2013 SkS News Bulletin #3: Alberta Tar Sands and Keystone XL Pipeline

25 Keystone XL protesters arrested at TransCanada office

The protests at a TransCanada office in Westborough, Mass. continued today and more than 25 protesters have been arrested, the Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline group said this morning.

25 Keystone XL Protesters Arrested at TransCanada Office, Inside Climate News, Mar 11, 2013


Canadian oil, the Keystone pipeline and the Chinese

Americans have a love-hate relationship with Canadian oil, as thousands of anti-Keystone demonstrators in Washington recently reaffirmed. The Chinese are clearly not so conflicted.

Canadian oil, the Keystone pipeline and the Chinese by Stephen R. Kelly, Raleigh News Observer, Mar 9, 2013


Critical part of Keystone report done by firms with deep oil industry ties

Two consulting firms provided State Department with key analysis of whether the pipeline would speed development of Canada's oil sands.

Critical part of Keystone report done by firms with deep oil industry ties by Lisa Song, Inside Climate News, Mar 6, 2013


Keystone pipeline decision may influence oil-sands development

A U.S. decision on whether to approve TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s Keystone XL pipeline has the potential to accelerate -- or slow --investments in Canada’s oil sands.

Keystone pipeline decision may influence oil-sands development by Brad Olson & Jeremy van Loon, Bloomberg, Mar 7, 2013


Keystone rejection wouldn’t harm US-Canada relationship

Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver predicted Wednesday that the  U.S. will approve the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline, but added that  rejection would not harm the relationship between the two allies.

Canadian official: Keystone rejection wouldn’t harm US-Canada relationship by Ben Geman, The Hill, Mar 6, 2013


Keystone XL pipeline path marks new battle line in Oklahoma

Pipeline opponents garnered national attention last month, when some 40,000 protesters (according to organizers) assembled in Washington, D.C., to urge the White House to take a stand against fossil fuel emissions by vetoing the project. The event was billed as the largest rally ever held in the United States on climate change. Less noticed have been the bitter personal battles being waged in the trenches—literally, those being dug by TransCanada.

Keystone XL Pipeline Path Marks New Battle Line in Oklahoma by Bret Schulte, National Geographic, Mar 8, 2013 


No, Minister Oliver, the oil sands have not become 'green' 

Many Canadians must have wondered if George Orwell was alive and well this week as they read that the Alberta oil sands were being pitched to U.S. officials as “green” by Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver.

No, Minister Oliver, the oil sands have not become 'green' by Tzeporah Berman, The Globe & Mail, Mar 8, 2013 


The climate scientist and the pipeline

A set of Letters to the Editor in repsonse to a prior article appearing in the New York Times.

The climate scientist and the pipeline, New York Times, Mar 8, 2012 


When to say no

In itself, the Keystone pipeline will not push the world into a climate apocalypse. But it will continue to fuel our appetite for oil and add to the carbon load in the atmosphere. There is no need to accept it.

When to say no, Editorial Board, New York Times, Mar 10, 203


Will Canada’s proposed tar sands oil pipeline muck up its Pacific Coast?

As controversy continues around the Keystone XL Pipeline that would snake through the U.S., a similar drama plays out north of the border. Canadian officials are deciding whether to green-light a pipeline that would carry a semiliquid hydrocarbon mix for 1,172 kilometers from Alberta's tar sands over the Canadian Rockies to the Pacific coast of British Columbia. Near its proposed terminus, the proposal has met with public outcry and fierce opposition from the Coastal First Nations, a coalition of indigenous tribes.

Will Canada’s Proposed Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Muck Up Its Pacific Coast? by Anne Casselman, Scientific American, Mar 5, 2013


Will our political leaders land on the right side of history?

A few days ago, I noticed something pretty striking when reading the US State Department’s report about the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. It made me wonder if the State Department is really paying attention to what’s happening up here in British Columbia. The report claimed the pipeline is “not likely” to “result in significant environmental effects” and that it would make “no substantive change in global greenhouse gas emissions.” The underlying assumption was that even if Keystone XL wasn’t built that Enbridge and/or Kinder Morgan’s pipelines would be built and the tar sands would continue to grow.

Pipeline Decisions: Will Our Political Leaders Land on the Right Side of History? by Ben West, Forest Ethics, Mar 7, 2013

Posted by John Hartz on Tuesday, 12 March, 2013


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