Few debates in energy have been more contentious than Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline. Environmental groups opposed the pipeline and turned out a grass roots movement that astonished even battle weary Enviros. It also caused serious problems for the industry as their assets became stranded and they were forced to ship crude by rail and barge. […]
Alberta Premier challenged but not deterred
Alberta Premier Jim Prentice told a crowd made up of representatives from the oil industry there are challenges being the largest land locked oil producer in the world, but he has a plan. Prentice was a keynote speaker at the World Heavy Oil Congress taking place in Edmonton, Alberta. Climate change and the environment are […]
Don’t even take it out of the ground
The Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry crude oil from the oil sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast, isn’t just an infrastructure project. It’s also a symbol for the fight over the future of energy. Producing oil from Alberta’s tar sands emits more pollution than traditional oil drilling, so many environmentalists want that crude left in […]
Comment: Three Pinocchios – not a fairytale
Over the past months and right after the Senate defeated legislation authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline, President Obama said the pipeline was just to move Canadian oil through the US to the Gulf Coast for shipment overseas. He has also said he is concerned about its environmental impacts and the small number of jobs that […]
Comment: If it’s not a lie, does that make it the truth?
Senator John Thune, (Republican-South Dakota) said one of the first acts of the new Senate will be to force President Barack Obama’s hand on the Keystone XL pipeline. The project has been in the works since 2008 and its current version involves a 875-mile pipeline that would run from Morgan, Montana to Steele City, Nebraska. […]
Obama poised and ready to veto Keystone XL pipeline
After years of refusing to make a definite decision and delaying the process regarding the approval or denial of the Keystone XL pipeline, U.S. President Barrack Obama appears ready to put his foot down. The White House has threatened to veto the first piece of legislation introduced in the Republican-controlled Senate. That is a bill […]
Comment: Opposition to oilsands pipelines is having an impact
The grassroots resistance against the Alberta oil sands and its pipelines is having an impact. A recent publication by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, titled “Material Risks: How Public Accountability is Slowing Tar Sands Development,” stated production revenues from the oil sands were down $30.9 billion between 2010 to 2013. It also […]
List of Canadian pipelines on hold
Mounting opposition from environmentalists have delayed a number of oil industry projects, here are the top four. 1) Keystone XL Keystone XL is a proposed 1,897-kilometre pipeline that would carry crude oil from Hardisty, Alta., to Steele City, Neb., where it would link up with other pipelines that run to the Gulf Coast and the […]
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 […]
Comment: Oil sands love/hate relationship
Having spent seven years in my early career as an on-site executive of Great Canadian Oil Sands (now Suncor) – Canada’s pioneer developer and first successful extractor of oil from this massive all-Canadian resource – I feel compelled to comment on the increasing tendency by many to criticize this economic crown jewel. Not one Canadian […]