http://dirtyoilsands.org/index.php en aseptoff@earthworksaction.org Copyright 2010 2010-03-05T21:37:28+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/dogwood_initiative_rbc_is_bankrolling_the_tar_sands/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/dogwood_initiative_rbc_is_bankrolling_the_tar_sands/#When:21:37:28Z The Dogwood Initiative and Rainforest Action Network have targeted the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) -- the #1 financier of oil sands development. On March 3rd, 2010 Dogwood staff and Victoria residents showed up at the Royal Bank of Canada's Victoria headquarters to draw attention to RBC's role as Canada's largest financier of dirty fuels, including the tar sands. After the jump: more info including a video of the demonstration.The Dogwood Initiative and Rainforest Action Network have targeted the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) -- the #1 financier of oil sands development. On March 3rd, 2010 Dogwood staff and Victoria residents showed up at the Royal Bank of Canada's Victoria headquarters to draw attention to RBC's role as Canada's largest financier of dirty fuels, including the tar sands. At the Dogwood Initiative blog, Eric Swanson reports on the demonstration (and stars in the video below), gives tar sands financing info, and provides RBC phone numbers you can call to urge divestment. You can also read the Dogwood/RAN press release announcing the VIctoria demonstration. At the RAN tar sands website, you download RBC protest materials, like this neat screen to post at RBC ATMs. Video and photos of the RBC demonstration: 2010-03-05T21:37:28+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/its_only_like_adding_20_million_cars_to_the_roads_eh_nrdc/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/its_only_like_adding_20_million_cars_to_the_roads_eh_nrdc/#When:20:33:53Z NRDC's Elizabeth Shope puts to rest big oil's canard that tar sands oil greenhouse gas emissions are almost equivalent to conventional oil's.We in the environmental community often say, correctly, that extracting and upgrading a barrel of tar sands oil emits three to five times more greenhouse gases than extracting a barrel of conventional oil. (Conventional oil generally doesn't need upgrading -- that's part of the reason it's "conventional".) Industry counters that life cycle emissions are what matter, not extraction emissions. And by that measure, tar sands oil is "only" 10% more GHG polluting than conventional oil. The Natural Resources Defense Council's Elizabeth Shope responds in part: This is a poor assessment on several levels. First, while some of the most efficient surface mining methods of extracting tar sands cause lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions 10% greater than conventional oil, many of the in-situ operations—where the ground is heated with steam for several years in order to melt the tar-like oil enough so that it can flow out—cause lifecycle emissions that are 30% greater. Currently, about half of the tar sands production is from mining, and half in-situ; the trend is towards using more in-situ. So on average, tar sands have lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions that are closer to 20% greater than conventional oil; simply reporting the best value (10%) against the worst conventional crude oil emissions is misleading PR—not scientific. Okay, so 20% still doesn’t sound like so much to you? If you do the math, it turns out that replacing 3 million barrels per day (mbd)* of conventional oil with tar sands oil would cause 120 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.** Sounds like a lot? That’s because it is. According to GREET, the average car travelling 12,000 miles per year contributes 5.8 metric tons of global warming pollution to the atmosphere. So adding 120 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year is equivalent to adding over 20 million cars to the road – and that’s a low-end estimate. For some context, this is approximately the number of automobiles in California and over double the number of cars in Texas, which has the second highest number of cars in any U.S. state. You should really read her full post, including supporting links. 2010-03-05T20:33:53+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/a_champion_goalie_urges_canada_to_make_a_key_stop/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/a_champion_goalie_urges_canada_to_make_a_key_stop/#When:00:06:55Z Mike Richter, goalie for the New York Rangers when they won the Stanley Cup and three-time Olympian, urges the Canadian government to make a critical stop: stop the development of the oil sands.On February 24th, Mike Richter, three-time Olympian and goalie for the Stanley Cup New York Ranger teams and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, spoke up for winter and against the oil sands in an op-ed in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Being one of the best in the world at stopping things extremely hard with enormous momentum, he has clearly recognized the need to stop oil sands development:: As a hockey goalie who loves winter sports, it has been hard to watch events canceled in Vancouver because of warm weather and know that if we don't act now to fight global warming, we may see more and more of this in the Olympic Games of the future. Even skiers and snowboarders could be forced to compete indoors, in artificial climates, on man-made snow. We can't seriously combat global warming while getting fuel from the world's dirtiest source. If we allow Canada's oil sands project to creep across our border, it will lock our nation into dependence on yet another foreign source of oil, just as our local clean-energy industry is beginning to thrive. If you Love Winter and Hate the Tar Sands, and want to Save Winter, TAKE ACTION at lovewinter.org and savewinter.ca. 2010-02-27T00:06:55+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/ran_gets_to_maybe_with_rbc/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/ran_gets_to_maybe_with_rbc/#When:19:22:20Z From the Rainforest Action Network's blog, Understory: "After a year of campaigning, this afternoon RBC and RAN finally sat opposite the same table to talk tar sands." In RBC’s corner was COO Barbara Stymiest joined by Sandra Odendahl and Shari Austin. We correspond with Sandra and Shari pretty regularly. Barbara was a new contact. She’s one of nine members of RBC’s “Group Executive” responsible for setting the overall strategic direction of the bank. Weighing in for RAN was Acting Executive Director Rebecca Tarbotton joined by Eriel Deranger and me. Our aim was to learn whether RBC is ready to begin putting its money where its mouth is on Indigenous rights, water quality and climate change by scaling back its financing in Canada’s tar sands. Read RAN's blog post about the meeting here For background on the meeting, read this RAN blog post 2010-02-19T19:22:20+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/update_from_vancouver_team_polar_bear_wants_answers/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/update_from_vancouver_team_polar_bear_wants_answers/#When:22:37:46Z Team Polar Bear has arrived in Vancouver (with a little help from the Dogwood Initiative) to save winter from the dirty oil sands. The bears are here to save pond hockey, ice castles, skiing, and Canada's very identity. Check out the pics after the jump.Team Polar Bear has arrived in Vancouver (with a little help from the Dogwood Initiative) to save winter from the dirty oil sands. The bears are here to save pond hockey, ice castles, skiing, and Canada's very identity. All are at risk, thanks in part to the oil sands -- the world's dirtiest fossil fuel. Find out more at savewinter.ca. Some news coverage of Team Polar Bear: GOLD to the Dogwood Initiative for recycling the polar bear, The Tyee Ice-holes unite to welcome Colbert to Canada, Vancouver Sun Canadians meet their mocker, Tyee's The Hook Pics of Team Polar Bear's arrival: 2010-02-18T22:37:46+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/south_dakota_to_decide_on_keystone_xl_pipeline/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/south_dakota_to_decide_on_keystone_xl_pipeline/#When:13:41:28Z Today the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission decides on TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline. After the jump, get the links to the list to the PUC meeting live and see a Plains Justice video outlining what's at stake.From Plains Justice's South Dakota Tar Sands Pipelines blog: "Big news: the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to vote whether to approve or deny the Keystone XL pipeline on February 18. Their meeting begins at 2:30 pm in room 413 of the Capitol Building in Pierre." UPDATE: Today is the day the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission decides on TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The Commissioners are holding a vote without having seen an emergency response plan or an Environmental Impact Statement. The agenda for the meeting is here. You can listen over the internet by going o http://puc.sd.gov/ and click the Listen LIVE link at the top of the page. See Plains Justice's video below explaining what's at stake. For More Information Our Keystone XL page (including more background info links) Susan Casey-Lefkowtiz of NRDC puts the Keystone XL pipeline in the larger context with her recent blog post What tar sands oil means in America's heartland? 