The Health implications in terms of these projects are vast, and not just the deadly explosions and industrial accidents that happen in production-—from reported increases in rare forms of cancer downstream from tar sands production to the pollution of fresh water leading to poisoned diets (fish, moose and plant toxicity)—-direct links are hard to establish but impossible to either rule out or ignore, especially where tarsand operations constitute overwhelmingly the greatest change to the environment in most corners of the continent effected directly by tarsand infrastructure.
EnCana sour gas leak under investigation in B.C.
November 27, 2009 |
CBC News
A safety investigation is being carried out by the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission after a dangerous sour gas leak from an EnCana pipeline forced about 15 northeastern B.C. residents to flee their homes on Sunday.
EnCana has yet to say what caused the leak at a well located about 10 kilometres south of Pouce Coupe, but officials have confirmed it was not caused by sabotage.
The 10-billion-barrel battle
By Dave Simms
CBC News
Friday, November 20, 2009
1 man's campaign to end B.C.'s offshore drilling ban
Henry Lyatsky is a man on a mission.
The Calgary-based oil industry consultant is on a one-man campaign to lift
the moratorium on offshore oil drilling on Canada's West Coast.
While his message gets a sympathetic ear in in his home town, the centre of
Canada's oil industry, his mission is more of an uphill battle in British
Columbia.
At stake are 9.8 billion barrels of oil - enough to supply all of Canada's
Canadians tour U.K. to raise oilsands awareness
Last Updated: Sunday, November 15, 2009
CBC News
Three Canadian women hope to raise awareness in the U.K. about the oilsands, and inspire citizens to take action.Three Canadian women hope to raise awareness in the U.K. about the oilsands, and inspire citizens to take action. (CBC)
Three aboriginal women from Canada are visiting the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of a 10-day tour to raise awareness around human rights issues occurring in the Alberta tarsands.
Doctor who suggested oilsands-cancer link cleared of misconduct charge
By Florence Loyie, Canwest News Service
November 7, 2009
EDMONTON - An embattled family physician who raised concerns about a possible link between Alberta's oilsands and cancer rates in a remote aboriginal community received vindication this week when he was cleared of causing "undue alarm."
Dr. John O'Connor found himself in hot water after he claimed in 2003 and 2004 that residents of Fort Chipewyan, Alta., had unusually high rates of blood, colon, bile-duct and liver cancer.
SD ranchers voice concerns about Keystone pipeline
By CHET BROKAW (AP) November 4, 2009
PIERRE, S.D. — Ranchers who live along the route of a crude oil pipeline that TransCanada Keystone wants to build across western South Dakota said Tuesday they are worried about oil spills and damage to their land, water and roads.
Farmland will be destroyed
Dean Spader • Vermillion • November 1, 2009
Thank you to the Argus Leader for printing the Oct. 13 My Voice column from James Heisinger pointing out pollution problems at the proposed Hyperion oil refinery in Union County. Heisinger was correct when he wrote that "Hyperion's clean-and-green promises (are) a myth."
Hyperion plans to refine the dirtiest crude oil on the continent (Canadian tar sands crude oil), and as a result, even Hyperion admits that this refinery will release more carbon dioxide per barrel than any other refinery in the nation.
Suncor Energy seeks regulator's OK for new way to deal with oilsands waste
CP
Oct. 23, 2009
CALGARY — Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU) says it has a promising a new technology that will turn tailing ponds near its oilsands operations in Northern Alberta into a solid landscape in a matter of weeks, thereby speeding the reclamation process significantly.
Enbridge opens oilsands terminal.
By Dave Cooper, Canwest News Service
October 20, 2009
HARDISTY, Alta. - Oil pipeline giant Enbridge officially opened its new contract terminal in Hardisty on Tuesday, a 19-tank facility capable of holding 7.5 million barrels of crude oil from the oilsands.
One of the largest in North America, the Hardisty terminal, is the starting place for two major pipelines that will initially carry one million barrels a day of bitumen to United States markets.
Greenwashing the globe
Adrian Parr believes that the sustainability movement has been hijacked
Mark Hopkins
Urban Living
October 15, 2009
Once upon a time, “sustainability” was a buzzword for hippies and
activists, shouted through megaphones with increasing frustration at an
SUV-driving, suburb-loving public. For a while, that uphill battle seemed
more like a downward spiral.
But things have changed: Now, sustainability is everywhere! Laundry
detergent comes in green bottles, leaf-patterns are plastered all over gas
Oilsands worker killed in accident
By Ben Gelinas,
edmontonjournal.com
October 19, 2009
EDMONTON — A 22-year-old vacuum truck operator has been killed on a northeastern Alberta oilsands site.
Occupational Health and Safety said he had likely just finished cleaning out the tank of the truck, used to suck up drilling mud, at about 5 p.m. on Saturday when the door to the tank closed on his head. A driver was at the controls.
The man was working for Fehr Quality Contractors at the Statoil-Hydro plant near Conklin, about 300 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, OHS said.
