This is from Canada.com. Canadaès cllimate change plans are hardly tough. I imagine the U.S. need not worry about being not able to import bitumen! The article does not bother to mention which countries might be banned from buying the bitumen. Perhaps China, but then surely China would rather buy the oil. I wonder how many countries actually import the bitumen.
There is one good piece of news though and that is that the Conservatives reaffirm that Canada is not required to export bulk water under NAFTA. However, if the Conservatives allow any province to do so this would then require further exports of water or there would be a complaint laid against Canada under the NAFTA provisions.
Tories would limit oilsand exports to green countries
Andrew Mayeda
Canwest News Service
Friday, September 26, 2008
CALGARY - Countries without climate-change plans as tough as Canada's would not be allowed to reap the benefits of the oilsands under a Conservative government, Stephen Harper announced Friday.
The prime minister said the Conservatives will ban the export of raw bitumen, the heavy black oil that lies in the oilsands, to countries that do not have targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to Canada's.
The Tories are touting the announcement as a bid to protect Canada's natural resources and bolster the country's status as a "clean-energy superpower."
The Conservatives would also re-affirm Canada's position that the North American Free Trade Agreement cannot require Canada to export bulk water to other NAFTA countries.
"This is the right thing to do for our environment and our economy," Harper said.
"First, it will not allow industry to skirt our tough environmental targets by exporting unprocessed oil to avoid our regulations. Second, it will ensure that Canada and Canadians benefit from the revenues and jobs associated with oil-sands development."
Under their climate-change plan, the Conservatives have pledged to cut emissions 20 per cent by 2020, compared with 2006 levels. However, environmentalists and some independent analysts have estimated Canada is in danger of falling short of those targets, because of loopholes in the plan that favour industry.
Alberta currently produces about 1.3 millions barrels of bitumen per day, of which 500,000 are exported.
Showing posts with label Oil Sands project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oil Sands project. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Alberta premier confident U.S. will remain major energy customer
Certainly Stelmach can be completely confident in that. If he is really worried about selling oil I am sure China would be more than willing to take up any extra oil that Alberta has to sell!
Alberta premier confident U.S. will remain major energy customer
Last Updated: Friday, January 18, 2008 | 4:01 PM MT
CBC News
Alberta's premier said he is confident the province will continue to export oil and gas to the United States despite more stringent environmental laws there, after a meeting on Friday with U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney.
Ed Stelmach was in Washington to talk about his province's oilsands energy developments around Fort McMurray, Alta.
Environmental protesters greeted Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach during his trip to Washington.
The premier has been forced to defend the province's environmental policies against claims that oilsands production takes too much of a toll on the environment.
Legislation passed by the United States last month forbids any U.S. federal agencies from buying vehicle fuel that comes from non-conventional sources, unless the life cycle of its greenhouse gas emissions is the same or less than conventional oil.
But Stelmach told the CBC he is confident the U.S. will continue to be major customer for Alberta's oil and gas.
"The administration is very clear on what has to be done in terms of finding very safe and secure supplies of oil. They know that notwithstanding ideas they may have in place to reduce dependency on fossil fuel, they know that for the next number of years, demand will increase," the premier said.
Stelmach said Cheney has promised to visit Alberta to see for himself how the province is handling the oilsands issue.
The premier's brief meeting with the vice-president came at the end of a three-day trip to Washington that saw Stelmach face demonstrators calling for a moratorium on oilsands development.
Alberta premier confident U.S. will remain major energy customer
Last Updated: Friday, January 18, 2008 | 4:01 PM MT
CBC News
Alberta's premier said he is confident the province will continue to export oil and gas to the United States despite more stringent environmental laws there, after a meeting on Friday with U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney.
Ed Stelmach was in Washington to talk about his province's oilsands energy developments around Fort McMurray, Alta.
Environmental protesters greeted Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach during his trip to Washington.
The premier has been forced to defend the province's environmental policies against claims that oilsands production takes too much of a toll on the environment.
Legislation passed by the United States last month forbids any U.S. federal agencies from buying vehicle fuel that comes from non-conventional sources, unless the life cycle of its greenhouse gas emissions is the same or less than conventional oil.
But Stelmach told the CBC he is confident the U.S. will continue to be major customer for Alberta's oil and gas.
"The administration is very clear on what has to be done in terms of finding very safe and secure supplies of oil. They know that notwithstanding ideas they may have in place to reduce dependency on fossil fuel, they know that for the next number of years, demand will increase," the premier said.
Stelmach said Cheney has promised to visit Alberta to see for himself how the province is handling the oilsands issue.
