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.

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /var/www/drupal-6.28/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

Survival is Non-Negotiable!

Survival is Non-Negotiable!
January 19, 2009
Are climate talks the new World Trade Organization?
by Ben Powless

The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca

Economic downturn shuts down Trailbreaker reversal (tar sands in Montreal)

Economic downturn shuts down oil pipeline proposal

By Canwest News ServiceJanuary 18, 2009

Environmental activists are relieved by the indefinite shelving of an oil pipeline proposal that they say would make Ontario too dependent on "dirty oil" from Alberta and bring it to Quebec for the first time.

However, activists with Environmental Defence and ForestEthics are concerned the project put on hold by Calgary-based Enbridge could be resurrected in the future.

BA Energy first tar sands developer to file for bankruptcy protection

BA Energy first oil sands developer to file for protection
Financial Post
Wednesday, January 14, 2009

CALGARY -- BA Energy Inc., developer of the $4-billion Heartland
Upgrader near Edmonton, Wednesday became the first oil sands company to
file for bankruptcy protection, fearing its parent company's major
lender, Credit Suisse, will recall a US$507-million loan.

Columba Yeung, chief executive of parent company Value Creation Inc.,
said that company could default on its multi-million bank loan after BA
was unable to repay it a $50-million loan. BA's failure to make good on

Canadian Natives Get U.S. Support

Alexandra Paul, Winnipeg Free Press

Canadian First Nations chiefs say aboriginal affairs advisers to U.S.
president-elect Barack Obama told them Thursday the new administration
will be in their corner in their push for aboriginal rights.

In a 20-minute meeting in Washington, the advisers suggested to the
assembly of chiefs from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the United
States that the new administration could support their push for more
control over oil and mineral resources.

ENERGY JUSTICE IN TURTLE ISLAND – NORTH AMERICA

Dear Friends,

The Indigenous Environmental Network and Rainforest Action Network
produced this statement in response to a lobby effort in Washington DC
tomorrow by Treaty One Chiefs of Manitoba regarding the Enbridge Alberta
Clipper and the TransCanada Keystone Project. In this communication you
will find our press statement that focuses on providing an Alberta First
Nations perspective on the issue, as well as the advisory that was sent
out by Treaty One Chiefs of Manitoba on December 31, 2008. Please
distribute this to your lists far and wide.

TransCanada offers $2 billion in debt

TransCanada offers $2 billion in debt
By Dan Healing, Calgary Herald
January 6, 2009

CALGARY - A $2-billion US debt offer launched Tuesday by TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. was lauded by energy analysts who say it will be well-received in a market that has discounted most oil and gas companies’ equity.

The funding will be earmarked by the pipeline arm of Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. to replace maturing debt facilities, pay for capital projects and fund ongoing corporate activities, said company spokesman Terry Cunha.

Oil price slump undermines controversial tar sand projects

Commercial viability of carbon intensive Canadian tar sands hit by combination of falling oil prices and regulatory concerns
James Murray, BusinessGreen, 06 Jan 2009

Plunging oil prices might have spelled bad news for renewable energy projects, but they are also undermining the commercial viability of some of the world's most carbon intensive energy projects.

OPEC's future blowin' in the wind

OPEC's future blowin' in the wind
Last Updated: Monday, January 5, 2009
Philip Demont
CBC News

The noise generated by the 120 wind turbines turning on the hilltops of the Viana do Castelo region in northern Portugal might not equal that of a soccer-crazy crowd at the Estadio da Luz stadium in Lisbon.

To OPEC, however, the sound from Europe's largest wind farm is as loud and clear as a high-speed train roaring across the western world.

Enbridge cleaning up spill at tar sands terminal

Enbridge cleaning up spill at oil sands terminal
Wed Jan 7, 2009 5:15pm EST

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Enbridge Inc, Canada's No. 2 pipeline firm, said a malfunctioning valve at an oil storage facility in the oil sands region of northern Alberta this week spewed out 4,000 barrels of oil, but the spill was mostly contained on the grounds of its tank farm.

The company, whose pipelines carry the lion's share of oil sands crude to U.S. markets, said the spill occurred on Saturday at its Cheecham terminal south of Fort McMurray, Alberta, when a small fitting on a valve failed.

The Costly Compromises of Oil From Sand

The Costly Compromises of Oil From Sand
by IAN AUSTEN
Published: January 6, 2009
New York Times

OTTAWA — The oil that is extracted from Canadian dirt is being portrayed as saving America from energy dependence on the unstable Middle East, or an environmental catastrophe in the making — depending on the perspective.

The Conservative government of Canada, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has championed the industry.