Category: Alberta Oil Sands

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Alberta Oil Sands Ed Stelmach Kevin Taft

november 24 to 26 in the alberta media. cynicism is inevitable.

Number of news stories in the main stream media covering Kevin Taft‘s non-binding Private Member’s motion urging the Government of Alberta to adopt rodeo as Alberta’s official sport: 14 (G&M, G&M, CP, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, Calgary Sun, Calgary Herald, CP, Metro, iNews 880, Canadian Cattlemen, CTV Calgary, iNews 880, 630 CHED)

Number of news stories in the main stream media covering a “secret” Ministerial Briefing written by a scientific expert detailing why Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS) is not viable in Alberta’s oilsands, contradicting speeches made by Premier Ed Stelmach during his trips across Canada, the United States, and Europe that the $2 billion tax-payer investment in CCS would green the oilsands: 2 3 (CBC, Metro + Edmonton Journal)

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Alberta Oil Sands Ed Stelmach

the carbon capture pipe dream. alberta should abandon the public relations facades and plan for the future.

“Alberta’s engine drives Canada” is the title of an opinion-editorial attributed to Premier Ed Stelmach in today’s Toronto Star. The op-ed suggests that Alberta is in a position to drive Canada’s economic engine and is part of Stelmach’s oilsands rebranding campaign, which includes a visit to the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships today in Toronto. I fully agree that Alberta should take this unique opportunity to drive the direction of Canada’s economy, but I disagree with the direction the op-ed suggests.

The op-ed suggests that the $2 billion Government of Alberta investment in carbon capture and sequestration technology is “the best way for Canada to meet its emissions reduction targets.” Untimely for the article is a confidential Ministerial report obtained by CBC which advised that “[l]ittle of the oilsands’ carbon dioxide can be captured because most emissions aren’t concentrated enough.”

The lead scientist on this report, David Keith, is a professor of petroleum and chemical engineering with the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy at the University of Calgary. Keith was also named Environmental Scientist of the Year by Canadian Geographic in 2006. CBC reported that a frustrated Keith believes that because of the low concentration levels, ‘rational people shouldn’t focus on reducing emissions in the oilsands through carbon capture and storage.’

As the oilsands are the fastest-growing source of CO2 in Canada (set to increase from 5% to 16% of total emissions by 2020 under current expansion plans), a shift towards responsible stewardship of the oilsands could not only cut emissions, but also help address both the environmental and public health challenges facing the people who call northern Alberta home.

Downstream from the Athabasca oilsands is the community of Fort Chipewyan, which has been feeling the dramatic effects of the oilsands and tailing ponds on its water.

Canadians and Albertans shouldn’t have to choose between our economy and environment. By centralizing our economy around a non-renewable resource, we are creating an economy that is completely unsustainable in the long-term. Rather than celebrating mediocrity and resting laurels on public relations facades like carbon capture & sequestration, Alberta could be driving Canada’s economy in a sustainable direction, moving towards the development of human capital and a world-class renewable energy sector. Alberta has the financial resources and know-how to be a world leader, but as long as we continue to look to non-renewable resources as our future, we will just be digging our heads in the (oil)sands.

Additional: Mike Soron, AGRDT, Four Strong Winds, Straight Outta Edmonton, The Galloping Beaver, Far and Wide, Climate Progress, jpro86.

Editor’s Note/Correction: I have removed the section of this post referring to Dr. John Connor‘s situation with Alberta Health & Wellness, due to inaccurate sources. You can read more here. Thank you to the reader who pointed out the inaccuracy of the linked article.

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Alberta Oil Sands Ed Stelmach

alberta could blow more than hot air.

While Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach continues his tour of Europe this week (skipping last weekend’s First Ministers’ meeting), he should take note of recent moves by energy giants BP and Royal Dutch Shell. As expansions in Alberta’s dirty oilsands are slowing and the price of oil continues to drop, both companies are also looking beyond oil by continuing to expand their investments in clean energy markets.