2010-02-18T13:41:28+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/team_polar_bear_wants_you_join_up_at_savewinter.ca/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/team_polar_bear_wants_you_join_up_at_savewinter.ca/#When:14:36:07Z Polar bears have noticed that the days are getting warmer, and Arctic ice is disappearing. So Team Polar Bear -- with some assistance from the Dogwood Initiative -- has traveled south to discover what's happening to the snow and ice they used to take for granted. From savewinter.ca: "Warmer days could spell the end of pond hockey and ice castles, the slopes of Canada's great ski mountains could go bare and in the countries capital, Ottawa, skating on the Rideau Canal may eventually be no more. The Polar Bears discover a deep secret at the centre of the disappearing snow. Canada, the country that prides itself on its frosty fortitude, is itself one of the largest per capita contributors to heat trapping gas emissions. And in the heart of the Great Nation is one of the Dirtiest Projects on Earth. The Alberta Tar Sands. Can team Polar bear save their home and in the process Save Winter, or will the forces of big oil prevail and change Canada forever?" If Team Polar Bear is going to win the fight to save their homes, and Save Winter, it'll only be with your help. Check out savewinter.ca. 2010-02-17T14:36:07+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/love_winter_-_hate_the_tar_sands_lovewinter.org/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/love_winter_-_hate_the_tar_sands_lovewinter.org/#When:18:11:36Z The Sierra Club and the Dogwood Initiative are featuring champion winter athletes' opposition to oil sands development -- tying their stance to the oil sands role in global warming and the associated threat to winter. In association with this effort, Sierra Club has launched lovewinter.org. lovewinter.org, in addition to providing more info linking oil sands to the threats to winter, gives people an opportunity to voice their opposition to oil sands expansion to President Obama. You can also get a neato-keen "Love Winter - Hate the Oil Sands" sticker for your car, your snowboard, or whatever is crying out for a sticker. Athletes' quotes from the Sierra Club's press release: "Canada has some of the best snowboarding in the world, but the oil sands industry is going to blow it. This is the dirtiest oil on earth. If want to save our snow, we have to stop it." -- Jeremy Jones, big mountain snowboarding legend and founder of Protect our Winters "We can't seriously combat global warming while getting fuel from the world's dirtiest source. Unless we act now to combat climate change, it could put an end to the winters we know and love." -- Mike Richter, Olympic hockey goalie and silver medalist "As a skier, I've already witnessed glaciers melting and ski areas closing around the world because of climate change. The global warming emissions from the oil sands are a threat to the future of skiing and the health of our kids." -- Alison Gannett, world champion freeskier and founder of the Save Our Snow Foundation For More Information LoveWinter.org Love Winter? Hate the Tar sands., Treehugger 2010-02-16T18:11:36+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/maybe_if_they_say_it/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/maybe_if_they_say_it/#When:02:04:41Z An interesting post at the Financial Times's energysource blog shows that it's not just military experts who think oil dependency causes national security risks, no matter where the oil comes from.Military experts having been making the case that climate change -- and by extension tar sands oil -- are a risk to U.S. national security. Now the White House's Council of Economic Advisors is making the same case -- but not just on a climate basis. They also argue that oil price volatility -- the upswing of which being the reason big oil heavily invested in the oil sands (and the downswing of which being the reason they're now having second thoughts) -- coupled with oil dependence threaten national security. From Transforming the Energy Sector an Addressing Climate, Chapter 9 of the Council's 2010 Report to the President: In the United States, continued reliance on petroleum-based fuels poses challenges that go beyond climate change. It makes the economy susceptible to potentially costly spikes in crude oil prices and imposes significant national security costs. A panel of retired senior military officers and national security experts concluded that unabated climate change may act as a “threat multiplier” to foment further instability in some of the world’s most unstable regions (CNA Corporation 2007). Fossil fuel consumption is also associated with other forms of pollution that harm human health, such as particulate, sulfur dioxide, and mercury emissions from coal-powered electricity generation. 2010-02-13T02:04:41+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/bird_lovers_flock_together_--_and_combat_the_oil_sands_nrdc/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/bird_lovers_flock_together_--_and_combat_the_oil_sands_nrdc/#When:19:28:13Z NRDC and the Cornell Lab of Orinthology have created a new interactive online community for bird enthusiasts: WeLoveBirds.org. It's a place to share your love of birds. It's also a place to take action to protect birds from threats to their survival -- like the oil sands. From Susan Casey-Lefkowitz's blog at the NRDC Switchboard: "Through the site, NRDC will provide you with actions that you can take to help save birds and bird habitat. The current action is about protecting a one of the world’s most important nesting grounds for migratory birds - the Peace-Athabasca Delta. The Delta is downstream from the world's largest industrial project---Alberta's tar sands oil mines. Tar sands oil is a more recent, dirty and expensive form of petroleum extraction to fuel American cars and trucks. It is already having devastating impacts on the delta and on migratory birds. More than 1 million birds, including tundra swans, snow geese and countless ducks nest in the delta. For many waterfowl, this area is their only nesting ground. But Canada is ramping up tar sands oil extraction in the Boreal forest just south of the delta, which could contaminate and reduce water flow into the delta, kill fish and disturb habitat. Tar sands oil development and use also contributes to global warming, which has reduced ecologically important flooding in the delta." For more information: Read the full blog post (which includes more links): Bird-Lovers Flock Together WeLoveBirds.org 2010-02-11T19:28:13+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/oil_change_north_americas_oil_industry_is_downsizing/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/oil_change_north_americas_oil_industry_is_downsizing/#When:16:42:29Z Two stories from Canada’s Globe and Mail this week highlight the emerging reality that the oil industry in North America is downsizing; although the commentary mostly misses the underlying trend that is staring it in the face.Lorne Stockman over at Oil Change is at it again. This time he's connecting the dots of recent media stories showing that the oil industry is realizing that demand has peaked in the United States... and tar sands investments are looking riskier all the time. You should read the whole post, but here are some highlights: "[T]he uncertain future for tar sands was brought more sharply into focus when it emerged that Suncor and Imperial Oil (60% owned by Exxon) are appealing to a US regulator to force Enbridge to hold back on increasing pipeline tolls from Canada because they say Enbridge is building too much pipeline capacity for tar sands oil into the US. and The problem as the oil producers see it, is that since they signed up for [the Alberta Clipper tar sands oil pipeline] back in 2007, the outlook for tar sands has deteriorated sharply and they are unsure how much tar sands crude they will have available to pump through Enbridge’s new line. The contract between Enbridge and oil producers guarantees Enbridge revenue making it more expensive for oil producers to use only a portion of their allotted capacity. and TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline proposal, which is slated to bring 500,000 b/d of tar sands crude to the Gulf Coast by 2013, will result in around 41% excess capacity in Canada-US pipeline systems, according to the G&M article. That means that on top of paying some of the most expensive capital costs in the oil industry to pull tar sands crude out of the ground, producers will be paying a premium to get it to refineries, while refineries will be paying the extra costs of processing the heavy sour crude into products that are decreasingly in demand. Sounds like the party’s over to me." 