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.
Head in the Tar Sands? The New York Times Runs Anti-Peak Oil Op-Ed
BY Anya Kamenetz
Tue Aug 25, 2009 at 10:33 AM
Earlier this month, the world's chief energy economist told the UK Independent that global oil production was likely to peak in 10 years, with a "global energy crunch" starting as soon as next year.
Canada's bloody oil
UK companies are extracting oil from our traditional lands. We believe it's killing us – and that's why I'm attending Climate Camp
o George Poitras
o guardian.co.uk, Monday 24 August 2009
Alberta Clipper Pipeline construction under way in North Dakota, Minnesota
Construction of the Alberta Clipper Pipeline is beginning in northern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.
By: Kevin Bonham, Grand Forks Herald
Published August 24 2009
Construction of the Alberta Clipper Pipeline is beginning in northern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.
Harper unloads labour, highways cash
Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services
Published Monday, August 24, 2009
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Prime Minister Stephen Harper came bearing gifts for the Northwest Territories Thursday, speeding up promised cash for highway improvements, plus funding a new labour and training agreement to boost the territories' workforce.
Cash for Highways:
The GNWT and federal government are in a seven-year cost-sharing agreement totalling $198 million to improve roads and airports in the territory.
If Opti (begun by Ormat, Opti's Israeli parent company) were to be bought out by competing energy companies, that would essentially send their "cogeneration" climate intensive, garbage-burning form of production mainstream. It also leads to further consolidation of the majors in the tar sands, making opposition more difficult.
--M
Keep An Eye On This Oil Sands Company
By Joseph Nguyen
August 21, 2009
"Co-generation"-- a term that means burning the waste gunk at the bottom of a barrel of extracted bitumen, for energy-- is a massive increase in carbon footprint, in the name of 'efficiency'. It was originally developed by Ormat-- the parent of tar sands developer Opti-- to develop oil shale in 1948 Palestine. The dirtiest plant in terms of "intensity" (the reduction of which is supposedly the goal of the Harper co2 plan) is the Opti and Nexen Long Lake plant south of Fort McMurray.
Native Americans to join London climate camp protest over tar sands
Canadian First Nations seek to highlight UK's 'criminal' role in CO2-heavy oil schemes
Terry Macalister
guardian.co.uk,
Sunday 23 August 2009
Native Americans are to join the Climate Camp protests in the City of London this week in an attempt to draw attention to corporate Britain's "criminal" involvement in the tar sands of Canada.
Five representatives from the Cree First Nations are coming to co-ordinate their campaign against key players in the carbon-heavy energy sector with British environmentalists.
Tar sands oil dirty as ever despite Alberta and industry spin: Sierra Club
on Aug 3rd, 2009
CALGARY, OTTAWA – Tar sands oil is as dirty as ever despite the most recent communications spin by the Alberta government and oil industry says Sierra Club Canada.
State Department Gives Green Light to Canada-U.S. Oil Pipeline
By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 21, 2009
The State Department has approved the construction of a multibillion-dollar pipeline from Canadian oil sands to refineries in the United States, prompting an outcry from environmental groups opposed to oil sands development.
Tar Sands protest comes to UK Climate Camp
Ecologist
18th August, 2009
Oil extraction from tar sands is causing large-scale environmental damage, say activists
The fight against the extraction of oil from the tar sands of Alberta in Canada will reach the UK later this month.
Representatives from First Nations, the group that speaks for Canada's aboriginal people, will join in the London Climate Camp protest from August 27th to 31st.