Shell made the announcement months ago, and last week BP announced that they will be halting plans to build wind farms and other renewable energy projects in the United Kingdom and will focus developing renewable energy in the United States, taking advantage of government incentives for clean energy projects. Though wind is unlikely to replace demand for oil anytime soon, forward thinking moves like this by leading world energy companies should make Albertans think twice about being duped into supporting the short-sighted building of nuclear power plants in northern Alberta.

Also of note is a recent report from the Centre for Study of Living Standards on the Valuation of Alberta’s oilsands (h/t DeSmogBlog):

As the CSLS notes, the tar sands are “the largest contributor to Canadian emissions growth. Since the early 1990s, output growth in the oil sands sector has been so great that total emissions from this source have increased even as emissions per unit of output (intensity) have declined by as much as 45 per cent. These trends are expected to continue into the foreseeable future and the oil sands are projected to account for 41-47 per cent of ‘business-as-usual’ Canadian emissions growth between 2003 and 2010.”

If Canada and the United States are going to get serious about reducing GHG emissions, it seems obvious that they would start with the biggest and fastest growing point source on the continent. There are, unfortunately, 1.5 trillion reasons why that will be one of the hardest places to make progress.

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Alberta Oil Sands Barack Obama Richard Nixon

american energy independence, 37 years and waiting.

With American President-Elect Barack Obama‘s team preparing to move into the White House, they’ve made one of their goals to achieve self-sufficiency in energy by eliminating current oil imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 years. With this in mind, ask yourself if this sounds familiar…

…One month following the outbreak of the Yom Kippur Middle East war of October 1973, with the United States deep in the grip of Watergate fever compounded by the anxiety over the Arab oil boycott, former U.S. President Richard M. Nixon appeared on American television to prescribe strong medicine, his antidote for the energy crisis.

Nixon named it “Project Independence.” The challenge facing the United States, he declared, was to regain the strength of self-sufficiency in energy. This was a key to Americans predominance among the nations. “Our ability to meet our own energy needs is directly linked to our continued ability to act decisively and independently at home and abroad in the service of peace, not only for America, bur for all nations in the world.” Calling for “focused leadership” to achieve self-sufficiency by 1980, Nixon likened his challenge to earlier crash programs to develop the atomic bomb and to put a man on the moon. He went on to promise massive public funding for the exploration of American’s remaining energy resources-Alaskan oil and gas, offshore oil reserves, nuclear energy and synthetic fuels from coal and oil shale….

Source: Pratt, Larry, The Tar Sands: Syncrude and the Politics of Oil, Hurtig, Edmonton, Alberta. pp 49 – 50, 1976.

(h/t to Climateer Investing for the reminder)

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Alberta Oil Sands Stephane Dion

blogging blackout until the end of the week. that’s a full lid. thank you very much.

In order to catch up with life, school, and work, I’m going to be taking a bit of a break from blogging this week. Here are some links to satisfy your fetishes:
– Litfest 2008 was excellent. I hope to post more on this later.
– When 33% of Newfoundlanders vote Conservative and 25% of Saskatchewan voters cast a ballot for the NDP, but neither of these groups are represented in the House of Commons, it’s pretty clear that something isn’t working. Political hacks can have rhetoric-filled debates for or against electoral reform until they’re red in the face, but the reality is that Canadians’ votes aren’t being reflected in the results and citizens are opting out of the system in droves. The status-quo isn’t working.
– Stephane Dion is moving on, but the Liberal Party of Canada will need a lot more than a new leader to become a national party again.

– Alberta’s Oil Sands will pollute Great Lakes, report warns. As if Ontario, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Wisconsin, and Ohio need our help polluting the Great Lakes… (h/t Solve Climate)
– The bizarre story of how Edmonton Oilers organization doesn’t tolerate bloggers in their press box. More here and here.
– Latte-sipping Conservatives? (h/t AGRDT)
– You can be forgiven if you didn’t notice that the Fall session of the Alberta Legislature is underway, most of the important decisions get made in closed door cabinet meetings anyway…

And for anyone who’s ever been part of a leader’s tour…

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Alberta Oil Sands Danny Williams Ed Stelmach Jack Layton Peter Lougheed

alberta passes the torch to danny williams.

