Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Social Impacts

Social Impacts. Overnight injections of migrant workers will not build healthy communities and can have severely adverse impacts on existing communities, especially those of indigenous nations on their traditional lands. Such development brings vices and long term displacement too often. Drugs, alcohol and associated violence spreads. Hunting becomes difficult when the land is threatened, leading to a further loss of culture and tradition. In towns like Fort McMurray there is no planning for the future, but merely consumption in the present. However transient the individuals may be, the populations will not leave, as “development” takes on a logic all its own. All levels of run away development are subordinate to that development, not social need.

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Ice-free Arctic could be here in 23 years; Area 2X the size of England lost Last Week

[1]The Guardian Wednesday September 5 2007

Ice-free Arctic could be here in 23 years

David Adam, environment correspondent

The Arctic ice cap has collapsed at an unprecedented rate this summer
and levels of sea ice in the region now stand at a record low,
scientists said last night. Experts said they were "stunned" by the
loss of ice, with an area almost twice as big as Britain disappearing
in the last week alone. So much ice has melted this summer that the
north-west passage across the top of Canada is fully navigable, and

CARC tells Pipeline Developers “Beef Up Assessment of Pipeline Impacts”

NEWS RELEASE 30/8/07
http://www.carc.org/pipeline_panel.php
CARC tells Pipeline Developers
“Beef Up Assessment of Pipeline Impacts”

Nuclear in Peace River, Natural Gas Tankers in Kitimat

Nuclear power moves west
http://www.peacearchnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=44&cat=23&id=10...
By Tom Fletcher // Black Press // Aug 30 2007

Backers of Western Canada’s first nuclear reactor have chosen a site west of Peace River, Alta., about 100 km from the B.C. border.

“This is an historic moment for Canada, for Alberta and for the nuclear power industry,” said Wayne Henuset, president of Energy Alberta Corporation.

Blaming labor for peak oil problems

Blaming labor for peak oil problems
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/08/15/oil_sands_labor/index.html

A labor shortage is "wracking" the province of Alberta, Macleans tell us, brought on by the mad rush to exploit the vast reserves of petroleum locked in the fabled oil sands of Canada's Wild West. The jobless rate in Alberta is a "historically low" 3.4 percent even with net inward migration in 2006 hitting 62,000.

Peak everything

Peak everything
http://www.energybulletin.net/34357.html
by Richard Heinberg

This issue is an edited version of the Introduction to Richard Heinberg's new book Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines.

A few excerpts are posted here. See Global Public Media for the entire posting. -BA

Whistleblower MD returns to Fort Chipewyan

Whistleblower MD returns to Fort Chipewyan
Last Updated: Thursday, August 16, 2007 | 5:06 PM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/08/16/fortchip-oconnor.html

The doctor who blew the whistle on what he says are high cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta, visited the oilsands hamlet this week with a promise he would continue to fight for a health study in the community.

Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (link to video)

http://onebigtorrent.org/details.php?id=2424&hit=1

Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006) AVI
New repack 9-01-2007
Size 350Mb
Runtime: 53min. 5 sec.

New on OBT, a resized version for more rapid download.
These resizes are done for torrents which have had on-going interest
and traffic over time.

In 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba experienced an
'energy famine.' Transportation and agriculture virtually came to a
stop due to lack of diesel fuel and fertilizer shortages. This film

North Dakota: PSC denies request to delay hearing on [Keystone] pipeline for farmers

PSC denies request to delay hearing on pipeline for farmers
Janell Cole, Forum Communications Co.
Published Saturday, September 01, 2007
http://www.in-forum.com/News/articles/176882

BISMARCK – The Public Service Commission has denied a request by Keystone pipeline opponents to delay next week’s hearing on its proposed route.

The commission voted Friday during an emergency meeting to go ahead with Wednesday’s hearing, which Commissioner Kevin Cramer expects to continue into Thursday.

The Battle of Marie Lake Rages On...

Seismic testing irks lakes' neighbours
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070830.ROSUM30/TPStor...
NORVAL SCOTT
August 30, 2007

CALGARY -- Calgary-based OSUM Oil Sands Corp. looks set to face more opposition to its controversial proposals to test for crude oil under two Alberta lakes, as a coalition of residents is planning to take its protests straight to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach's door.

Earlier this month, Alberta regulators gave approval to privately held OSUM to conduct seismic testing at Marie Lake, 300 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

My Kingdom for a Horseless Carriage: The Biofuels Trap

My Kingdom for a Horseless Carriage
The Biofuels Trap
http://counterpunch.org/mittenthal08312007.html
By ROBIN MITTENTHAL

We must move our nation beyond fossil fuels. But let's not be suckered by the promoters of biofuel alternatives like corn ethanol and soy biodiesel.

Large companies that stand to reap billions in subsidies and tax breaks from these energy "sources" are selling them as the way to a healthy planet and energy independence for the United States. For two reasons, don't believe it.