2010-02-08T16:42:29+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/oil_change_shock_waves_of_anxiety_over_shells_tar_sands_move/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/oil_change_shock_waves_of_anxiety_over_shells_tar_sands_move/#When:15:17:28Z A few days ago, Shell made news by announcing in the Financial Times that they were scaling back their plans in the Alberta tar sands. That one of the world's largest oil companies sees reason to reduce investment in the tar sands calls into question the long-term profitability of the tar sands. It also weakens arguments that unconventional oil deposits, like the tar sands, are the way to solve U.S. energy security problems.Lorne Stockman, blogging at Oil Change International, discusses the implications of Shell's announcement at length. Some highlights: "Since the middle of last year I have been writing about the vulnerability of the tar sands industry to a slow down in the growth rate of oil demand. With some of the most expensive cost structures in the oil industry, the future growth of tar sands production requires oil prices to stay high over the long term. But high oil prices exert a deflating effect on the economy and in turn reduce demand and prices." and "So when a company like Shell, the biggest international oil company in the tar sands that has stated on several occasions that its ambition is “to be the leading oil sands operator” starts to show signs of an about turn, the rest of the industry should be worried." and "If Shell now feels that unconventional oil may be too risky and, as stated in the FT, plans to refocus on conventional oil and gas, what does that mean for Alberta, Canada, the tar sands industry and US energy security?" 2010-01-29T15:17:28+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/satellite_images_of_tailings_ponds_--_environmental_defence/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/satellite_images_of_tailings_ponds_--_environmental_defence/#When:16:36:55Z Environmental Defence Canada has posted satellite images published in association with their astonishing report 11 Million Litres a Day: The Tar Sands' Leaking Legacy. From Environmental Defence's blog: "In the spirit of information wanting to be free, and with a credit to Global Forest Watch Canada, below are the satellite images of toxic tailings "ponds" (lakes, really) from the tar sands we first published in our report about tailings ponds leakage - in short, all of the ponds leak massive amounts of toxic materials into the groundwater every day. The series shows the growth of the earthen structures from 1974 through to the present, including the last one showing the future - the ponds now approved to happen." Below are two of the five images on EDC's site showing the growth of tar sands tailings ponds over time: Tailings ponds have been colored yellow 1974 2008 2010-01-25T16:36:55+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/Science_Shows_Tar_Sands_Industry_Linked_to_Toxic_Pollution/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/Science_Shows_Tar_Sands_Industry_Linked_to_Toxic_Pollution/#When:19:12:25Z Canada continues to show the world that it will protect Tar Sands at any cost.Canada continues to show the world that it will protect Tar Sands at any cost. A new independent science report in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that toxic pollution from the oilsands is far greater than the industry has been reporting and disproves industry and Canadian government claims that the pollution found in the Athabasca River is 'natural'. It also calls into question Canada regulatory oversight system which relies on industry monitoring... A substantial disposition of airborne particulates (somewhat similar to what comes out of tailpipe of a diesel engine) was found within 50 km of two upgrading facilities (Suncor and Syncrude). The amount of bitumen that was released up to a 50-kilometre area near the Athabasca was equivalent to a major oil spill – one that happens every year in the same area. The closer to the tar sands upgrading facilities, the higher the level of particulates, so much that oil slicks formed on top of melted snow. Today's response by the Alberta Government: "any contamination in area soils and rivers is natural and poses no serious health risk." Of course, this line is so familiar that the lead author of the report preemptively responded: "It defie[s] logic to think that all that was going in was natural."-- lead author David Schindler of the University of Alberta, Edmonton For more information Abstract of Oil sands development contributes polycyclic aromatic compounds to the Athabasca River and its tributaries, Erin N. Kellya, Jeffrey W. Shortb, David W. Schindlera, Peter V. Hodsonc, Mingsheng Maa, Alvin K. Kwana and Barbra L. Fortina, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, October 23, 2009. News articles featuring the study Tar sands mining linked to stream pollution, Nicola Jones, nature news, 12/7/09 Toxic chemical levels higher in water downstream of Alberta oilsands plans: study, Hanneke Brooymans, Edmonton Journal, 12/7/09 Oil sands pollution in Canada worse than industry and government claim, Jeremy Hance, Mongabay.com, 12/7/09 U of A's David Schindler confirms untold levels of oil sands pollution on the Athabasca, ScienceBlog, 12/7/09 Oilsands pollution exceeds official estimates: study, Toronto Star, 12/7/09 Pollution levels increase due to oilsands operations: study, CTV.ca, 12/7/09 Untold Levels of Oil Sands Pollution on Athabasca River Confirmed, Science Daily, 12/8/09 Oil sands emissions polluitng waterways, study finds, Globe and Mail, 12/8/09 New Study Finds That Oil Sands Development a Greater Source of Contamination Than Previously Realized; Challenges Existing Monitoring Program, Green Car Congress, 12/8/09 Oilsands more toxic than government and industry claims, Jennifer Anselmo, Edmonton Politics Examiner, 12/8/09 2009-12-08T19:12:25+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/the_world_has_lost_patience_with_canada._finally/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/the_world_has_lost_patience_with_canada._finally/#When:21:18:28Z George Monbiot, a columnist for the Guardian newspaper and the author of Heat, a bestselling book on climate change spelled it out for the world in his column yesterday: "Canada is now to Climate What Japan is to Whaling." He said that Canada's climate bullying tactics to ensure that it expands its dirty oil that have caused "shock and revulsion everywhere. The world has lost patience with Canada. Finally. George Monbiot, a columnist for the Guardian newspaper and the author of Heat, a bestselling book on climate change spelled it out for the world in his column yesterday: "Canada is now to Climate What Japan is to Whaling." He said that Canada's climate bullying tactics to ensure that it expands its dirty oil that have caused "shock and revulsion everywhere. This shouldn't be really be news. Canada already trails most developed countries on climate change progress and Canada has long been acting as a silent climate 'hit man'. But, recently it's been ratcheting up its efforts to a shocking level by actively blocking the world from moving forward on climate progress. This new role as climate saboteur has elicited pointed criticism from foreign governments: in fact last week, a concerted campaign began to EXPEL Canada from the Commonwealth. While there have been rumblings in the past, more government leaders ,who have invested financial and political capital to tackle global warming are finally outing Canada's behind-the-scenes efforts and letting the world know that they've "lost patience" with the Harper government. A diplomatic source said today to the Toronto Star. "There's a sense that Harper hasn't invested anything." It's worth repeating Monbiot's quick chronology about how Canada took two steps back for its dirty oil: After giving the finger to Kyoto, Canada then set out to prevent the other nations striking a successor agreement. At the end of 2007, it singlehandedly blocked a Commonwealth resolution to support binding targets for industrialised nations. After the climate talks in Poland in December 2008, it won the Fossil of the Year award, presented by environmental groups to the country that had done most to disrupt the talks. The climate change performance index, which assesses the efforts of the world's 60 richest nations, was published in the same month. Saudi Arabia came 60th. Canada came 59th. In June this year the media obtained Canadian briefing documents which showed the government was scheming to divide the Europeans. During the meeting in Bangkok in October, almost the entire developing world bloc walked out when the Canadian delegate was speaking, as they were so revolted by his bullying. Last week the Commonwealth heads of government battled for hours (and eventually won) against Canada's obstructions. A concerted campaign has now begun to expel Canada from the Commonwealth. In Copenhagen next week, this country will do everything in its power to wreck the talks. The rest of the world must do everything in its power to stop it. But such is the fragile nature of climate agreements that one rich nation " especially a member of the G8, the Commonwealth and the Kyoto group of industrialised