Publications
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Pipeline and Tanker Trouble
By: Natural Resources Defense Council | Anthony Swift, Nathan Lemphers, Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, Katie Terhune and Danielle Droitsch
Published: November 2011
The Canadian government is considering a proposal to build a pipeline under mountains and across rivers that could carry more than half a million barrels of raw tar sands crude oil (known as bitumen) daily across important salmon rivers, coastal rainforests, and sensitive marine waters. While the potentially devastating impacts of tar sands production are well documented, the increased risk and potential harm from transporting bitumen is less known.1,2 This report outlines the potential dangers of bitumen transportation and the risks of spills to the environment and the economy in a region that depends on healthy fisheries, lands, and waters.
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Tar Sands and the CETA
By: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives | Scott Sinclair
Published: October 2011
The recent decision by the European Union (EU) to disregard Canadian government pressure and forge ahead with regulations that recognise the higher green-house-gas intensity of fuel produced from tar sands and oil shale is encouraging. The Canadian government has lobbied furiously against Article 7a of the European Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) and is
even threatening to challenge the measure under international trade rules.
The Canadian government position flies in the face of increased scientific certainty that the ever-expanding exploitation of oil sands reserves within Canada and around the world would lead to disastrous climate change. In the words of climate scientist James Hansen, “Policy makers need to understand that these unconventional fossil fuels, which are as dirty and polluting as coal, must be left in the ground if we wish future generations to have a liveable planet (Hansen, 2009: 173).”
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Pipe Dreams? Jobs gained, jobs lost by the construction of Keystone XL
By: Cornell University Global Labor Institute
Published: September 2011
The purpose of this briefing paper is to examine claims made by TransCanada Corporation and the American Petroleum Institute that, if constructed, TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline will generate enough employment to kick-start important sections of the US economy through the creation of tens of thousands—perhaps even hundreds of thousands—of good, well-paying jobs for American workers.
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Exporting Energy Security: Keystone XL Exposed
By: Oil Change International
Published: August 2011
A closer look at the new realities of the global oil market and at the companies who will profit from the pipeline reveals a completely different story: Keystone XL will not lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil, but transport Canadian oil in American refineries for export to overseas markets.
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Drilling Down: Groundwater Risks Imposed by In Situ Oil Sands Development
By: Water Matters | By Juli a Ko and William F. Donahue
Published: July 2011
Drilling Down: Groundwater Risks Imposed by In Situ Oil Sands Development provides clear, achievable recommendations for improving groundwater management, assessment and monitoring in the oil sands region.
In Drilling Down, Water Matters recommends scientifically rigorous monitoring and assessment of groundwater resources by the provincial and federal governments, and perhaps most importantly the eradication of technical and regulatory uncertainties inherent to the in situ oil sands industry that pose huge risks to groundwater in the region.
Tagged with: water pollution, in situ, water matters, groundwater contamination, monitoring
Migration of whooping cranes (Grus americana) through Alberta’s bitumen sands region
By: Global Forest Watch Canada | Peter G. Lee
Published: July 2011
This report maps historical records of whooping crane flight paths and landing points in relation to Alberta's bitumen (oil) sands region. Whooping cranes have regularly flown over and landed within Alberta's oil sands region. Their migration route intersects with areas leased to and developed by oil sands companies, including the surface mineable area and its associated facilities, mine pits and tailings ponds. Several factors present in the oil sands region, including exposure to tailings ponds, poses a threat to the survival and recovery of the Canadian wild whooping crane population.
Tagged with: wildlife, global forest watch, whooping cranes
Analysis of Frequency, Magnitude and Consequence of Worst-Case Spills From the Proposed Keystone XL
By: | John Stansbury, Ph.D., P.E.
Published: July 2011
TransCanada is seeking U.S. regulatory approval to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta, Canada to Texas. The pipeline will transport diluted bitumen (DilBit), a viscous, corrosive form of crude oil across Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The purpose of this paper is to present an independent assessment of the potential for leaks from the pipeline and the potential for environmental damage from those leaks.
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Economic Impacts of Staged Development of Oil Sands Projects in Alberta (2010-2035)
By: Canadian Energy Research Institute | Afshin Honarvar, Jon Rozhon, Dinara Millington, Thorn Walden, Carlos A. Murillo
Published: June 2011
The worldwide economic recession that hit in 2008 affected the Canadian oil sands significantly. But close to three years later the industry is once again expanding, with a number of major projects under development and still more proposed for the future. Pipelines, or other transportation means such as increased rail haulage, will soon be required to ship new product to destinations in the United States and elsewhere. Three major transportation projects are being planned and have received considerable attention from government, stakeholders, and the general public. These pipeline proposals face opposition, and the possibility exists that one, two, or all three may not be realized. This study examines the impacts of oil sands operations (existing and future) limited by pipeline export capacity. Four capacity scenarios, or cases, are documented within this report:
Tagged with: pipeline, alberta, economic development, transportation, canadian energy research institute
Marginal Oil - What is driving oil companies dirtier and deeper?
By: Friends of the Earth
Published: May 2011
With conventional oil production in decline, the global oil industry is investing heavily in dirtier and riskier forms of unconventional oil such as heavy crude, tar sands, and oil shale. These investments pose a challenge to the climate, the environment, and local communities. This paper is a document that describes the drivers behind marginal oil investments and gives an overview of existing and potential projects across the globe. It contains important analysis that should be public knowledge and will productively feed the ongoing debate, from Cancun to Durban to Rio and beyond.
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Feasibility of Hyperion Refinery Project in South Dakota
By: Hart Energy Consulting Group | Terry Higgins
Published: April 2011
This memorandum summarizes Hart Energy’s opinion on the viability of the proposed Hyperion refinery project, focusing on the supply, demand and economics of a major U.S. Midcontinent refinery expansion.
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