Land, regardless of whether covered by forests, tundra or grasslands, is threatened by mining operations such as Alberta’s vast open tar pit operations, or through incredible networks of “right of way” cuts for pipelines that extend in the hundreds of thousands of miles, all told, and across the continent in four directions and to three oceans—either through feeding the tarsand operations with fossil fuel energy or through feeding energy markets from tarsand operations after production. In the case of pipeline right of ways, they can blast directly through mountains or be buried in permafrost if needed, to get the energy to move.
Shaky economy hinders Long Lake oilsands project
By MARKUS ERMISCH, SUN MEDIA
10th December 2009
Nexen Inc. is delaying the expansion of its Long Lake oilsands project by one year to 2011, citing Canada's hesitant economic recovery and a lack of clarity about new environmental regulations as major reasons.
"Right across our industry, there is quite a measured approach to the pace of investment," Nexen CEO Marvin Romanow said in a conference call yesterday.
Pipeline made an impact
December 7, 2009
By Greg Wees
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
NORFOLK, Neb. — Crews who spent the summer here building part of one of the longest crude oil pipelines ever constructed have pulled up stakes.
It won’t be long before oil starts filling the 2,148-mile Keystone Pipeline.
“We expect to start to fill the line with oil this year. The fill process will take several months to complete,” said Jeff Rauh, a spokesman for pipeline owner TransCanada.
Toxic chemical levels higher in water downstream of Alberta oilsands plants
[This photo shows how at least one company is bulldozing right to the Athabasca River's edge.
Photograph by: Erin Kelly, University of Alberta , edmontonjournal.com]
By Hanneke Brooymans, edmontonjournal.com
December 7, 2009
EDMONTON — Levels of toxic chemicals in the Athabasca watershed are up to 50 times higher downstream of oilsands development, a new University of Alberta study has found.
Suncor planning to grow oilsands business
By MARKUS ERMISCH, SUN MEDIA
Last Updated: 3rd December 2009
Investors need not fear Suncor Energy is moving away from being an oilsands-dominated company after merging with Petro-Canada, an executive told an energy conference in Miami yesterday.
Prior to its merger with Petro-Canada, Suncor's business consisted of 80% oilsands and 20% of what John Rogers called "other stuff," such as natural gas and downstream operations.
Pipeline review draws criticism
Environmentalists say scope of hearings is too narrow
By Judith Lavoie, Times Colonist
December 5, 2009
Federal terms of reference for assessing the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline brought instant condemnation from environmental groups yesterday.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and the National Energy Board announced they will hold open forums on the pipeline, which would run from the Alberta oilsands to a port at Kitimat.
'EnCana bomber' has quit: locals
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
CBC News
A 1.8-metre-wide crater left after an explosion in October 2008, about 50 kilometres east of Dawson Creek in northern B.C.A 1.8-metre-wide crater left after an explosion in October 2008, about 50 kilometres east of Dawson Creek in northern B.C. (RCMP)After five months of quiet, people in northeastern B.C. seem to believe the so-called "EnCana bomber" won't strike again.
Clay County commissioners reach impasse on Keystone crossing fees
Pipelines International, December 01, 2009
Commissioners from Clay County in Kansas, United States of America, have instructed the County Highway Department to refrain from issuing any road crossing permits required to construct TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline until the issue of road crossing fees has been resolved.
Clay County has proposed a “road crossing fee” of $US1,500 for each road crossed by the Keystone Pipeline in their county.
Wet’suwet’en layout opposition of Enbridge gateway
By Rikki Schierer - Houston Today
Published: November 25, 2009
Updated: November 27, 2009
The Wet’suwet’en are outright opposed for the proposed development of Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines.
That was the message from Dave deWit, the Wet’suwet’en’s Natural Resources Manager, who was on the panel of speakers at last Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting where representatives from Northern Gateway, Pembina Institute and the National Energy Board were on hand to discuss the proposed pipeline project.
Peak Everything
By Gunther Ostermann
28 November, 2009
http://www.countercurrents.org/ostermann281109.htm
Countercurrents.org
The former media mogul Ted Turner challenged us in 1992 with this statement:' If we don't make the right choices after we have all the information, then we don't deserve to live."
Well, we have more than enough information. Oil and gas, the stored sun's energy, which took hundreds of millions of years to incubate, gone forever within this century. We are, in fact, approaching PEAK EVERYTHING.
H2Oil examines the tar sands
By John Griffin, Gazette Film CriticNovember 27, 2009
If Peter Mettler’s Petropolis sings the awful, awesome Alberta tar sands aesthetic, Shannon Walsh’s H2Oil maps its skin, muscle, bones and blood.
Mettler’s ravishing tone poem played last month’s Festival du nouveau cinéma.