countries " could scupper the treaty. Canada now threatens the wellbeing of the world. Why? There's a simple answer: Canada is developing the world's second largest reserve of oil. IUS audiences should pay particular attention: that's because Canada has been quietly locking the US into a future dependent on Canadian dirty oil . It's been working to expand tar sands into the US via a spiderweb of thousands of miles of pipeline, refineries and even tanker traffic that would keep the US addicted to the world's dirtiest oil for decades to come. Canada has also been conducting an all out lobbying campaign to get US to embrace Canada Oil Sands. In the last month, Canada's Environmental Minister was in California to push back on clean energy progress – a direct challenge to the future of tar sands. Insider's say for Canada's dirty oil strategy, the most immediate concern is not the federal legislation slowly taking shape in Washington, DC, but the new fuel regulations approved by the state of California in April. Now is your chance do something about it right now: Insist that Canada stop pushing the world towards a climate catastrophe. . Take action #1: Take 3 minutes and watch The Tar Sands BLOW at thetarsandsblow.org. We are happy to share with you a provocative and engaging new video that tells the story of the tar sands. Take action #2: Sign the "speak up" petition accompanying the video – tar sands are the wrong answer. Take action #3: Share the link far and wide with family, friends, colleagues – let's get the message about the tar sands out there! Visit our site often – we will update you on additional actions, provide updates on negotiations inside the conference and taking part in numerous events and climate justice movement activities happening outside. 2009-12-01T21:18:28+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/uk_bank_wwf_report_ccs_cant_significantly_reduce_tar_sands_emissions/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/uk_bank_wwf_report_ccs_cant_significantly_reduce_tar_sands_emissions/#When:19:04:02Z Today a damning new report from the Co-operative Financial Services and WWF-UK debunks the idea, that carbon capture and storage (CCS) will significantly counter the high levels of greenhouse gases emitted in the production of oil from tar sands deposits in Alberta, Canada.Today a damning new report from the Co-operative Financial Services and WWF-UK debunks the idea that carbon capture and storage (CCS) will significantly counter the high levels of greenhouse gases emitted in the production of oil from tar sands deposits in Alberta, Canada. Carbon Capture and Storage in the Alberta Oil Sands - A Dangerous Myth warns that carbon capture can not significantly reduce tar sands emissions. Using the oil industry's own best-case estimate – that 30 per cent of carbon emissions could be captured by 2030 and 50 per cent by 2050 – the analysts note that this falls far short of the reduction needed to make tar sands oil compare favorably with conventional crude. The conclusion: CCS for dirty oil sands is simply too little, too late, and too expensive to qualify as a climate solution. Even top oil industry leaders like the CEO of BP publicly suggest CCS won’t work when it comes to oil sands. We’re left with a whole lot of questions: Will this report raise the ire of Canadians, coming on the heels of Canada/Alberta’s controversial $865 million significant public subsidy to pilot the first dirty oil sands CCS project? Will it put additional pressure on U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu who has said that technology can solve dirty oil sands environmental problems? Or will Canada continue to ignore the facts with more special treatment for the Tar Sands? Read the press release for Carbon Capture and Storage in the Alberta Oil Sands - A Dangerous Myth 2009-10-26T19:04:02+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/global_economic_opinion_canadas_oil_sands_even_higher_risk/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/global_economic_opinion_canadas_oil_sands_even_higher_risk/#When:20:22:34Z In a major new report, Deutch Bank analysts warn of high price volatility for oil as the leadership baton is passed. “This is the end of 20th Century Oil”. The report warns that the value of ‘underdeveloped resources, like the Tar Sands, could be far lower than the market currently expects. Read an article about the report, Deutsche: the end is nigh for the Age of Oil, in the Financial Times. 2009-10-08T20:22:34+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/lax_oversight_not_enough._oil_sands_miners_want_to_skip_environmental_asses/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/lax_oversight_not_enough._oil_sands_miners_want_to_skip_environmental_asses/#When:23:03:10Z In the October 2nd Globe and Mail: Under a major new rule change being considered by Alberta's Environment Ministry, an impact assessment - a massive document that looks at a project's effects on forests and wildlife and other environmental factors - may no longer be required for most new in situ oil sands projects. Instead, industry would agree to abide by a "code of practice," similar to the rules governing companies that drill wells for conventional light oil. It's self-evident why this is justified I guess: clearly an industry that has yet to fully reclaim an oil sands operation, and leaks approximately 11 million liters of tailings per day into North America's second largest watershed, is an industry that should be exempted from already weak environmental scrutiny. 2009-10-02T23:03:10+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/greenpeace_shuts_down_suncor/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/greenpeace_shuts_down_suncor/#When:20:32:19Z We have word from Greepeace Canada that 10 activists have successfully shut down two bitumen conveyor belts at Suncor's massive tar sands facility north of Fort McMurray, Alberta.Suncor's operations north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Credit: Greenpeace We have word from Greepeace Canada that 10 activists have successfully shut down two bitumen conveyor belts at Suncor's massive tar sands facility north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. You can see at live feed of the action, along with tweets from activists on the scene at the Greenpeace website. Suncor is a massive, iconic tar sands facility right on the banks of the Athabasca river. In addition to the two conveyors being occupied by the activists, all the other conveyors within view have been shut down, creating a major interruption in work at the facility. According the Greenpeace press release: The action today also highlights how the tar sands not only cause climate disaster and wanton destruction, but are also poisoning the Athabasca, a Canadian heritage river, and threatening people whose lives and livelihoods depend on it. “Greenhouse gas emissions are just one element of the crimes happening in the tar sands,” said Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Mike Hudema. “Around 11 million litres of toxic chemicals, including carcinogens and other deadly poisons are leaking into groundwater and the Athabasca and poisoning entire communities. Their food is contaminated, their water unsafe to swim in, let alone drink. This is not what the world expects from Canada, but it’s the grim reality.” In December, the world has an historic opportunity to step back from the brink of catastrophic climate change. At the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, world leaders must agree to urgent measures to save the climate. The continued development of the tar sands threatens to derail international climate action. 2009-09-30T20:32:19+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/ipcc_to_canada_shut_down_the_tar_sands/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/ipcc_to_canada_shut_down_the_tar_sands/#When:19:07:35Z Yesterday, the head of IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri, made a bold statement : Canada's oil sands should be shut down. Yesterday, the head of IPCC, Rajendra Pachauri, made a bold statement : Canada's oil sands should be shut down. While there's no reaction so far from Canada's PM Harper – wouldn't it be amazing if a few top climate journalists were able to get him to comment? Clearly his modus operandi is not to discuss the world's growing backlash against the climate, environmental or health issues that are part of Canada's dirty oil sands ‘super' energy package. He only took one question from journalists last week and didn't utter a peep when international environmental groups ‘outed' Canada's dirty oil sands in the U.S. Behind the scenes Harper tried to win special treatment during his meeting with Obama to grow the US addiction on Canada's oil sands – 33 new refineries, thousands of miles of pipelines and even tanker traffic are part of the vision. Not the kind of plan the world is asking for to curb greenhouse gas emissions. (Last week Dr. James Hansen also urged Canada's Oil Sands expansions to be stopped). Luckily for Harper, his oil posse is there for him. And last week they were livid. They are fighting the potential low-carbon