When Total’s chief Christophe de Margerie launched a “high risk, high reward” oil exploration strategy two years ago, he was betting he could hit a bonanza, where his rivals had failed.. Now it appears the French oil company is following the industry trend of making smaller and fewer finds. This despite the fact global investments […]
Comment: Northern Gateway exposes Canada’s fractures
In late June, the federal government announced Enbridge’s $7.9-billion Northern Gateway Pipeline can proceed if it meets the National Energy Board’s 209 conditions. That’s indicative of a multiplicity of concerns around a project that includes a 1,200-kilometre pipeline that would traverse some of the most wild and spectacular terrain in Canada, and the shipping of […]
Crude oil stabilizers should help with processing incompatible crude oil blends
Unlike many traditional asphaltene dispersants, GE’s EmBreak 2167 and EmBreak 2168 crude stabilizers are ashless and do not contain any metals, such as phosphorous or calcium, that could contribute to catalyst contamination or equipment fouling. The stabilizers are a part of the company’s patent-pending technology that can be used specifically in refinery desalters and other […]
Comment: Trains to transport oil a good option
The militant takeover at Iraq’s largest refinery and ongoing instability in other oil-producing areas in Russia and Venezuela illustrate the importance of developing domestic sources of crude oil to move the U.S. toward energy independence. A proposed energy distribution terminal for Vancouver, Wash., would provide essential infrastructure to make this happen. North American crude would […]
Comment: Pipeline east little benefit for Ontario
The Northern Gateway Project, promises to keep British Columbia mired in debate for years to come. Despite the National Energy Board’s recent approval, staunch opposition from First Nations groups and environmentalists looks set to suspend the pipeline in a state of legal limbo. Across the border, meanwhile, the high-stakes world of pipeline politics means U.S. […]
Plan to ship from the oil sands to the east coast runs into a snag
Oil-sands opponents rallied in Bretton Woods, N.H., where New England governors held their annual meeting with eastern Canadian premiers. On the table – energy trade and innovation. “We are calling on Northeast leaders to oppose projects that would bring more tar sands oil into the region, and to implement a regional clean fuel standard along […]
Comment: Canada is too small for U.S. to worry about
The headlines are ominous. Canada-U.S. relations have hit a “low ebb” and a “new low.” They are “frayed” and “strained.” Really? A longer-term view suggests recent tensions aren’t all that unusual. Strains over the Keystone XL pipeline, Buy American legislation, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge and a U.S. tax crackdown are typical of the ebb and flow […]
First Nations companies competitive in battle for oil sands jobs
When it comes to landing contracts in Alberta’s oil sands, First Nations groups are no longer the beneficiaries of easy deals. Chief financial officer of Fort McKay Group of Companies, Marguerite MacDonald says, “Four years ago, we didn’t have to bid on a lot of the work that we now bid for. It is no […]
Comment: Foreign money working against pipelines
Now Northern Gateway has been approved by the federal government, it’s time to turn the page and wait for U.S. President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Obama’s supporters come from several interest groups, and the environmentalist movement is one of the largest. It contributed millions of dollars to his campaign, with the […]
Comment: Make Prince Rupert the terminus
The recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling should give pause to Enbridge to consider that Port of Prince Rupert as a viable alternative of its plan to build two pipelines from Bruderheim, northeast of Edmonton, to Kitimat, B.C. Certainly the ruling strengthens the hand of the many small native bands that fish the tributaries of […]