipeline
Jon Harding, Financial Post
Published: Thursday, September 13, 2007

One of Canada's largest logistics companies catering to northern development projects added its name to a growing list of optimists who believe the $16-billion Mackenzie Gas Project will proceed.

"As others have said here this week, we believe it's not a question of 'if' but rather 'when'," said Bob German, CFO of Horizon North Logistics Inc., a publicly traded Calgary firm.