transportation fuel mandates which would not allow super-carbon-emissions fuels like the dirty oil to be sold. They got out a letter urging National Security Adviser James Jones to study how they could affect imports of Canadian oil sands. – upping their rhetoric (and protecting their investment) by trying to paint oil sands as an important ‘energy security' source. Depends on how you view national/climate security: I highly doubt Rajendra Pachauri would agree with the oil industry's (aka ConsumerEnergyAlliance) letter that upping the US dependence on the world's dirtiest oil is encouraging: (A snippet from the letter: “Last year, the United States imported 1.5 million barrels of oil a day derived from the Canadian oil sands, and thanks to projects such as the Alberta Clipper, that number is expected to climb to 4.3 million barrels a day over the next two decades. This is encouraging news.” ) Neither would top US military leaders and Military National Security think tanks. They are telling the US administration that combating climate by getting off fossil fuels must be the top National Security priority. Today's UN Climate Meeting is a serious moment for world leaders. There's a new world reality because of global warming that must recognized and acted upon; the oil sands industry and friends of the dirty oil sands industry are not the leaders we need. 2009-09-22T19:07:35+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/who_is_harper_greenpeace_blocks_oil_sands_mine/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/who_is_harper_greenpeace_blocks_oil_sands_mine/#When:18:15:00Z The day before Prime Minister Harper visits the White House to give his oil slick pitch, Greenpeace is drawing attention to the impact of tar sands development by blocking a Shell Oil sands mine. Click the image to see Greenpeace's action to block Shell's oil sands mine, live!The day before Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visits the White House to push dirty oil sands expansion -- and special treatment re climate change regulations -- Greenpeace is blocking a Shell oil sands mine. On their website, you can see live video of the action, and keep up with their twitter feed. Tell President Obama: don't buy Prime Minister Harper's oil slick pitch 2009-09-15T18:15:00+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/who_is_harper_rainforest_action_network_has_an_answer/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/who_is_harper_rainforest_action_network_has_an_answer/#When:16:28:37Z Earlier today, dirtyoilsands.org network member Rainforest Action Network dropped a banner from a bridge at Niagara Falls on the U.S.-Canada border.Earlier today, dirtyoilsands.org network member Rainforest Action Network dropped a banner from a bridge at Niagara Falls on the U.S.-Canada border. The banner hang highlights the September 16th visit of Prime Minister Harper to the White House. Harper champions the expansion Big Oil's tar sands, and would like to see them granted special treatment by the United States when it comes to permitting infrastructure developments and climate change policy. Expansion of the oil sands is a bad idea -- oil sands crude is dirty, dangerous, and expensive. Choosing tar sands oil means choosing to ignore the potential of the new. clean energy economy. Tell President Obama: don't buy what Prime Minister Harper is selling! For more information: RAN's banner hang at Niagara Falls Who is Harper? Tell Obama: don't buy Harper's oil slick pitch All RAN's Who Is Harper? action 2009-09-15T16:28:37+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/pedal_for_the_planet/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/pedal_for_the_planet/#When:17:42:57Z Pedal for the Planet is a chance for individuals, organizations and communities to join together to ensure that Canada does its fair share to tackle the climate crisis. Using bikes, trains and other modes of green transport, we will demonstrate our personal commitment to change, and relay our expectations for a Copenhagen climate treaty on to Ottawa.Pedal for the Planet is a chance for individuals, organizations and communities to join together to ensure that Canada does its fair share to tackle the climate crisis. Using bikes, trains and other modes of green transport, we will demonstrate our personal commitment to change, and relay our expectations for a Copenhagen climate treaty on to Ottawa. Pedal for the Planet is a KYOTOplus initiative supported by Sierra Club Canada, Sierra Youth Coalition, Oxfam Canada, Climate Action Network and other organizations across the country. A note from Mike Buckthought of Sierra Club Canada who is Pedaling for the Planet as you read this: This summer, people across Canada are joining Pedal for the Planet, a cross-country relay for climate action. We will ride to Ottawa, relaying a message to Members of Parliament - Canada must do its fair share to tackle the climate crisis. The riders are now cycling across Ontario and Quebec. Join the ride from Kingston to Ottawa, September 12-14 - or join us on Parliament Hill, September 15. Let's stop Canada's backpedalling on climate change. Pedal for the Planet / Pédalez pour la planète: http://www.kyotoplus.ca/pedal __ Thursday, September 10 4 pm - Pedal for the Planet riders arrive in Kingston. 5 - 6:30 pm - Tar Sands Teach-in, with Clayton Thomas-Muller, Indigenous Environmental Network. Learn about the devastating impacts of the tar sands. Location: Mackintosh Corry B201, Queen’s University. A Pedal for the Planet event, brought to you by the Indigenous Environmental Network, OPIRG Kingston and Sierra Club Canada. Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128668597133. Friday, September 11 9 am - Pedal for the Planet riders will go on a tour of Wolfe Island, visiting the wind turbines. Saturday, September 12 9:30 - 10:30 am - Join Pedal for the Planet riders outside the main doors of Kingston City Hall, 216 Ontario St. Ride from Kingston to Ottawa leaves at 10:30 am. Join the Ride from Kingston to Ottawa! To register for the Kingston to Ottawa ride, download a form and email it to Emma Cane, emmac@sierraclub.ca. http://kyotoplus.ca/pedal/?page_id=1329 For more info about Pedal for the Planet rides and events, visit http://www.kyotoplus.ca/pedal. Help spread the word - join the Facebook group and events, and invite your friends: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=91605064668 Pedalling to Parliament on September 15th http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=242190970245 2009-09-08T17:42:57+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/the_threat_to_americas_freedom_and_national_security_tied_to_big_oil/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/the_threat_to_americas_freedom_and_national_security_tied_to_big_oil/#When:16:53:02Z The NY Times applauded top military leaders for their efforts to continue to wake up Congress and policy makers to the biggest security threat of our times; global warming. And military leaders have upped the ante, directly linking the US oil consumption and oil dependence to this threat. The NY Times applauded top military leaders for their efforts to continue to wake up Congress and policy makers to the biggest security threat of our times; global warming. And military leaders have upped the ante, directly linking the US oil consumption and oil dependence to this threat. That puts all oil, and especially Canada’s dirty oil sands, as America’s public enemy number one if we are to develop a clean energy and climate plan that breaks our addiction to oil, tackles global warming, and enhances our national security. Big oil is not taking this lightly, it’s lobbying arm American Petroleum Institute is committed to continuing its fake grassroots campaign to try and incite doubt and backlash against addressing global warming and supporting a clean energy economy. Lobbyists are bussing in oil company supporters and barring ordinary citizens. “I understand firsthand how our dependence on foreign oil is a threat to national security,” said Jon Powers, chief operating officer at the Truman National Security Project, a sponsor of Operation Free. “We’re looking to Washington to take this threat seriously and come up with policy that reduces the threat to national security.” Greenpeace has been watching the oil industry for twenty-plus years trying to undermine climate progress in a number of ways. They’ve never seen anything like this before. Kert Davies, Research Director for Greenpeace USA says: “Momentum is very high right now. The Waxman-Markey bill, passed the House. There’s a push towards Copenhagen, a strong chance that there will be international law that is—you know, if global warming is an inconvenient truth for some of us, it’s a big problem for the oil industry.” US veterans have begun making their voice heard – calling out Big Oil’s orchestrated tour for what it is – an oil dependence tour. (At a recent Texas oil dependence stop, citizens with their American flags were not admitted.) Has the backlash begun – and will policy makers and American citizen’s wake up and act against the real threat; America’s dependence on oil? The clock is ticking. 