Peak Oil

Cobra Oil & Gas Provides Technology Update for Utah Oil Sands Prospect
July 23, 2009 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

This is a HUGE deal; as a result of the largest single tar sands operator expanding the amount of procesing done in the US, the number-- according to the FTA and NAFTA-- can NEVER GO BACK DOWN in terms of percentage, or "proportion".

This is where the "proportionality clause" kicks in; the amount of an energy source sent south in one day must stay at that proportion permanently.

Therefore this is the announcement that the state of Canada is now further beholden to the US state, never mind what happens to the indigenous nations as a direct result.

--M

Alberta seeks input on bitumen royalties
By Jason Fekete, Calgary Herald
July 21, 2009

CALGARY - The Stelmach government is expected to ask energy producers today for their interest in a new provincial bitumen royalty-in-kind policy, as the premier faces mounting criticism for failing to keep his promise to stem the flow of oilsands to the United States.

Canada dead last on climate change
We can no longer use the U.S. as an excuse for inaction
GERALD BUTTS, Freelance
Published: Wednesday, July 08

Here is a sobering thought to consider as Canada prepares to assume the presidency of the G8 following this week's meeting in Italy: Canada has for the first time replaced the United States as the worst performer on tackling climate change among G8 nations. This was revealed in the recent G8 Climate Scorecard, released jointly by WWF, the global conservation organization, and the global insurance company Allianz.

OIL FROM STONE: SECURING AMERICA'S ENERGY FUTURE

Rising prices and security concerns raise important questions about America's energy options. Currently, the United States imports 66 percent of its oil -- about 4.7 billion barrels per year or 9,000 barrels every minute. However, there are vast amounts of oil shale -- a type of rock rich in kerogen, an organic sedimentary material -- which can be converted into high-quality liquid fuels, says H. Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow, and Tomas Castella, a research assistant, both with the National Center for Policy Analysis.

West Coast oilsands exports at record

Shipments open new markets for Alberta crude

By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald
July 9, 2009

CALGARY - Exports of oilsands via tanker ships off the West Coast hit an all-time high this spring, the head of the only pipeline company to cross the Rocky Mountains said in Calgary Wednesday.

Shell May Close or Sell Montreal East Oil Refinery
By Guy Collins

July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc may close or sell its Montreal East refinery in Quebec, Canada, among various options it’s considering for the plant as part of a global review of assets.

Possibilities include the sale of the refinery and some associated downstream businesses; closure of the plant; conversion into a terminal; establishment of a joint venture; or continued operation, a Shell spokesman said today by telephone, declining to be identified in line with company policy.

Globe and Mail July 6, 2009
Calls grow to supplant dollar as global currency

France joins China, India and Russia in calling for a new reserve standard on the eve of the G8 summit

Karim Bardeesy

The call to find an alternative to the U.S dollar as the global reserve currency is gaining momentum as France joined calls by China, India and Russia for a review of the world's currency practices.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde challenged the dollar's supremacy “in a world that has changed because of the crisis and the growing role of emerging countries.”

Looking beyond Yellowknife

Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, July 1, 2009

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Patrick Doyle has been elected president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce at a gloomy time for the city, and he's casting his net beyond Yellowknife.

Alberta's Conservatives well past their due-date

Published July 2, 2009 by Fast Forward Weekly reader in Letters

After Alberta Finance Minister Iris Evans’s misguided remarks about how mothers should stay home to raise young children (ignoring social and economic reality), it was hard to see how Conservative obliviousness about Albertans’ contemporary values could be made clearer. But Edmonton-Calder’s Conservative MLA Doug Elniski has topped his colleague with his repulsively sexist remarks on the web.