Tar Sands Pipeline in Great Lakes Region Challenged by NWF

Enbridge has quietly secured approval from the US State Department to significantly increase its transport of Canadian tar sands into the Great Lakes region.

Enbridge will almost double the flow of tar sands oil transported in its Clipper Pipeline (aka Line 67).Enbridge's Clipper pipeline serves as the corridor between Alberta's tar sands and Line 6A.

The amount of heavy oil that will flow through the pipeline by 2015 is equivalent to the Keystone XL.

Event - Tar Sands Free North East in Montreal

A tour to stop the tar sands organized will be in Montreal on Sunday January 26th at 2 PM. This tour of powerful speakers from the front lines of the tar sands fight that will be making its way through New England in late January and early February. This tour has been created by 350 Maine, working in collaboration with numerous organizations across the region to build a united front against tar sands expansion.

The tour will explore the human and environmental costs of the tar sands. It will confront the raw realities and pull back the curtain on tar sands destruction and build the movement for action in the Northeast.

The Keystone XL pipeline has generated a great deal of opposition. However, the threat of tar sands oil being transported along existing and new pipelines in the northeast -- including the Portland-Montreal and Enbridge pipelines, and the proposed Energy East -- is also a very real and present danger.

Neil Young Rails Against the Tar Sands and the Harper Government

Canadian rock icon Neil Young has come out with his strongest statements yet against Alberta's tar sands. He has previously described the tar sands as, “a devastating environmental catastrophe.” Now he is laying the blame squarely on Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and asking people to see beyond the federal government's misinformation and embrace an understanding informed by science.

Young's statements come as he and Diana Krall are embarking on a concert tour to raise funds for the Athabaska Chipewyan First Nation's (ACFN) legal fight against the expansion of the Athabasca tar sands. The ACFN are seeking controlled development and stricter regulations for oil companies. The four-city Honour the Treaties tour started on Sunday January 12 at Toronto’s Massey Hall. Other dates include Winnipeg on Jan. 16, Regina on Jan. 17 and Calgary on Jan. 19.

Video - The Tar Sands Wastes and Pollutes Vast Quantities of Water

There is a nationwide effort from Harper's Conservative government and Big Oil to try to make the case that tar sands oil is not so bad for the environment. Together they are spending millions of dollars to try to greenwash the tar sands. However as pointed out in this Environmental Defense "reality check" The tar sands industry is wasting and polluting vast quantities of water.

The Tar Sands Have Higher Emissions Profiles than Previously Thought

It is widely known that the tar sands are the most destructive sources of greenhouse gases on the planet. Te European Commission has determined that on a well to wheels basis, tar sands emissions are 23 percent worse than fuel from conventional crude. According to two new reports they may be even more harmful than previously thought.

The first report is titled Petroleum Coke: The Coal Hiding in the Tar Sands indicates that previous assessments of the environmental impacts fail to account for a high-carbon byproduct of the refining process. The other study was conducted by the Pembina Institute and it is titled The Climate Implications of the Proposed Keystone XL Oilsands Pipeline.

This study shows how the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would accelerate expansion of the tar sands and significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions.

Increased Tar Sands Production Will Lock-in the Worst Impacts of Global Warming

If the Canadian government succeeds in significantly increasing tar sands production capacity it will be impossible to keep global temperatures below the upper threshold limit of 2 C. By 2020, the industry could have over 110 million barrels per day (bpd) of production capacity in place. This is over 22 million bpd more than International Energy Agency (IEA) models say we should be using if we are to reduce the risk of warming the planet more than 2 degrees C.

The tar sands are at the center of climate change causing emissions. This is because they are the dirtiest source of energy on the planet, add to that plans to radically increase production and we have a confluence of factors that will destroy any chance we have of staying within the 2 degree threshold.

The Tar Sands and IEA's Three Climate Change Scenarios

The IEA has forecast temperature increases in 3 different emissions scenarios which include tar sands oil. These scenarios are contained in the IEA’s 2010 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO).

Here is a brief review of each of the three scenarios and the amount of tar sands oil factored into each.

The first scenario is titled “Current Policies Scenario.” In this scenario greenhouse gas emissions would cause average global temperatures to increase by 6 degrees C by the end of the century leading to, “massive climatic change and irreparable damage to the planet”. In this scenario the IEA has tar sands production are at 4.6 million barrels per day (bpd).

