Toban Black

An informative video from the summer Climate Camp in England

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William Marsden (in this article) -

“Canadians increasingly live in a confusion of values. A 2008 survey by the Globe and Mail found that while 79 percent of respondents said the tar sands are good for Alberta and Canada, more than half of those respondents (55 percent) said that the sands were not good for the environment. The obvious contradiction can be justified only by minimizing or disconnecting oneself from the importance of [natural environments]. The problem is that global warming and the rapid dying out of species makes this level of self-deception increasingly dangerous.”

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Lisa Schmidt (in this article) -

“Canada –already the largest oil supplier to the U.S.–pumped out record exports south of the border this summer, as Alberta’s oilsands crude fill the gaps left by competitors.

U.S. imports of crude oil from Canada rose 5.4 per cent in July to the highest monthly level in at least 36 years, according to figures released by the U.S. Energy Department.”

“Canada is the largest exporter of crude oil to the U.S. and has increased the amount it ships as OPEC countries have cut back.

Even as the economic downturn slows demand for fuel, Canadian oil exports are finding more room in the U.S. refining market.”

“Canadian crude imports ‘have been growing steadily,’ said Antoine Halff, head of energy research at Newedge USA LLC in New York.”

(There are various other details in the rest of that article.)

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Sandro Contenta (in this article) -

“Producing a barrel of oil from the tar sands spews out three times as many greenhouse gases as does producing a barrel of conventional oil. It largely explains why Canada signed the 1992 Kyoto Protocol and then developed, paradoxically, one of the worst carbon emission records in the world.”

“[One journalist has pointed out] numerous examples of compliant government agencies turning a blind eye to ecological concerns or rubber-stamping oil company plans for new tar sands projects. The projects fill government coffers with billions of dollars in royalties.”

“The truly outrageous punch line is this: Virtually all the oil from the tar sands goes to the U.S.”

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Chris Arsenault (in this article — from September, 2008) -

“Currently, Canada is the largest foreign supplier of oil to the United States, sending more than one million barrels of oil per day to its southern neighbour. About half of this supply originates from Alberta’s tar sands.”

“Tar sands production is set to increase from its current 1.2 million barrels of oil per day, to three million barrels per day by 2018, most of which is slated for export to the United States.”

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Kelly Cryderman (in this article — from September, 2008) -

“In a wide-reaching Leger Marketing poll of 962 Albertans focused on their impressions of the oilsands, respondents were clearly concerned about the industry’s impacts, especially when it comes to health complaints.

However, poll results also suggest Albertans dislike terms such as ‘dirty oil,’ which has come into common parlance in the past 18 months as environmental concerns about the oilsands get greater national and international attention.

Six of 10 respondents reject the idea bitumen produced from oilsands should be considered ‘dirty oil’ because of its impact on the environment, while three of 10 respondents believe the label is correct. Nearly 10 per cent of people didn’t [offer] an opinion.”

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This article indicates how acid rain could be yet another form of pollution around tar sands ‘development’ -
“Alarm bells ring over acid rain in Northern Saskatchewan“