Oil prices are coming down and analysts aren’t mincing words saying say it’s bad news for Canada’s oil-producing provinces. But there is a flip side because bad news for the drillers in this instance is good news for Canadian consumers, who should be able to get a respite from high gas prices. Brent crude prices […]
‘Energy super power’ status still out of Canada’s reach
When the federal environment commissioner reported Canada will not meet its 2020 international commitment on greenhouse gas emission cuts, no one was surprised. The Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been saying for years it will not sacrifice economic competitiveness — particularly in the oil and gas sector — for environmental gains. But […]
Comment: Oil pipelines and the drama of social license
On June 17, when the federal government announced its conditional acceptance of the Joint Review Panel’s recommendation for approval of Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway pipeline project application, it took mere moments for opponents to be up in arms. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, head of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, told the CBC, “We will […]
Investigation called for into Alberta’s toxic tailings ponds
The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has found enough evidence to warrant an investigation into the Harper government’s failure to enforce the federal Fisheries Act, with respect to continuous leaking from Alberta’s toxic oil sands tailings ponds. Since 2010, the U.S.-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Canada-based Environmental Defence, as well as three […]
Quest to sequester, a Shell Canada first
To paraphrase a famous observation, “Everybody talks about climate change, but nobody does much about it.” Indeed, media reports and scientific publications may be thick with discussion of this extraordinary environmental phenomenon but practical proposals for directly dealing with it are thin on the ground while full-scale initiatives are even more scarce. It is worth […]
Inspiring innovation
Development of the Alberta oil sands in a responsible manner brings complex challenges that are driving technological innovation across the country. Individuals and businesses are helping to establish Canada as a world leader in tailings reclamation, water treatment and liquids storage. TAILINGS RECLAMATION ElectroKinetic Solutions, is proposing to apply its patented electro-kinetic reclamation (EKR) technology […]
Comment: Oil sands phase-out may be Canada’s greatest contribution to the world
The occasion of writing this column prompted reflection on my engineering career, in particular three critical junctures. The first was in 1970, when my teacher pointed to Northern Alberta on a map at the front of our classroom, declaring that the oil embedded in the soil there would be Canada’s most important contribution to the […]
Comment: Fracking has never contaminated drinking water
Claims that hydraulic fracturing has contaminated drinking water are not supported by the facts. In truth, provincial regulations and industry operating practices work to protect drinking water aquifers and surface water. Data collected by the BC Oil and Gas Commission, the provincial regulator, shows none of the approximately 9,000 wells hydraulically fractured in the province […]
It’s not their fault says lawyers representing accused workers in Lac Megantic disaster
The union and lawyers representing two railway employees accused in the Lac-Megantic disaster are urging the Crown to drop the charges in light of recent findings by the Transportation Safety Board. Engineer Tom Harding, railway traffic controller Richard Labrie and Jean Demaitre, the manager of train operations (and not a member of the union), each face […]
Comment: We need to refine our oil sands ambition
In June, a ship carrying about 600,000 barrels of crude from Alberta’s oil sands arrived in Bilbao, Spain, by way of Houston, Tex. The circuitous journey by rail and tanker to Spanish oil giant Repsol’s Bilbao refinery made economic sense, given the price discount on Canadian crude. Despite European hostility toward “dirty” oil from Canada, […]
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