The premier's brief meeting with the vice-president came at the end of a three-day trip to Washington that saw Stelmach face demonstrators calling for a moratorium on oilsands development.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Study contradicts earlier findings on N. Alberta water quality
Below is the CBC article on the issue. After that I include the Edmonton Sun article. The latter does not stress the contradiction but on the other hand it does note that earlier a doctor in the area had noted many cancer cases. As I recall the doctor was accused of being alarmist.
Study contradicts earlier findings on N. Alberta water quality
Last Updated: Thursday, November 8, 2007 | 2:27 PM MT
CBC News
Research conducted for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in northern Alberta has cast doubt on a government study about the town's water quality and its connection to cancer rates.
The study, by Kevin Timoney, was done to determine whether oilsands pollution is making people sick through the water supply.
Timoney's research, presented to the community of 1,200 on Wednesday evening, found that elevated levels of arsenic and mercury in the water and wildlife are cause for health concerns.
"We looked at things such as arsenic, mercury, methylmercury, a variety of heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, naphthenic acids, et cetera," he told CBC News Thursday in an interview.
"We found that there is reason to be concerned that levels of arsenic, mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are higher than would be considered safe."
Those levels are particularly higher in local fish, according to his report. Timoney looked at data from 1970 to the present, focusing on the Peace River, Athabasca River and the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Fort Chipewyan.
Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons rose between 2001 and 2005 in sediment in the Athabasca Delta, the report says, with current levels considered unsafe to aquatic life.
Timoney's conclusions are in stark contrast to a government-funded study this year on cancer rates that found no elevated disease rates in connection with the Athabasca River.
Timoney said there seems to be a reluctance on the part of governments and industry "to admit there is any cause for concern even though the data suggests there is a cause for concern.
"I can't answer for the government and industry as to why they would always downplay the risk," he said.
"Certainly the numbers indicate to any objective scientist that there is a cause for concern."
He urged the people of Fort Chipewyan to push for yet another independent study of the water and wildlife.
He said the contaminants were not only found in fish, but also in waterfowl, muskrat, beavers, and moose — all of which are traditional foods that the community relies on.
Resident Ray Ladaceur, who has fished on Lake Athabasca for about 50 years, said he has pulled deformed fish from his nets. He said he believes the fish are sick because of the chemicals from the oil sands in Fort McMurray.
"I've seen many changes in this, the water. There's all kinds of stuff coming down," Ladaceur said.
"You can see it right in the water, there's kind of a scum, I guess, flowing down the river."
As for the town's water supply, Timoney said the water treatment system is working well and the water is safe to drink.
Fort Chipewyan is located downstream from Fort McMurray, the heart of the province's
oil sands projects.
Here is the Edmonton Sun article:
November 8, 2007
Study confirms high levels of toxins downstream Alta. oilsands
By RENATO GANDIA, SUN MEDIA
High levels of cancer-causing toxins are being found in areas downstream of Fort McMurray’s oilsands, says a study commissioned by residents of Alberta’s oldest community.
Waters in Fort Chipewyan contain high levels of arsenic, the fish are contaminated with high levels of mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – another pollutant – are higher than they should be, said Kevin Timoney.
Timoney is the ecologist who studied the waters and sediments in the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Fort Chipewyan, 610 air km northeast of Edmonton.
However, the study found that the hamlet’s drinking water was safe.
Residents are not surprised with the results of the study because their elders have been saying all along something is wrong with their water. Anglers have caught fish with abnormal growths in them and hunters have found fowl covered in oil.
“This is only a start to proving that there is a direct link to oilsands development and our health,” said Allan Adam, the newly elected chief of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.
“This is not news to us. It simply supports what we have been saying to this government of Alberta and to industry for decades.”
Timoney’s findings re-ignited Mikisew Cree First Nation’s call for a moratorium on oilsands development.
“The federal and provincial governments are continuing to issue approvals for projects despite all of the uncertainties with the true environmental effects of oilsands development,” said Russell Kaskamin a councillor with Mikisew Cree.
In a series of federal-provincial regulatory hearings for three different oilsands companies last year, Fort Chip residents aired concerns about high levels of arsenic in their local food, specifically moose meat and cattail roots.
“I know of no reason why they shouldn’t (eat the moose meat). I’m not aware of a contaminant from the area,” a country food expert from Health Canada told a hearing for Imperial Oil’s Kearl project in Fort McMurray in November 2006.
“I’m shocked but I’m not surprised,” said Dr. John O’ Connor, the doctor who was documenting rare cases of cancer in the area. “(The study) verifies what has been happening in Fort Chip for many years.”
O’ Connor said he hopes the government will now listen to residents and conduct a human health study in the area. “It’s needed and it’s needed now.”
