Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Land

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.

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Groups Sue Feds to Stop Keystone Pipeline

*Groups sue feds to stop pipeline*
*By Janell Cole*
*State Capitol Bureau - 08/08/2008*

BISMARCK — Environmental groups, including one from North Dakota, have sued
the U.S. State Department to stop the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, saying
the government failed to fully consider its health and environmental hazards
before giving approval.

The listed hazards include global warming.

The company said there is nothing wrong with how the federal government
examined the line's environmental impacts.

The Natural Resources Defense Fund, Dakota Resource Council of Dickinson,

Shell slammed over "sustainable" tar sands advert

ASA rules advert claiming tar sands projects are part of a "sustainable future" is misleading
James Murray, BusinessGreen, 13 Aug 2008

Oil giant Shell has once again had its knuckles rapped by the watchdog for overstating its green credentials after it claimed in an advert that its $10bn oil sands project in northern Canada represented a "sustainable energy source".

Take Charge: Dirty Work in Alberta

Take Charge: Dirty Work in Alberta
By Morgan Goodwin - August 26, 2008
Take Charge Campaign

This newsletter is provided by the Take Charge Campaign, a local initiative to encourage and to help people to conserve energy. It is published twice a month.

This week in Dirty Energy: Alberta Tar Sands

What's happening in the Alberta tar sands in Canada is the most destructive project on Earth, according to Environmental Defence. Thousands of square miles of tundra are being scraped away to harvest an oil-rich layer of earth between 10 and 80 feet deep.

NAFTA paves U. S. route to energy from north

NAFTA paves U. S. route to energy from north
Pipelines may let area share boom
By Jerry Zremski NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF

Beneath the forests of Alberta, 2,300 miles miles northwest of Buffalo, you’ll find the latest black gold: a mix of sand and oil being mined as a new kind of gusher.

And Alberta’s Athabasca Oil Sands are just part of a petroleum boom that has made Canada the world’s top supplier of oil to the United States.

Rare cancer strikes

Rare cancer strikes
Small community near Alberta oilsands has disproportionate number of bile duct disease
By VIVIAN SONG

A mutated, two-mouthed fish caught downstream from the Alberta oilsands caught the attention of the Canadian public last week. Beneath its first mouth is a confusing aberration, a second, baby, jagged-toothed lower jaw that seems to grow timidly out of the fish-face.

Two boys fishing in Lake Athabasca caught the 2.5-kilo goldeye two weeks ago and handed it over to the Mikisew First Nation.

Green groups quit tar sands forum

Green groups quit oil sands forum
Protest move made as Industry Minister in U.S. to address concerns about environmental impact
PAUL HAAVARDSRUD AND SHAWN MCCARTHY
August 19, 2008

CALGARY AND OTTAWA -- Three groups have quit a government-sponsored forum for assessing environmental costs in the oil sands, a move that undercuts government efforts to burnish the image of the massive developments in U.S. markets.

TransCanada announces plan to expand Keystone pipeline capacity

August 4, 2008
TransCanada announces plan to expand Keystone pipeline capacity
Richard Gilbert
staff writer

A Calgary-based company is expanding its plans to build a pipeline to transport oil from Alberta to the U.S. Gulf Coast, while construction of the project ramps up in both countries.

The Keystone pipeline expansion involves the construction of a 3,200-kilometre, 36-inch crude oil pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to a delivery point near existing terminals in Port Arthur, Texas.

TransCanada's Alaska pipeline project wins approval by state Senate

TransCanada's Alaska pipeline project wins approval by state Senate
By: THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY - TransCanada Corp. (TSX:TRP) said Friday the Alaska Legislature has signed off on a license for the company's US$26-billion Alaska Pipeline Project under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.

"The legislature's decision represents a significant milestone in advancing this major natural gas pipeline project to connect stranded U.S. natural gas reserves to Alaskan and Lower 48 consumers," TransCanada president and chief executive Hal Kvisle said.

Coal Juice: High Energy Prices Prompt First U.S. Coal-to-Liquids Plant

Coal Juice: High Energy Prices Prompt First U.S. Coal-to-Liquids Plant
Posted by Keith Johnson
Fresh hope for U.S. coal? (AP) July 28, 2008, 1:58 pm

It’s far from clear that higher energy prices are environmentalists’ friend. Though they migh eventually spur clean energy, they’re doing a good bit of the opposite right now.

Oil: Tar sands less damaging than coal, insists Shell

· Profits from controversial source increase by 74%
· Group makes $7.9bn as Exxon hits record $11.7bn

* Terry Macalister
* The Guardian,
* Friday August 1 2008

Shell warned environmentalists and ethical investors yesterday that failure to exploit tar sands and other unconventional oil products would worsen climate change because it would lead to the world burning even more carbon-heavy coal.