And here I was thinking there would be nothing to blog about on the second day of the election campaign…

– Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach sheepishly waded in to the Federal Election campaign yesterday, officially marking the passing of the torch to Canada’s new provincial maverick: Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams. Williams and 43 of his 44 Conservative MHAs have signed on to defeat Stephen Harper’s Conserative candidates in Newfoundland, a caucus loyalty somewhat reminicent of that held by former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed.

– Speaking of Newfoundlanders, NDP leader Jack Layton landed in New-Newfoundland (aka: Fort McMurray) the North West Territories and took his message to Alberta’s Tar Sands this week, citing the Harper Cabinet’s decision to overturn a court ruling blocking Imperial Oil’s Kearl Lake development. The development of Kearl Lake only increases the devastating problems created by current oil sands extraction techniques and the resulting tailing ponds left behind.

– On an fairly embarrassing note, Stephen Harper apologized today for a Conservative Party negative ad that showed an Atlantic Puffin pooping on Liberal leader Stéphane Dion‘s shoulder. Yes, contrary to the evidence before you, these are the grown men who want to govern our country.

– Shifting mediums from television to the internet, the Liberals have launched Scandalpedia — an online wiki of Conservative scandals (I was excited to first read out about this on the DailyKos). The Conservatives hit back with Dionbook, which takes aim at Dion as well as media and bloggers who have been critical of Harper’s government.

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Alberta Oil Sands Stephane Dion

stéphane dion pre-campaigns in edmonton.

“…as much culture as a bowl of yogurt.”

That is how Federal Liberal leader Stéphane Dion described the amount of culture in Stephen Harper‘s Conservative Party following recent cuts to arts and culture funding. Dion was pre-campaigning in Edmonton yesterday and made an afternoon stop at the University of Alberta. This being Alberta, I was surprised to be packed in a 250 person lecture theatre filled with Albertans wanting to catch a glimpse of a Federal Liberal (with over 200 people listening from outside). Dion gave a short and quick stump speech which focused generally on the Green Shift, which is what I expect his upcoming campaign speeches to resemble — short and green.

The hour-long question and answer period was worth attending and included a wide-range of questions including an student affordability question from U of A Students’ Union Vice-President (External) Beverly Eastham, to which Dion replied that students would be very pleased when the Liberal’s released their Post-Secondary Education policy during the campaign (we shall see…). Other questions covered a broad-range of issues including Darfur, Afghanistan, climate change, affordable housing, free trade, culture funding, and education.

I found Dion’s response to a question about the Athabasca/Fort McMurray oil sands a little confusing, as I believe that he suggested that the oil sands could become sustainable. I’m not a scientist, but I’m fairly sure that a heavily exploited non-renewable natural resource does not easily fall into the “sustainable” category (but Dion did promise lots of research funding for the University of Alberta to make it so…).

On a final note, I very much enjoyed the two of militant young Campus Conservatives who were handing out anti-carbon tax sheets outside the event and donning their yellow anti-Dion t-shirts (they almost fit in with the Greenpeace Stop the Tarsands campaigners, who were there in force).

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Alberta Oil Sands Carbon Capture Scheme

albertans could leave carbon capture in their dust…

Just think how much of an international powerhouse Alberta could be if we looked beyond the oil rigs and tar sands? With $2 billion being spent on harebrained short-term solutions like carbon capture and sequestration, Albertans could get a better bang for their buck if we jumped ahead of the curve on other new innovative long-term solutions and technologies…

Dutch venture plans cheap, powerful electric cars

VIJAY JOSHI, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia – A Dutch-based company announced plans Tuesday to produce affordable electric cars by the end of 2009, promising they will be much more powerful than existing models and have zero emissions.

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Alberta Oil Sands Nuclear Power

not expecting a knight to lead a real nuclear debate.

Regular readers will have noticed that I have remained quite skeptical about the expansion and development of nuclear power in Alberta (and I’m not the only one). Unfortunately, as is the case with many important public interest issues in Alberta, the expansion of nuclear power (partially to fuel the already dirty oilsands operations) is not getting the attention or critical debate that it deserves (care to theorize why this could be?).