Health Canada was given a copy of the report three days ago but the residents are still waiting for a response, said Donna Cyprien, director of the Nunee Health Authority.
renato.gandia@sunmedia.ca
Study contradicts earlier findings on N. Alberta water quality
Last Updated: Thursday, November 8, 2007 | 2:27 PM MT
CBC News
Research conducted for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in northern Alberta has cast doubt on a government study about the town's water quality and its connection to cancer rates.
The study, by Kevin Timoney, was done to determine whether oilsands pollution is making people sick through the water supply.
Timoney's research, presented to the community of 1,200 on Wednesday evening, found that elevated levels of arsenic and mercury in the water and wildlife are cause for health concerns.
"We looked at things such as arsenic, mercury, methylmercury, a variety of heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, naphthenic acids, et cetera," he told CBC News Thursday in an interview.
"We found that there is reason to be concerned that levels of arsenic, mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are higher than would be considered safe."
Those levels are particularly higher in local fish, according to his report. Timoney looked at data from 1970 to the present, focusing on the Peace River, Athabasca River and the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Fort Chipewyan.
Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons rose between 2001 and 2005 in sediment in the Athabasca Delta, the report says, with current levels considered unsafe to aquatic life.
Timoney's conclusions are in stark contrast to a government-funded study this year on cancer rates that found no elevated disease rates in connection with the Athabasca River.
Timoney said there seems to be a reluctance on the part of governments and industry "to admit there is any cause for concern even though the data suggests there is a cause for concern.
"I can't answer for the government and industry as to why they would always downplay the risk," he said.
"Certainly the numbers indicate to any objective scientist that there is a cause for concern."
He urged the people of Fort Chipewyan to push for yet another independent study of the water and wildlife.
He said the contaminants were not only found in fish, but also in waterfowl, muskrat, beavers, and moose — all of which are traditional foods that the community relies on.
Resident Ray Ladaceur, who has fished on Lake Athabasca for about 50 years, said he has pulled deformed fish from his nets. He said he believes the fish are sick because of the chemicals from the oil sands in Fort McMurray.
"I've seen many changes in this, the water. There's all kinds of stuff coming down," Ladaceur said.
"You can see it right in the water, there's kind of a scum, I guess, flowing down the river."
As for the town's water supply, Timoney said the water treatment system is working well and the water is safe to drink.
Fort Chipewyan is located downstream from Fort McMurray, the heart of the province's
oil sands projects.
Here is the Edmonton Sun article:
November 8, 2007
Study confirms high levels of toxins downstream Alta. oilsands
By RENATO GANDIA, SUN MEDIA
High levels of cancer-causing toxins are being found in areas downstream of Fort McMurray’s oilsands, says a study commissioned by residents of Alberta’s oldest community.
Waters in Fort Chipewyan contain high levels of arsenic, the fish are contaminated with high levels of mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – another pollutant – are higher than they should be, said Kevin Timoney.
Timoney is the ecologist who studied the waters and sediments in the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Fort Chipewyan, 610 air km northeast of Edmonton.
However, the study found that the hamlet’s drinking water was safe.
Residents are not surprised with the results of the study because their elders have been saying all along something is wrong with their water. Anglers have caught fish with abnormal growths in them and hunters have found fowl covered in oil.
“This is only a start to proving that there is a direct link to oilsands development and our health,” said Allan Adam, the newly elected chief of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.
“This is not news to us. It simply supports what we have been saying to this government of Alberta and to industry for decades.”
Timoney’s findings re-ignited Mikisew Cree First Nation’s call for a moratorium on oilsands development.
“The federal and provincial governments are continuing to issue approvals for projects despite all of the uncertainties with the true environmental effects of oilsands development,” said Russell Kaskamin a councillor with Mikisew Cree.
In a series of federal-provincial regulatory hearings for three different oilsands companies last year, Fort Chip residents aired concerns about high levels of arsenic in their local food, specifically moose meat and cattail roots.
“I know of no reason why they shouldn’t (eat the moose meat). I’m not aware of a contaminant from the area,” a country food expert from Health Canada told a hearing for Imperial Oil’s Kearl project in Fort McMurray in November 2006.
“I’m shocked but I’m not surprised,” said Dr. John O’ Connor, the doctor who was documenting rare cases of cancer in the area. “(The study) verifies what has been happening in Fort Chip for many years.”
O’ Connor said he hopes the government will now listen to residents and conduct a human health study in the area. “It’s needed and it’s needed now.”
Health Canada was given a copy of the report three days ago but the residents are still waiting for a response, said Donna Cyprien, director of the Nunee Health Authority.
renato.gandia@sunmedia.ca
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