Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Health

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.

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Bay Area/ Richmond, California OKs Chevron refinery plan

Richmond council OKs Chevron refinery plan
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, July 18, 2008

RICHMOND -- A sharply divided Richmond City Council approved on Thursday Chevron's controversial plan for a major upgrade of its century-old refinery and accepted $61 million from the oil company for community programs.

The council voted 5-4 to approve a conditional use permit for Chevron to replace a hydrogen plant, install new hydrogen-purifying equipment, build a new cogeneration power plant and replace other antiquated machinery.

Brazen protesters tag Syncrude pond

Brazen protesters tag Syncrude pond
Alexandra Zabjek, The Edmonton Journal
Published: 2:31 am, July 25, 2008

EDMONTON - A new chapter in activism against Alberta's oilsands was
opened Thursday when a group of protesters entered Syncrude's Aurora
mine site north of Fort McMurray and unfurled banners on the edge of a
controversial tailings pond.

"To actually go onto the (oilsands) sites themselves, that's a new thing
and I think we can expect to see more of that in the future as greater
awareness is brought to what's going on up north," said Paul Joosse, a

Tar Sands Industry Poised to Pollute Canada's Largest Freshwater Aquifer

CALGARY (July 24, 2008) – The Métis Nation in northeastern Alberta has
discovered that many of Alberta's in situ tar sands projects sit immediately
below a vast groundwater channel system that flows into the Athabasca River.
Given the accidental steam blowouts that have already occurred in the
region, the potential for pollution of Canada's largest freshwater aquifer
is very real.

"We are deeply concerned about these blowouts," says Rick Boucher,

Fort Berthold Reservation officials discuss oil exploration

Despite the tone of the article below, there is much opposition in the community to this development, opposition whose voices need to be heard.

--M

Reservation officials discuss oil exploration
Business News - Native Business News
New Town, North Dakota (AP) 5-08

The chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes sees new opportunities in oil exploration but says it may come at a price.

Federal climate change report warns of health problems

Federal climate change report warns of health problems
STEVE RENNIE
The Canadian Press
July 24, 2008 at 4:59 PM EDT

OTTAWA — A major report on climate change and health forecasts a higher risk of injuries, illnesses and stress-related disorders brought on by more frequent bouts of extreme weather.

A not-yet-released Health Canada report urges the federal government to brace Canadians for health problems arising from more droughts, violent storms, heat waves and cold snaps.

Groups Dare Investors to Drink Community Water

Alberta First Nations and Allies Deliver Message To Investment Symposium in Calgary:
Dirty Tar Sands Oil Is A Risky Investment
Groups Dare Investors to Drink Community Water

CALGARY - July 16 - Members of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the Mikisew Cree First Nation and environmental and social justice advocates traveled to Calgary today to the Oil and Gas Investment Symposium hosted by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers with a message for the hundreds of investors from the United States and around the world that Canada’s Tar Sands are a risky investment.

The Pentagon's Toxic Legacy

The Pentagon's Toxic Legacy
July, 01 2008 By Jeffrey St.Clair and Joshua Frank

Suncor Pipeline Springs Leak

Suncor says oil sands pipeline shut after leak
Thu Jul 17, 2008

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A pipeline carrying diesel fuel from Suncor Energy Inc's northern Alberta oil sands operations sprung a leak on Tuesday, but production at the facilities has not yet been affected, the company said.

Suncor, the No. 2 oil sands producer, said a leak on its pipeline running from Fort McMurray, Alberta, to Edmonton was detected at 11:30 a.m. local time on July 15 and the pipeline was shut down.

Africa Faces Another Rising Expense: Fuel

Africa Faces Another Rising Expense: Fuel
By LYDIA POLGREEN
July 12, 2008

DAKAR, Senegal — In the United States, where the median household
income is about $48,000, $4-a-gallon gas is painful.

In Nigeria, most of whose 140 million citizens live on less than $2 a
day despite their country's status as the world's eighth largest oil
exporter, $5.50-a-gallon diesel is excruciating.

Daniel Idoko runs a small business center in Abuja, Nigeria's capital,
and because the country's electricity supply is so balky, he relies on