Video - Neil Young Compares Alberta's Tar Sands to Hiroshima

At a Sept. 9, 2013 pro-farm bill press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC., Neil Young talks about how the Renewable Fuel Standard creates jobs, reduces greenhouse gasses, and reduces our dependence on foreign oil. In his remarks he also compares Alberta's tar sands to Hiroshima.

Canadian Conservatives Cut Research Funding but Spend on Fossil Fuel Pipeline

The ruling Canadian Conservative party has cut $148 million for research while spending roughly the same amount of tax dollars to support the Northern Gateway Pipeline project.

Under President Barack Obama the US has invested billions in scientific research and education while Harper's Conservative government has slashed research funding. The Canadian government has cut funding to the three agencies that support basic research at Canadian universities.

Federal Green MP Elizabeth May has said that her party has gained access to documents showing that the federal government is using $120 million in Canadian tax dollars to support the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline.

According to May the pipeline research is being carried out off the north coast, where Enbridge hopes to run oil tankers as part of its proposed Northern Gateway project.

Neil Young Compares Canada's Tar Sands to Hiroshima

Canadian music legend Neil Young recently compared the tar sands in Fort McMurray, Alberta to Hiroshima, the site of the first atomic bomb drop in August 1945. According to the Globe and Mail report, Young shared his concerns about the environmental impacts of the tar sands with those in attendance at an event for the National Farmers Union in Washington, D.C.

"The fact is, Fort McMurray looks like Hiroshima, Fort McMurray is a wasteland. The Indians up there and the native peoples are dying. The fuels all over -- the fumes everywhere -- you can smell it when you get to town. The closest place to Fort McMurray that is doing the tarsands work is 25 to 30 miles out of town and you can taste it when you get to Fort McMurray. People are sick. People are dying of cancer because of this. All the First Nations people up there are threatened by this."

Breaking News - Keystone XL Pipeline on the Ropes: Conflict of Interest Revealed in the State's EIS

On Friday August 2nd, the State Department made a statement that may signal the end of the Keystone XL pipeline. The State Department is now questioning the veracity of the findings of a favorable review of the Keystone XL completed last year. According to diverse sources the consultant (Environmental Resources Management or ERM) that produced the report has been paid by TransCanada, the pipeline developer. ERM is also reported to have close ties with the American Petroleum Institute, an oil industry lobby with financial ties to TransCanada.

The proposed Keystone XL would ferry diluted bitumen from Alberta's tar sands to US Gulf Coast refineries. Because the pipeline crosses international borders, the project requires State Department approval. Questions about the impartiality of the State Department environmental impact statement (EIS) will likely delay the final verdict on the pipeline and may very well kill it altogether.

Obama Says the Number of Keystone XL Jobs are "Negligible"

President Obama gave further indications that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline may not win his support. On Tuesday July 30, Obama said for the second time in a week that as far as jobs are concerned the Keystone project is not worth much.

As reported in The Hill, the President told attendees at Amazon.com’s Chattanooga, Tenn., distribution facility, “Putting all your eggs in the basket of an oil pipeline that may only create about 50 permanent jobs, and wasting the country’s time by taking something like 40 meaningless votes to repeal ObamaCare isn’t a jobs plan.” 

Breaking News - New Tar Sands Pipeline Goes East to Follow the Path of Least Resistance

It would appear that TransCanada is pursuing the path of least resistance in the announcement of yet another pipeline. Unlike the Keystone XL and the Northern Gateway, TransCanada is expecting far less opposition to the proposed Energy East Pipeline project that would ferry tar sands oil from Alberta to New Brunswick.

On Thursday August 1, 2013, TransCanada President and CEO Russ Girling announced the new Energy East Pipeline during a news conference in Calgary, Alberta. The planned $12 billion oil pipeline will ship Western Canada's tar sands crude to refiners on its east coast. From there it will be shipped to markets around the world.

Unstoppable Oil Leak at a Tar Sands Production Site in Alberta

On June 27, an oil spill occurred at Canadian Natural Resources Limited's (CNRL) Primrose operations 75km east of Lac la Biche. The spill happened on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR). DeSmog.ca reported a release of bitumen emulsion, which is a mixture of heavy tar sands crude and water from oil production.