2009-08-22T16:53:02+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/my_mother_told_me_thered_be_days_like_these/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/my_mother_told_me_thered_be_days_like_these/#When:23:35:04Z Ignoring the requests of tens of thousands in the U.S. and Canada -- and the demands of a rapidly warming planet -- yesterday the U.S. State Department approved the Alberta Clipper dirty oil sands pipeline.Flying in the face of a growing host of military experts and research showing the contrary, Secretary Clinton decided that Enbridge's Alberta Clipper dirty oil sands pipeline is in the U.S. national interest.  Presidential Executive Order 11423 allows the Secretary to permit the pipeline ONLY if she judges it's in the national interest. The Alberta tar sands is the world's largest energy project, ultimately covering an area the size of Florida.  And it produces the world's dirtiest, most expensive, and arguably most dangerous oil.  And if the Alberta Clipper pipeline is actually built, 450,000 more barrels of it, per day, will be burned in the U.S. -- releasing five times as much greenhouse gas as conventional oil. THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER Although this permit is definitely a setback -- both in the fight against dirty oil and for the clean energy economy, the fight is by no means over for the Alberta Clipper or against dirty oil sands. As Sarah Burt of Earthjustice said, speaking for an international network fighting the expansion  of the oil sands, “The State Department has rubber-stamped a project that will mean more air, water and global warming pollution, particularly in the communities near refineries that will process this dirty oil.  The project’s environmental review fails to show how construction of the Alberta Clipper is in the national interest. We will go to court to make sure that all the impacts of this pipeline are considered.” In addition to the lawsuit against the State Department, many of the groups involved also have appealed the U.S. Forest Service over its willingness to allow the pipeline to traverse parts of the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota. Also, a group of tribal members have apparently gathered enough signatures on a petition to hold a referendum on the Leech Lake tribal council’s agreement to allow the line through tribal land. OBAMA'S GUILTY CONSCIENCE?  THIS ISN'T A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY There is no way to dodge this decision -- it clearly contradicts President Obama's campaign promise to create a clean energy eeconomy.  Perhaps that's why they issued the permit as if they had something to hide. Ordinarily when a permit like this is going to be granted, the government publicly announces the Record of Decision two weeks before issuing the permit.  Those two weeks allow for exposure of the decision to the sunlight of public and sister agency review -- if it can stand that review, the permit is issued two weeks later.  However, in a move reminiscent of the Bush administration, the State Department hid the Record of Decision from the public -- and announced both the ROD and the actual permit yesterday. OBAMA'S CHANCE TO MAKE GOOD On September 16th, President Obama will meet one on one for the second time with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (see results of first meeting).  For the second time, oil sands is likely to be on the agenda. If President Obama's clean energy economy promises are not empty, he will stand strong against special deals for tar sands.  No exemptions to climate agreements for tar sands.  No public assumptions that unproven, pie-in-the-sky, Big Oil "carbon capture" fantasies will take care of the global warming dangers.  And no further commitments to dead-end pipeline infrastructure projects that will make true action on reaching climate goals more difficult. Because in the end, you can’t fool your mother.  Mother Nature, that is. Stay tuned. 2009-08-21T23:35:04+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/military_experts_to_obama_dirty_fuel_threatens_national_security/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/military_experts_to_obama_dirty_fuel_threatens_national_security/#When:22:15:50Z Will military Experts "wake up" the Obama administration to the national security issue of our time: global warming caused by U.S. dirty fuel dependence? Military to Obama: dirty fuel threatens national security. Who’d of thunk it: top US military experts are conducting what might be seen as strategic military outreach to help the Obama administration understand what the military already knows is the defining national security issue – the impacts of global warming, caused by continued US dependence on dirty fuels. Following on Pentagon and Defense Department funded reports and warnings from leading climate scientists, these top military leaders, believe that our nation is at a critical juncture. They recently testified before Congress that we cannot pursue energy independence by taking steps that would contradict our emerging climate policy. Energy security and a sound response to climate change cannot be achieved by pursuing more fossil fuels; suggesting that unless we recognize this new paradigm and quickly respond, our national security will be at risk. What’s even more astounding: these same top military leaders are both embracing the rapid adoption of Obama Administration’s vision for a clean energy economy and taking it a step further; they believe that the US must quickly stop consuming oil and other fossil fuels. Says Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, USN, Retired Member, Military Advisory Board, CAN for Foreign relations testimony: “Moving beyond recent studies on the dangers of imported oil, our new report finds that not just foreign oil – but all oil – and not just oil but all fossil fuels, pose significant security threats to military mission and the country, and are “exploitable by those who wish to do us harm.” He adds: “Our nation requires diversification of energy sources and a serious commitment to renewable energy. Not simply for environmental reasons – for national security reasons.” Clearly, this is the ultimate paradigm shift for the US. And, while the Obama Administration has pledged to move forward on a new energy economy and to break America’s addiction to oil and other dirty fuels, new intelligence from these military leaders show that the President must act quickly. Obama: Not Walking the Walk Unfortunately, the Obama Administration appears to be conducting business as usual. Earlier this week, Obama met with Canada’s Premier, Stephen Harper (which sells its high carbon, dirty oil mostly to the U.S. ) and Mexico’s President Caldera to discuss, among other things, climate change and energy. It was a non-event. While Canada continues to claim that it is on track with its climate policy, the truth is Canada's growing reliance on the heavily polluting tar sands oil production has caused the country to neglect its commitments to curb global warming. And Obama left the table with the status quo intact, and his pledges to move forward in limbo: Right now, the US and Canada are jointly planning a massive investment to greatly increase the use of the dirtiest oil of oil, tar sands from Canada, that will tie the U.S.’s energy future to buying Canada’s dirty oil. Big Oil Fights For Dirty Oil With Familiar Tactics We can expect a lot of hype (and coverage) on the importance of continuing our oil consumption – as the oil industry continues to follow its climate denier playbook meets grassroots ‘activism’. They are now helping organize anti-climate bill rallies around the nation. The American Petroleum Institute, along with other organizations such as the National Association of Manufacturers opposed to the climate legislation Congress will consider again in the fall, is funding rallies across 20 states over the August recess. In template fliers for rallies produced by the* API-founded alliance*, EnergyCitizens, the public is warned that "Climate change legislation being considered in Washington will cause huge economic pain and produce little environmental gain." Why does this sound so familiar? Remember the infamous Global Climate Coalition. Prior to Kyoto, they took advertisements out to effectively frighten people by saying that among other things “Americans will pay the price… 50 cents more for every gallon of gasoline” despite their being no such proposal. They effectively undermined public support of any US efforts to take a lead on climate change, preventing the Clinton/Gore administration from taking the strong action they had promised. The API was a key member of the GCC. But, the real price is not about hype. Every barrel of Canadian oil that the US buys, threatens our national security while also undermining our energy security, climate security and our economic opportunities. Obama's Chance to Show Clean Energy is Real A real life litmus test is expected by the US State Department decision is expected on the first part of this massive infrastructure, a permit will be issued or denied by the Obama administration (State Department) allowing the Alberta Clipper carrying massive amounts of dirty oil sands crude into the US. We must hope President Obama begins to wake up to what so many are asking from him. Continuing our business as usual approach is a giant step backwards for the US and putting our nation’s security at risk is way too high a price. General Gordon Sullivan, Former Chief of Staff of the United States Army, who chaired the Military Advisory Board of the Center for Naval Analysis “The Cold War was a specter, but climate change is inevitable. If we keep on with business as usual, we will reach a point where some of the worst effects are inevitable… back then, the challenge was to stop a particular action. Now the challenge is to inspire a particular action. We have to act if we are to avoid the worst effects.” For More Information: News and Blogs Obama's tar sand trap, by James Hansen in The Guardian. 