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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CARC tells Pipeline Developers “Beef Up Assessment of Pipeline Impacts”

NEWS RELEASE 30/8/07
http://www.carc.org/pipeline_panel.php
CARC tells Pipeline Developers
“Beef Up Assessment of Pipeline Impacts”

Nuclear in Peace River, Natural Gas Tankers in Kitimat

Nuclear power moves west
http://www.peacearchnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=44&cat=23&id=10...
By Tom Fletcher // Black Press // Aug 30 2007

Backers of Western Canada’s first nuclear reactor have chosen a site west of Peace River, Alta., about 100 km from the B.C. border.

“This is an historic moment for Canada, for Alberta and for the nuclear power industry,” said Wayne Henuset, president of Energy Alberta Corporation.

Blaming labor for peak oil problems

Blaming labor for peak oil problems
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/08/15/oil_sands_labor/index.html

A labor shortage is "wracking" the province of Alberta, Macleans tell us, brought on by the mad rush to exploit the vast reserves of petroleum locked in the fabled oil sands of Canada's Wild West. The jobless rate in Alberta is a "historically low" 3.4 percent even with net inward migration in 2006 hitting 62,000.

Imperial Oil getting Defensive over Mackenzie Gas Project

Mackenzie pipeline critics using wrong numbers: Imperial
Last Updated: Friday, August 31, 2007 | 10:39 AM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/08/31/jrp-numbers.html

Critics of the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline have inflated some numbers related to the pipeline's impact on future development, an official with Imperial Oil told the joint review panel on Thursday.

"Feds praise Alaska pipeline process"

Feds praise Alaska pipeline process
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8R1QE381.htm
By STEVE QUINN
JUNEAU, Alaska // The Associated Press August 15, 2007

Federal regulators on Wednesday praised Alaska's renewed attempts to get a natural gas pipeline built, a sharp contrast to a report earlier this year that said the process had "slipped considerably."

Peak everything

Peak everything
http://www.energybulletin.net/34357.html
by Richard Heinberg

This issue is an edited version of the Introduction to Richard Heinberg's new book Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines.

A few excerpts are posted here. See Global Public Media for the entire posting. -BA

Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (link to video)

http://onebigtorrent.org/details.php?id=2424&hit=1

Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006) AVI
New repack 9-01-2007
Size 350Mb
Runtime: 53min. 5 sec.

New on OBT, a resized version for more rapid download.
These resizes are done for torrents which have had on-going interest
and traffic over time.

In 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba experienced an
'energy famine.' Transportation and agriculture virtually came to a
stop due to lack of diesel fuel and fertilizer shortages. This film

My Kingdom for a Horseless Carriage: The Biofuels Trap

My Kingdom for a Horseless Carriage
The Biofuels Trap
http://counterpunch.org/mittenthal08312007.html
By ROBIN MITTENTHAL

We must move our nation beyond fossil fuels. But let's not be suckered by the promoters of biofuel alternatives like corn ethanol and soy biodiesel.

Large companies that stand to reap billions in subsidies and tax breaks from these energy "sources" are selling them as the way to a healthy planet and energy independence for the United States. For two reasons, don't believe it.

Updating the book on global warming

Updating the book on global warming
by George Monbiot

Here is a portion of George Monbiot's speech at the Camp for Climate
Change in London August 18 2007 {1}. He has been studying and writing
about global warming for over twenty years and is the Author of Heat
(South End Press, 2007) which is about climate change and what needs to
be done about it. He explains that because of recent scientific
discoveries the book needs an extreme update.

Indymedia.org.uk (August 31 2007)

I'm going to start with some bad news, and the bad news is this. Two

The AFL: The Boom, Union Busting, and Temporary Foreign Workers

The Boom, Union Busting, and Temporary Foreign Workers
Plans to Import Workers a "Lose-Lose Proposition"

Alberta is in the middle of a boom. There is no question about that. Due to the pace of economic activity, the labour market is tight. Employers are having to work harder to find workers for their projects.

Most employers are taking necessary steps to recruit and retain desired workers - improving working conditions, increasing wages and offering good benefits. Some employers, however, are taking more drastic steps.