Canada’s oil sands industry faces an equal risk from its reputation as an environmental laggard as from high operating costs, industry observers said. The failure to win approval for pipelines like TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL and Enbridge Inc.’s Northern Gateway is tied to concerns about carbon emissions with oil production, Ed Whittingham, executive director of […]
Comment: CAPP has warning for politicians in race to form next government in Alberta
These are volatile times for the oil and natural gas industry. The impact on Albertans has been hard as thousands of jobs have been cut. Drilling and service rigs are idle. Tools are down in machine shops. More office spaces are empty. Restaurants are quieter. Economic activity across Alberta is slowing as uncertainty clouds the […]
2015 a “Perfect Storm” for oil industry
Consider the challenges facing the oil industry this year – rock bottom prices, drought (water shortages), greenhouse gas legislation, new rules regarding First Nations and the stalling of major pipelines – Keystone XL, Northern Gateway to name just two. This was the comment Bryan Helfenbaum started of the session he was moderating at the World […]
Comment: Pipelines vs rail cars
The fiery derailment of two trains carrying crude oil in the space of three days underscores the worrisome impact of such incidents. Images of huge fireballs from the crash of an oil train in West Virginia will have brought back memories for many Canadians of the Lac-Megantic disaster where 47 people died. Two days before the West […]
Comment: Compromise needed on Keystone XL
In mid November by a margin of one vote, the U.S. Senate rejected a bill to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to cross the Canada-U.S. border and bring tar sands oil in Canada to refineries in Texas. I am an environmentalist and firmly believe that this is the wrong decision. I do not believe this because […]
Key questions about the Keystone XL pipeline debate
Most people have heard of the Keystone XL pipeline. To many though it’s not clear why there’s so much controversy about the project. The basics are simple: The proposed pipeline to be built by TransCanada would carry 830,000 barrels of oil per day from the oil sands down to Nebraska. Supporters contend it will create jobs and bolster the flow of oil from […]
Pipeline gets approval – with conditions attached
With Keystone XL, Northern Gateway and Energy East pipelines stalled at the gate, the Alberta Energy Regulator has given a tentative stamp of approval to the $3-billion Grand Rapids oil pipeline. Along with the “OK” comes 26 conditions. Considerably less than the more than 200 needed before the Northern Gateway can proceed. The pipeline in […]
Who’s right and who’s wrong?
What are the numbers telling us when it comes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the Keystone XL pipeline? All depends on who you want to believe. The U.S government says there will be no appreciable increase in GHG emissions. A new study by the Stockholm Environment Institute dispute that. Researchers Michael Lazarus and Peter Erickson claim the […]
Comment: Pick your choice for crude transport – pipeline, train, truck or ship
Crude oil is moving around the world, around North America, around pristine wilderness, around our cities and towns. It’s going to keep moving, so what is the safest way to move it? The short answer is: truck worse than train worse than pipeline worse than boat (Oilprice.com). But that’s only for human death and property […]
Costly lobby efforts
TransCanada Corp., the company building the Keystone XL pipeline, has spent almost twice as much money this year compared to 2013 on lobbying U.S. government officials. So far the company has shelled out $790,000 this year. The company says the money has been spent lobbying on “natural gas issues in the United States and between […]
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