2/18/2009. Senate Democrats Tie Climate Effort to National Security, by Darren Samuelsohn in the New York Times. 7/31/2009. Tar Sands Keeps Canada from Climate Leadership, a blog posting from Natural Resource Defense Council's Susan Casey-Lefkowitz. 8/7/2009. Industry Ignored Its Scientists on Climate, by Andrew C. Revkin in the New York Times. 4/23/2009. The Secret Campaign of President Bush's Administration To Deny Global Warming, by Tom Dickinson in Rolling Stone. 6/28/2007. Hearings, Speeches and Testimony Speech by Canada's Minister of the Environment, Jim Prentice, on canada's offset system for greenhouse gases. U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Hearing: Climate Change and Global Securtiy: Challenges, Threats and Diplomatic Opportunities.7/21/2009 2009-08-14T22:15:50+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/opposition_to_the_alberta_clipper_pipeline_continues_to_mount/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/opposition_to_the_alberta_clipper_pipeline_continues_to_mount/#When:02:07:43Z Today IEN and Leech Lake tribal members and several Canadian groups began outreach to the State Department, intent on illuminating key issues for Sec. Hillary Clinton to deny the permit. IEN suggested that there are lawsuits, pending eminent domain issues and even Eagle habitat at risk that would make any approval premature.Today the Indigenous Environmental Network and Leech Lake tribal members and several Canadian groups began outreach to the State Department, intent on illuminating key issues for Sec. Hillary Clinton to deny the permit. IEN and the Leech Lake tribe suggested that there are lawsuits, pending eminent domain issues and even Eagle habitat at risk that would make any approval premature. In related news, Canadian groups sent a letter to Secretary Clinton refuting the dirty oil sands lobby's spin that the if the U.S. doesn't take the oil sands, it will be sold elsewhere. 2009-08-07T02:07:43+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/stelmach_everyone_should_not_do_his_bit/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/stelmach_everyone_should_not_do_his_bit/#When:00:08:06Z Why won't Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach? [image after the jump]Last week, ForestEthics responded to Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach's reluctance to be a "boy scout" on climate change with the image below. Alberta is home to Canada's oil sands. Oil sands extraction is the reason that Canada has not met its climate change commitments, and the reason Canada appears to be backing away from meaningful policies to control its future greenhouse gas emissions.   "We just want to be very careful that we're not boy scouts leading here and finding that our best trading partner may have a different plan or approach to climate change." Source: Stelmach to Ottawa: Don't be "boy scouts" on climate change.(2009 July 30). Canwest News Service Or, in other words, "never be prepared". 2009-08-04T00:08:06+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/please_help_us_mrs._nixon/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/please_help_us_mrs._nixon/#When:22:03:43Z With online videos and banner hangs, the Rainforest Action Network today asked Janet Nixon, the wife of the president of the Royal Bank of Canada, to help convince her husband to stop underwriting dirty oil sands development: pleasehelpusmrsnixon.com RBC is one of the largest financiers of oil sands extraction -- the dirtiest project on Earth. With online videos and banner hangs, the Rainforest Action Network today asked Janet Nixon, the wife of the president of the Royal Bank of Canada, to help convince her husband to stop underwriting dirty oil sands development: pleasehelpusmrsnixon.com RBC is one of the largest financiers of oil sands extraction -- the dirtiest project on Earth. Take action on RAN's website. 2009-07-28T22:03:43+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/clintons_big_decision_on_tar_sands/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/clintons_big_decision_on_tar_sands/#When:23:14:27Z Today, during the DC morning rush hour, activists with the Avaaz Action Factory headed to the State Department equipped with a kiddie pool of tar sands mixture, and a big banner stating: “Clinton be a Leader. Say No to Tar Sands, Stop Global Warming.” About 1000 State Department employees walked by a battle between Super Climate Clinton and the Tar Sands Monster on their way to work.Cross posted from ActionFactoryDC.blogspot.com Secretary Clinton’s pen could prevent a new pipeline that would suck filthy tar-sands into the US. This morning, the Avaaz Action Factory in DC showed the State Department just how terrible the oil sands are, and how much of a climate hero Clinton can be. During the DC morning rush hour activists with the Avaaz Action Factory headed to the State Department equipped with a kiddie pool of tar sands mixture, and a big banner stating: “Clinton be a Leader. Say No to Tar Sands, Stop Global Warming.” About 1000 State Department employees walked by a battle between Super Climate Clinton and the Tar Sands Monster on their way to work. Action Factory members constructed a Boreal forest on the sidewalk in front of the State Department. There, the heartless corporate executives plotted to exploit US and Canadian dependence on oil by promoting tar sands extraction. The Tar Sands Monster, encouraged by the executives, awoke and dragged the oil-addicted US and Canada down into the dirty tar sand pit, pulling the rest of the world with them! Read More and view pictures. 2009-07-24T23:14:27+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/alberta_protests_others_almost_as_dirty_as_we/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/alberta_protests_others_almost_as_dirty_as_we/#When:19:14:52Z In the wake of accusations that tar sands oil is the dirtiest on earth, The Government of Alberta set out to prove that other oils, such as oil from Nigeria where natural gas is burned in wasteful disregard for public health, are just as dirty. The problem? It turns out that tar sands really are the highest carbon emitting oil of all!In the wake of accusations that tar sands oil is the dirtiest on earth, The Government of Alberta set out to prove that other oils, such as oil from Nigeria where natural gas is burned in wasteful disregard for public health, are just as dirty. The problem? It turns out that tar sands really are the highest carbon emitting oil of all! As part of its $25m PR campaign, the Government of Alberta commissioned two reports comparing the carbon emissions from various crude oil sources, and held a press conference yesterday to release the results. And while the headlines of the report gave tar sands oil a clean bill of health, the guts of the reports confirmed just the opposite. The Pembina Institute attended the press conference and had the following reaction. NRDC, which originally partipated in the study but withdrew after its comments were ignored, had this to say. Sierra Club Canada reviewed the report methodology. Read their comments. Sierra Club: “It is discouraging that the Alberta government and oil industry can’t get their heads out of the tar sands and face up to the realities of this dirty oil,” said Stephen Hazell, executive director of Sierra Club Canada. ”All peer-reviewed studies, as well as U.S and Canadian government studies, show that tar sands emissions are higher relative to the average conventional crude oils. The TIAX and Jacobs reports released today by the government and industry controlled Alberta Energy Research Institute were not peer-reviewed.