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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Tar Sands are Running out of Pipelines

As labour shortages are going to take a short while to be dealt with through the importation of "guest workers" on top of already getting Newfoundlanders to fly in weekly while energy throughout the province is already stretched to beyond capacity, the pipeline problem is the third de facto part of an existing physics-based moratorium. With all of these shortages and the US Dep't of Energy screaming for quadrupling tar sands bitumen production, our strategy to block new pipeline construction at the least slows down the entire project.

--M

Oilsands face pipeline space shortage

Lubicon backed by UN Committee

Alberta's Lubicons get a boost from U.N. Human Rights Committee
Aug, 13 2007 - 4:50 PM
http://www.630ched.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428109912&rem=72244&red=...

EDMONTON/630 CHED - A U.N. Committee on Human Rights is urging Canada to negotiate a long standing land claim treaty with the Lubicon Cree Nation of north central Alberta.

The U.N. Human Rights Committee wrapped up two-and-a-half weeks of hearings in Geneva, late last month, and on the agenda was the issue of Alberta's Lubicons.

The new dirty energy-- Boston Globe

The new dirty energy
It's big, it's growing -- and it's bad for the environment. Inside the other alternative-energy movement.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/08/19/the_new_dirty...
By Drake Bennett | August 19, 2007

FOR THOSE WHO dream that high oil prices will help drive America toward a brave new world of clean energy, the MacKay River project in Alberta, Canada, offers a glimpse of the future.

PWW: Mining black gold, and profits, from northern sands

Mining black gold, and profits, from northern sands
http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/11600/1/387
Imagine for a moment that you’re an American oil executive. You’re pondering the prospects for the next big oil strike overseas — and dreaming of a place where the government is stable and compliant, the royalties are low and the environmental standards minimal.

Tar Sands to start poisoning Indiana & Lake Michigan?

Oil sands plan said to draw fire
To process heavy Alberta crude, BP wants to dump up to 50% more pollutants into Lake Michigan, angering some - report.
August 23 2007: 10:48 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Plans to process a heavy grade of crude oil from oil sands in the Canadian province of Alberta have sparked a nasty battle in the Midwest, where some politicians are angry that the move will increase pollution in the Great Lakes, according to a report Wednesday.

Greenpeace guns for the tar sands

Greenpeace guns for the tar sands
http://www.journalofcommerce.com/article/id24064
Canada’s most “environmentally destructive” project expands
Aug. 20, 2007
EDMONTON

Greenpeace is setting up shop in Edmonton and it has set its sights on shutting down Alberta’s tar sands.

“The tar sands are one of the most environmentally destructive projects in Canada, if not the world,” said Greenpeace campaign organizer Geeta Sehgal adding they create 40 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

Suncor Executive to take Charge of Social Problems in Fort Muck?

Oilpatch fox to watch tar sands henhouse

Oil executives shouldn't run a key government agency, even temporarily.
Dateline: Monday, August 20, 2007
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=427
by Sheila Pratt for The Edmonton Journal

Ed Stelmach took some good advice last winter and set up an oilsands secretariat to help manage the serious growth problems in Fort McMurray caused by the rapid expansion of the oilsands. Good idea, long overdue.

S Dakota: "Some Canadians protest oil pipeline"

Some Canadians protest oil pipeline
They don't want to give up refinery jobs
By Peter Harriman
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070811/NEWS/7081...
August 11, 2007

In South Dakota, Trans-Canada's Keystone pipeline project is drawing attention for its potential effect on landowners.

But in Alberta, Canada, where the pipeline will draw its proposed 500,000 barrels per day from northern oil sands, people see South Dakota and other states benefitting from their country's labor drain.

N Dakota letter to the editor: Keystone Pipeline, Tar sands not such a good deal

Bob White, Emerado, N.D., letter: Pipeline, oil-sands oil not very good deal
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=174778&section=Opinion&for...
Published Sunday, August 12, 2007

Review slams Mackenzie project's socio-economic agreement

Review slams Mackenzie project's socio-economic agreement
Last Updated: Thursday, August 16, 2007 | 12:19 PM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/08/16/gas-agreement.html

The socio-economic agreement between the Northwest Territories and the Mackenzie Valley gas project consortium is unenforceable, says a review released by a social justice group Wednesday.