New Chief prepares for tarsands fight

New chief prepares his people for oilsands fight

Revitalized Athabasca Chipewyan say Edmonton-born leader is no soft touch

Darcy Henton

The Edmonton Journal

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

FORT CHIPEWYAN – It’s mealtime at the Fort Chipewyan water conference and Chief Allan Adam leaves the food lineup with two brimming plates of roast beef. But as he wades through the crowd to his seat, he ends up giving his food away to others.

The second time it happens, he laughs about being such a soft touch, and wonders whether people will let him pass to the front of the line again.

He needn’t worry. On his third try, he manages to secure a meal for himself.

Residents of this remote, fly-in community, nearly 600 kilometres north of Edmonton, say the youthful, light-hearted new chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan has revitalized them with his enthusiasm and his charm, but that he’s definitely no soft touch.

That could be bad news for oilsands companies and a provincial government seemingly intent on dramatically boosting bitumen production to meet the world’s thirst for oil.

Tar Sands Threaten Groundwater

Oilsands threaten groundwater

Conservation specialist warns steam blowout could contaminate massive Athabasca aquifer near Fort McMurray

Jennifer Yang

The Edmonton Journal

Sunday, July 27, 2008

EDMONTON – Oilsands development could be putting one of Canada’s largest groundwater systems in peril, the Alberta Wilderness Association warned Saturday.

Many of the region’s oilsands projects sit directly below what’s believed to be the largest aquifer in the North American Plains region.

This immense system of underground water channels, which includes parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, is an invaluable source of Canadian freshwater that feeds into several important waterways such as the Athabasca River.

Critics are particularly worried about oil projects taking place over aquifers that use an oil extraction method called Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage, or SAGD, commonly used in an area between Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche.

Greenpeace Invades Syncrude

Greenpeace Blocks Pipe At Syncrude Oil Sands Waste Pond

July 24, 2008: 05:31 PM EST

cnnad_createAd(“654903″,”http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_money&cnn_money_pagetype=article&cnn_money_position=220x200_ctr&cnn_money_rollup=markets_and_stocks&cnn_money_section=quigo&params.styles=fs”,”200″,”220″);OTTAWA -(Dow Jones)- Environmental protesters blocked a pipe to a waste water pond at Syncrude Canada Ltd.’s oil sands development in northern Alberta, Greenpeace Canada said Thursday, as the group continues to demand a halt to oil sands production.

Shortly after 1 p.m. EDT, 10 activists capped the pipe that discharges toxic waste products into the so-called tailings pond at Syncrude’s Aurora North mine near Fort McMurray, Greenpeace said in a new release.

They also raised a skull-and-crossbones banner over another pipe, and another on the banks of the pond reading “World’s Dirtiest Oil: Stop the Tar Sands.”

Alberta Needs an Energy Plan

Albertans deserve a viable energy plan for the future

Nigel Hannaford

Calgary Herald

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Say what you like about oilman T. Boone Pickens, and his campaign to cut U.S. oil imports by generating electricity with windmills, and using the natural gas this would free up for transportation fuel: At least, he has a plan.

The question is, does Alberta have an energy plan?

Stelmach getting heat from all sides

Get off Alberta’s back:MLA
The Stelmach government is getting it from all sides as both domestic and international criticism mount against Alberta’s oil sands development.

Christopher Heffernan
Wednesday July 16, 2008

The Stelmach government is getting it from all sides as both domestic and international criticism mount against Alberta’s oil sands development.
Lloyd Snelgrove is not only a cabinet minister and close friend to the premier, but he has also been tasked by his boss to “create a strategic plan for developing the oil sands region.”
This weighty task puts the Vermilion-Lloydminster MLA front-and-center in the debate over the CO2 emissions being created by Alberta’s massive oil sands projects.

EcoSanity: Pimping the Tar Sands

EcoSanity runs video of the Premier of Alberta pimping for tar sands exploitation and intersperses it with funny, snarky comments about his bald-faced lies (Yes, they will deeply respect the environment, right.) Added bonus: A protester gets ejected from the meeting.

Fun with Numbers: Gov’t's new plan a lot of hot air

Fun with numbers

Calgary Herald

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Re: “Alberta pumps $4B into eco plan,” July 9.

The premier’s new climate sham is trying to win over Albertans by emphasizing transportation, which we need. But it’s not a solution to the climate crisis, nor does it address the other environmental and health implications of tarsands development — air pollution, the clearcutting of the boreal forest, water contamination, cancer rates in downstream communities and wildlife deaths. This climate sham is also relying on carbon capture and sequestration, an incredibly expensive and unproven technology with extremely long lead times.

Economy or the Environment

The Economy and The Environment – Can They Coexist?

Canada’s Harper government has been blasted by many for not taking aggressive action against climate change. However, the Canadian economy is largely upheld by the ultra-dirty tar-sands industry. Is there a way to balance the environment and the economy?If the Canadian government were a person, it would have both its hands full. In one, the feds have to protect and promote the internationally accepted image of Canada as a vast and green, environmentally forward nation. In the other, the Canadian government has to, quietly but effectively, ensure the economic stability of the nation, which in turn means protecting the dirty business of tar-sand oil production.But before we analyze the predicament that is trying to be both environmentally forward and pro-oil production, consider this. In 2007, according to the CIA, Canadian exports totaled $569.3 billion dollars, while Canadian imports totaled $555.2 billion; thereby resulting in a $14.1 billion dollar trade surplus at the end of 2007 – a crucial statistic that in turn allowed the feds to pay off some of the Canadian national debt.

However, included in the $569.3 billion dollars are the profits derived from the 2.274 million barrels of oil that are exported each day. When we subtract the 1.185 million barrels of oil that are imported daily, Canada produces for export and profit roughly 1.089 million barrels of oil a day. And if the average price for one barrel of oil was a meager $125 per barrel (it is currently $147), those 1.089 million barrels of exported oil would translate into a $49.685 billion dollar a year input into the Canadian economy. In other words, Canadian oil production and exportation is the pivotal factor that determines whether the Canadian economy records a surplus or a deficit at the end of each year.

CCS: no solution when you pump out more carbon

A new home for C02 beneath your feet

A Canadian company plans to build a pipeline underground that can pump millions of tons of C02 a year, which would capture and store the carbon dioxide emissions. Sam Eaton reports why it may or may not work.

$2 Billion to help Political Climate

Will cash improve political climate?

The Edmonton Journal

Friday, July 11, 2008

As the old hockey adage goes, the best defence is a good offence — which goes a long way to explain the $2-billion cash outlay by the Alberta government this week to reduce greenhouse gases.

Premier Ed Stelmach says he wants to kickstart construction of a carbon-capture-and-storage network to bury carbon dioxide produced in oilsands production and in coal-fired electricity generation.

It’s a welcome move for several reasons.

Until this week, the province’s strategy to fight the growing chorus of environmental critics — especially those south of the border — consisted mainly of a $25-million public relations campaign to re-brand the oilsands as clean energy.

That was clearly an inadequate response, even for a government that has been dismissive of perceived negative environmental impacts.