According to a press release from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) neither the company nor the government are certain of the volume of emulsion spilled.

Tar Sands Reality Check Counters Misinformation

On May 16, 2013, TarSandsRealityCheck.com (TSRC) was Launched in Canada, Europe and the US. TSRC provides reliable information on the Alberta tar sands.  This site is meant to counter misinformation from the Canadian government and oil sands lobbyists. The peer reviewed science provided on this site addresses topical issues like the Keystone XL pipeline in North America and the Fuel Quality Directive in Europe.

TSRC is designed for the public, media, politicians and the environmental community and includes groups like Environmental Defence Canada, Equiterre, Forest Ethics Advocacy, Greenpeace Canada, Natural Resources Defense Council (US), 350.org, Sierra Club U.S., and Transport and Environment (Europe).

The launch of TSRC coincides with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trip to New York where he tried to sell the Keystone XL to the Council of Foreign Relations. In addition to Harper's pro tar sands pitch, the Canadian government has launched a new website which tries to put a positive spin on Alberta's fossil fuel industry.

Video - The Tar Sands Give Canada the Worst Climate Record in the Western World

Due in large part to the tar sands, Canada's climate performance is worst in the Western world. If Prime Minister Stephen Harper has his way, it will get worse, far worse. As the debate on the Keystone XL pipeline rages in the US, Canada's fossil fuel industry is planning to triple production of the tar sands. This video provides facts that refute the spin coming from Canada's ruling Conservative party.

Leading Canadian Economist to Tell Europeans about the Climate Impacts of the Tar Sands

One of Canada’s top economists is traveling to Europe to warn them about the environmental impacts of the tar sands. Simon Fraser economist Dr. Mark Jaccard has worked with governments in Canada and the US to fashion climate policies. He suggested that the emissions reduction efforts by governments around the world will make it increasingly difficult to find markets for Canadian crude derived from tar sands.

He is also warning that current efforts to expand Canada's tar sands could leave billions of dollars in stranded assets, including pipelines like TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL

Climate Scientists' Urge Canadian Minister to Back-off Expanded Fossil Fuel Production

Twelve climate scientists and energy experts sent a letter to Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver questioning his commitment to combating climate change. The letter also urged him to reduce the country's production of fossil fuels and increase support for cleaner sources of energy.

Dear Minister Oliver,

As climate scientists, economists and policy experts who have devoted our careers to understanding the climate and energy systems, we share your view that “climate change is a very serious issue.”

But some of your recent comments give us significant cause for concern. In short, we are not convinced that your advocacy in support of new pipelines and expanded fossil fuel production takes climate change into account in a meaningful way.

Canada to Fight EU Proposal Labeling Tar Sands as Dirty

The EU has proposed labeling Canada's tar sands as "dirty" which would result in an import tax on Canadian bitumen. If the proposal is successful, EU refiners who use Canadian tar sands crude would face extra costs as they are required to cut carbon content in fuels by 6 percent or pay a penalty.

The Europeans did not flinch when confronted by threats of a trade war from a Canadian cabinet minister. Canada’s Natural Resources Minister, Joe Oliver, said Wednesday Ottawa would consider launching a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) if the EU proceeds with a fuel-quality directive that singles out crude from Canada’s oil sands as harmful to the planet’s climate.

If the trade referee were to side with the Canadian federal government he could grant Ottawa the authority to retaliate by slapping punitive tariffs on European imports.

However the Europeans do not think that Canada's case will sway the WTO. The European Union ambassador to Canada, Matthias Brinkmann, told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday that he believes the WTO would find no fault with the fuel-quality directive.

Canada is Banking on Carbon Capture to Offset Tar Sands

Canada is hoping the carbon capture and storage (CCS) can help to mollify its increasingly isolated position vis-a-vis the the nation’s failure to limit emissions. The tar sands are a significant contributor to Canada’s rising greenhouse gas emissions. The Canadian tar sands industry now generates between 40 and 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, or around 7 percent of the Canada’s total emissions.

This will be the first commercial scale test of CCS technology which requires an expansive network of pipelines, capture facilities, and storage reservoirs. However, large scale CCS is unproven and the technology is both costly and risky.