“ In the News The Financial Times "Oil sands less dirty than thought, Alberta study finds." July 23, 2009 The Edmonton Journal "Helping the dirty oilsands scrub behind its ears." July 25, 2009 2009-07-24T19:14:52+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/uks_ethical_consumer_launches_oil_sands_boycott_campaign/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/uks_ethical_consumer_launches_oil_sands_boycott_campaign/#When:19:26:20Z Ethical Consumer, billed as the United Kingdom's leading alternative consumer organization, has launched an oil sands boycott campaign.Ethical Consumer, billed as the United Kingdom's leading alternative consumer organization, has launched an oil sands boycott campaign. If you go to their site, you'll have the opportunity to send letters to the top 10 companies/brands benefiting from the tar sands. "Ethical Consumer believes that staking the future of our planet on technology [carbon capture -- industry' answer to that is of questionable utility is a risk we cannot afford to take. We are therefore launching a campaign to stop the tar sands developments, and are calling on consumers in the UK to boycott brands and companies that profit from them." 2009-07-09T19:26:20+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/canadas_michael_ignatieff_is_stuck_in_the_tar_sands/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/canadas_michael_ignatieff_is_stuck_in_the_tar_sands/#When:03:19:04Z The Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch campaign is urging people to help Michael Ignatieff get "unstuck" from the tar sands. Ignatieff, the leader of Canada's Liberal Party and therefore the head of the opposition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, has perplexed some by supporting increased oil sands development even as its environmental and climatological costs have become starkly clear. The Polaris Institute's Tar Sands Watch campaign is urging people to help Michael Ignatieff get "unstuck" from the tar sands. Ignatieff, the leader of Canada's Liberal Party and therefore the head of the opposition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, has perplexed some by supporting increased oil sands development even as its environmental and climatological costs have become starkly clear. 2009-07-09T03:19:04+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/work_with_state_agencies_in_advance_on_new_oil_sands_pipeline_proposals/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/work_with_state_agencies_in_advance_on_new_oil_sands_pipeline_proposals/#When:14:28:04Z The Keystone pipeline is part of the expanding spiderweb of dirty oil sands pipelines that slowly but surely is increasing the United States dependence on the dirtiest oil currently produced. Keystone got some well-deserved negative press in North Dakota June 16 when Kevin Bonham of the Grand Forks Herald published a story entitled "Sinkholes surface along Keystone route." The Keystone pipeline is part of the expanding spiderweb of dirty oil sands pipelines that slowly but surely is increasing the United States dependence on the dirtiest oil currently produced. Keystone got some well-deserved negative press in North Dakota June 16 when Kevin Bonham of the Grand Forks Herald published a story entitled "Sinkholes surface along Keystone route." Keystone pipeline. Photo: Dakota Resource CouncilThe story was a good reminder of the value of establishing relationships early on with state agencies in the context of monitoring or opposing campaigns new tar sands pipelines. The sinkholes in question started appearing in March in the sandy soils along the Pembina Gorge at the northern end of the TransCanada Keystone pipeline route through North Dakota. The Pembina Gorge is one of the few wooded parts of the state. It has geological and scenic interest and attracts canoeing enthusiasts, cyclists, hikers, birders and hunters. The Pembina River crossing was one of the few points of contention along the route during state Public Service Commission (PSC) permitting. It was ultimately identified as a "high-consequence area," and TransCanada agreed to use directional drilling beneath the river and thicker pipe for the crossing to protect the trees. Now 40-foot-deep sinkholes are swallowing up pine trees, and an assessment team is working on a restoration plan for the area. In Bonham's story, North Dakota State Forester Larry Kotchman noted that the sinkholes were not completely unexpected, and said the situation "absolutely has to be fixed." On the other hand, he said TransCanada was "working real well with us." In private conversation with Dakota Resource Council field organizer Lynn Wolff, however, Kotchman was clearly angry about what had happened, said he was never sold on the ability of directional drilling to prevent it, and expressed dismay that the PSC did not adequately consult with him prior to approving the permit. While state agencies are not be likely to take a proactive oppositional stance to a pipeline that is supported by elected political leaders, their scientific and technical expertise and professional input can help identify troublesome pipeline side effects, which can in turn assist advocates in permitting proceedings. As North Dakota PSC proceedings on Keystone began, DRC was surprised to find that many state agencies had not been consulted beforehand on the permit application or Environmental Impact Statement and had not even reviewed the materials. Besides the State Forest Service, several other state agencies probably should have conducted reviews and offered comments. These include the: Department of Parks and Recreation; Department of Parks and Recreation; Game and Fish Department; Department of Health (which enforces the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act); Water Commission (which is responsible for appropriations from water resources along the route, such as the Fordville Aquifer) Fire Marshall and/or Division of Emergency Management; Indian Affairs Commission (the Standing Rock Sioux were critical of the EIS for failure to assess the impact on native American cultural artifacts); Historical Society of the North Dakota Foundation Similar agencies exist in most states. Depending on the unique impacts of the pipeline routes in those states, additional agencies may want to weigh in. Pipeline monitors and opponents opponents in other states should take a cue from the Pembina Gorge sinkholes and consider incorporating state agency outreach into their workplans. 2009-07-03T14:28:04+00:00 http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/hillarys_choice_dirty_oil_sands_or_the_new_energy_economy/ http://dirtyoilsands.org/blog/hillarys_choice_dirty_oil_sands_or_the_new_energy_economy/#When:17:56:32Z Hillary Clinton is about to face a surprisingly important decision in her short career as Secretary of State, and it's not about Iran, North Korea or Pakistan. It's about oil. Dirty oil from Canada.Sometime around July 4th, Secretary Clinton is expected to review a permit that has implications for US independence—energy independence. This "Presidential Permit" would be granted for a giant pipeline from Alberta to Wisonsin, which would carry synthetic crude oil from the Canadian tar sands. Because of a dubious executive order, issued by Lyndon Johnson, the Secretary of State can approve this pipeline if she finds that it is in the national interest. It's not. This pipeline is the latest piece of infrastructure in a planned network of pipelines and refineries that will lock the US into a high carbon fossil fuel infrastructure for decades. This is the antithesis of the new energy economy that President Obama envisions. It's a permit for relying on the dirtiest oil on earth. And while Big Oil and the Canadian Government hope Hillary rubber stamps the project, concerned moms, Native Americans, ranchers, steelworkers, farmers, scientists, doctors and environmentalists sincerely hope that she understands the magnitude of her decision and denies the permit. The dangers of Canada’s tar sands, also known as oil sands, are well-documented: The abbreviated formula for making oil from the tar sands goes as follows: Destroy a forest larger than the state of Florida. Strip mine the area, down hundreds of feet, or Shoot steam into deep holes and suck the softened bitumen out. Take vast quantities of fresh, clean water from a nearby river, typically four gallons of water for just a gallon of crude. Utilize billion of cubic feet of relatively clean natural gas to produce this dirty oil Permanently store the toxic waste left over in a vast lake that you can see from outer space. Dig up two tons of earth to make a single 42-gallon barrel of oil. Release 3-5 times the amount of carbon during production as you would for conventional oil. National Geographic recently devoted 18-pages to showcase their vast environmental destruction; Dr. James Hansen, of NASA the world’s leading climate scientists is incredulous that Canada’s Oil Sands expansion is even being contemplated, saying this would be, “Disastrous for life on our planet.” Big Oil and the Canadian Government are intent on building a unified dirty oil infrastructure system to ensure a market for tar sands oil. The Alberta Clipper pipeline, while massive, is only one part of this bigger project. So far, despite its massive size and impacts on states throughout the West and Midwest, it has never been viewed as a whole from a national perspective; instead, it’s been left up to local jurisdictions to review pipeline by pipeline, refinery by refinery, permit by permit. Secretary Clinton has a chance to look at the entire project known as the tar sands. I think when she does, she'll see that it's not in our national interest. In fact, it's a bit insane. Click here to tell Secretary Clinton the Alberta Clipper dirty oil sands pipeline is not in the U.S. national interest. 2009-06-23T17:56:32+00:00