Over the past couple months, I have written a number of posts on why I believe nuclear expansion is short-sighted move that could have long-term concequences for Albertans long after the private companies involved come and go (unless those companies plan on sticking around to deal with the nuclear leftovers for the next 10,000 years). In order to provide some balance to the nuclear debate on this blog, I am happy to post a link to some intelligent commentary from William Tucker. Tucker will be posting a three-part series on nuclear energy for on the New York Times’ Freakonomics blog. You can read Tucker’s first post here.

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Alberta Oil Sands John O'Connor

water is boss.

Next week, a group of American journalists will be going on a public relations tour to visit the EnCana Carbon Sequestration test site and the Athabasca oilsands operations, care of the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC — but that’s not all that is happening along the Athabasca River this week.

For the past month, members of the Keepers of the Athabasca Watershed Society (KAWS) have been traveling the of the Athabasca River Basin and holding conferences in communities along the river in order to raise awareness about the importance of the river and the effects contamination and overuse of water by oilsands operations. KAWS’ tour will culminate at a large conference in Fort Chipewyan, downstream from Fort McMurray’s oilsands operations, whose residents have seen an increasing number of cancer rates in recent years. Fort Chipewyan’s former Doctor, Dr. John O’Connor, will be delivering the keynote address. at the conference.

In 2006, O’Connor publicly raised concern that an increase in cancer rates in Fort Chipewyan may be the result of the copious amounts of arsenic dumped into the water by oilsands operations along the Athabasca River. Instead of increased support to deal with this medical concern, Alberta Health and Wellness and Health Canada brought forward professional misconduct charges against O’Connor (three of which have been dismissed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta).

In 2007, the Alberta Medical Association unanimously passed a motion in support of Dr. O’Connor and the Canadian Medical Association passed a resolution calling for whistleblower protection for doctors like O’Connor. Though they leveled charges of professional misconduct against O’Connor, the government is currently conducing a comprehensive report on cancer rates in the region.

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Alberta Oil Sands

beaver lake cree draw a line in the oil sand.

The Beaver Lake Cree Nation is taking legal action (pdf) against the governments of Canada and Alberta and is asking the court to rule government authorization for thousands of oil industry projects on the Nation’s territory as invalid.

(h/t The Tyee)

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Alberta Oil Sands

greenpeace punks syncrude.

Media Release

“Braving toxic fumes and the same toxic tailings waste that earlier this year killed 500 ducks, Greenpeace activists entered Syncrude’s Aurora North tar sands operation early this morning and blocked a pipe into the two-kilometre wide tailings pond.

Shortly after 11:00 a.m today, 11 Greenpeace activists blocked the pipe to prevent further toxic contamination of Alberta’s environment. The activists capped the opening of the pipe, locking a large device in place while several other activists erected a triangular banner over another pipe depicting a skull and crossbones which hung above the pipe’s opening, giving the illusion of toxic water gushing from the “mouth” of the skull. Several other activists deployed a massive banner along the bank of the tailings pond, reading “World’s Dirtiest Oil: Stop the Tar Sands.”

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Alberta Oil Sands

john kenneth galbraith on alberta’s oil sands: wwjkgd?

In the face of growing American skepticism of Alberta’s oilsands operations, it appears that Premier Ed Stelmach is assembling a Tarsands Coalition of the Willing this week as Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and Idaho Governor Butch Otter have jumped on board the bitumen train.

I can only suspect that the Governors of Montana and Idaho have about as much influence on the direction of American energy policy as the Prince Edward Island Premier Robert Ghiz would on Canadian energy policy (and so go my chances of becoming Premier of Prince Edward Island anytime soon…).

A couple of months ago, I picked up John Kenneth Galbraith‘s book The Good Society: A Human Agenda. Born in Iona Station, Ontario, Galbraith had a long career as a working for the Presidencies of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, as American Ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963, and serving as the President of the American Economic Association. He was an Officer of the Order of Canada and was a two-time recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom (awarded to him by both Truman and Bill Clinton). He also taught economics at Harvard University and was the author of over 30 books.

