The United States neighbors two countries, and we like them both, but let’s face it: Whenever there’s a problem for our nation involving one of these borders, it’s almost never Canada’s. While our border with Mexico is constantly involved with issues like illegal immigration or drug shipments, it’s hard to remember the last such conflict […]
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. […]
Head of Cenovus not impressed with people “playing politics” over oil sands
Brian Ferguson says it’s political gain not Canada’s best interest that is prompting Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair’s comments about the oil industry. To top it off the CEO of Cenovus Energy says celebrities like Desmond Tutu‘s involvement doesn’t help the debate either. Ferguson made the comments at the 2014 TD Securities Calgary Energy Conference […]
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 […]
Editorial: Harper government made wrong choice on Northern Gateway
It was an expected but devastating decision. The Harper government approved the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline — against the wishes of the majority of Canadians. But here’s the thing: there’s still time to stop the pipeline. Enbridge has stated its commitment to renew conversations with First Nations and other communities in the pathway of the pipeline. It […]
Iraq Could Be the Country That Gets Keystone Approved
The fact that Iraq is crumbling and could be on the verge of civil war might be what it takes to prompt the US government to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. With record oil production in the United States likely to soften any domestic blow volatility on the world scene will have, America will still […]
Help for oil spill cleanup
MIT researchers think they have found a way to separate oil from water after a major spill. Their newly developed membrane could process large quantities of the finely mixed materials back into pure oil and water. In addition to its possible role in cleaning up spills, the new method could also be used for routine […]
Deja vu for Keystone XL
Second time is the charm? TransCanada Corp., the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline, has to satisfy a regulatory hurdle that was already jumped four years ago. The state of South Dakota gave its stamp of approval in 2010 and while the permit is still valid, TransCanada needs to certify the conditions placed on the […]
Protest stalls ExxonMobile operations abroad
By spill standards and protests – neither one was large, but it’s possible a point was still made. A dozen barrels of oil had spilled on ExxonMobil property at Ekat in Nigeria. After that about 500 forced operations to grind to a halt at the oil companies airstrip. For the protestors this last incident was […]
Is pipeline company prepared to haze whales?
The pipeline situation in Canada has been contentious for a while. But now, it’s getting positively weird. In the latest twist, the energy giant Kinder Morgan is proposing a novel wildlife protection scheme. If a pipeline expansion that boosts oil exports out of Vancouver leads to a massive new spill, Kinder Morgan says it knows […]