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.
Layton targets tar sands
GLORIA GALLOWAY
Globe and Mail Update and Canadian Press
September 8, 2008
FORT SMITH, NWT — The plane carrying New Democrat Leader Jack Layton and his NDP entourage swooped over the Alberta tar sands Monday to show vast expanses of northern wilderness despoiled by development.
Ponds filled with tar and the chemicals that remain from oil extraction, forest that have criss-crossed with strips that have been cleared of trees, mines that rise out of nowhere.
Shell puts cork in methane-drilling plans - for now
Company agrees to speak with Tahltan about natives' concerns about impact of project on northwestern B.C.
WENDY STUECK
September 6, 2008
VANCOUVER -- Shell Canada Ltd. has temporarily shelved its plans to drill for coal-bed methane in northwestern British Columbia, delaying work for at least one more season and highlighting concerns over the potential impact of the projects in the remote wilderness area.
Will oilsands tar Winter Games?
The Edmonton Journal
Tuesday, August 19
Canadian officials surveying the Beijing Olympics must be paying special attention to the myriad protests and criticisms -- some overdrawn and overwrought -- that have dogged China before and during the Games. If they are wise, our observers should fight the temptation to feel smugly superior.
'Blood diamond' smugglers threaten Canada's northern industry
Andrew Mayeda , Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, September 04, 2008
OTTAWA - The diamond industry in Canada's Far North is vulnerable to smugglers looking to import "blood diamonds" or launder the proceeds of organized crime syndicates and terrorist organizations, newly released federal documents say.
MAN KILLED IN CNRL TAILINGS POND
September 4, 2008
Man killed in CNRL pond
Posted By By CAROL CHRISTIAN
Alberta’s shadow minister of employment wants a Canadian Natural Resources site shut down until the company can prove once and for all its Horizon site is safe.
Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald called for the closure Wednesday after a third fatality in less than 18 months at the site, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray.
Airport closure could hurt access to health care: northern Alta. leaders
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 3, 2008
CBC News
Mayors and chiefs from northern Alberta communities said they will fight any plan to shut down Edmonton City Centre Airport, a public hearing in the provincial capital heard Tuesday.
About 60 people are making presentations at the two-day public hearings on the future of the airport, beginning Tuesday at Edmonton city hall.
Suncor oil sands plant outage means less light oil
Tue Sep 2, 2008 5:15pm EDT
CALGARY, Alberta, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Suncor Energy Inc (SU.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday it expects a processing unit at one of its oil sands upgrading plants to be off line for up to 90 days, changing the mix of its output but not cutting overall production.
Suncor, which runs Canada's second largest oil sands mining and synthetic crude operations, said a hydrogen plant at the northern Alberta site suffered an unscheduled outage in August.
Peter Carrels : Why an oil refinery is a step in the wrong direction
Saturday, August 23, 2008
In South Dakota, politicians and business leaders are cheering a massive oil refinery planned for the state’s southeast corner. If built, it will be the first oil refinery constructed in the United States in more than 30 years.
If By Clean You Mean Filthy
by Umbra Fisk
Grist (July 23 2008)
Question
Dear Umbra,
I noticed that several of the presidential primary debates were
sponsored by clean coal. This was announced during breaks and several
commercials aired. I have since seen several more commercials and online
advertisements. Is clean coal an oxymoron? Is this a PR stunt or are
there any real environmental benefits to clean coal that rival solar and
wind? See www.americaspower.org.
Andrew S.
Brookline, Massachusetts
Answer
Dearest Andrew,
Oilsands housing expansion announced
Dave Cooper, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Tuesday, August 26
EDMONTON - For the sixth time since 2007, PTI Group's Wapasu Creek Lodge near the Suncor plant north of Fort McMurray is set to expand.
The facility will grow to 2,942 rooms, an increase of 672 dorm-style rooms, to accommodate a mix of workers from the surrounding oilsands area. Oil States International (NYSE:OIS), owner of PTI, expects the new rooms to be opened by mid-2009.
"We foresee more expansion in the future to serve our multiple clients," says spokesman Bradley Dodson.