Though I wouldn’t rush to agree with all of his findings, after reading Galbraith’s handbook for a compassionate and fiscally sound nation, I would recommend that Stelmach, Schweitzer, Otter, and the seemingly untouchable energy executives in the comfort of their downtown office towers (this means you Charlie Fischer at Nexen, Tom Katinas at Syncrude, Rick George at Suncor, Bruce March at Imperial Oil, and friends) put this book on their summer reading list. The exert below, from Galbraith’s chapter on the environment, was one that I believe is particularly relevant to Alberta in the context of how we exploit our oil sands (with their 50 square kilometers of tailings ponds filled with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and naphthenic acids).

“The market system and its incentives are an accepted part of the good society; this is not in doubt. But there is no divine right of free-enterprise, or free choice, for the producing firm. Or for its consumers. The largest community interest must be protected, as also the future climate and well-being, and there must be concern as to depleatable resources. Since automobiles must be built, have fuel and be driven, and other consumer goods and services must similarly be supplied and utilized, a compromise between the current financial and long-term public interests in essential and inevitable. As a broad rule, however, this compromise must favor the larger community interest and the interest of those to come. That is because the business and political voice and money are allied with the current economic power – with the firms that produce the goods and services, their lobbies and captive or susceptible politicians. The community and the longer public future draw on less specific support.”

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Alberta Oil Sands

explore alberta: your carbon-based vacation destination.

Planning your summer vacation?

Experience a carbon-based energy vacation with an Oil Sands vacation.

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Alberta Oil Sands

canadasoilsands.ca

A resolution passed at the annual conference of American Mayors in Miami, Florida has urged American municipalities to forbid the use of oil sands gasoline in municipal vehicles. The resolution was brought forward by Eugene, Oregon Mayor Kitty Piercy in an attempt to limit the flow of “dirty oil” into American cities. But rather than adapt to the realities of changing market forces, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (which includes some of the largest oil sands companies) has launched a public relations offensive in the form of a slick website – canadasoilsands.ca – in an effort to re-brand the oil sands.

The oil sands are driving Alberta’s economic engine, and in a time of continental economic insecurity, Alberta can play a central role in providing some economic stability. But as I’ve previously written, the future environmental costs of how the oil sands are currently being extracted are too high for my liking (and apparently too high for many American municipal politicians).

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier has invited a group of American Mayors to Alberta to allow them to see the effects of the oil sands. I’m sure there are some nice boardrooms in downtown Calgary, but you’ll nary find a tailing pond in sight from Centre Street.

The chemical-filled tailing ponds that dot approximately 50 square kilometers of northern Alberta (equal to the size of 220,000 Olympic swimming pools) are only one of the problems facing the oil sands and other implications of oil sands extraction are easily identifiable. The effects of oil sands development have increased cancer rates in northern Alberta’s aboriginal communities and have caused the rapid decline of indigenous animals such as the Woodlands Caribou.

Current oil sands operations use an unsustainable amount of water from the Athabasca River basin – using up to 4.5 barrels of water to extract and upgrade one lonely barrel of bitumen from an oil sands mine. Companies extracting the oil sands are currently allowed to continue extracting water from the Athabasca River, even when river levels are at sitting at dangerously low levels.

Ironically, with oil prices at record high levels and Alberta’s Treasury overflowing, our Federal and Provincial governments have the funds and resources available to responsibly initiate real positive change in the oil sands by turning around the larger disasterous impacts that we could be heading towards in the future if we continue along the simplistic path we’re on.

canadasoilsands.ca correctly states that…

The oil sands are owned by the people of Canada through their governments. Companies buy rights to access the resource, and pay royalties to government on their production.

… and it’s time that we as Canadians started taking responsibility for the environmental impacts we are allowing to shape our future.

Big changes need to happen in order to address the environmental challenges that we’ve created for ourselves, but focusing on real positive change – such as changing the way we extract our resources (and lessening our dependence on unsustainable fuels), investing in the expansion and development of public transit and new smart growth initiatives in our rapidly growing municipalities, as well as developing more environmentally efficient and sustainable energy sources (and ways of living) are more positive solutions than a public relations campaign can offer.

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