Quick Hits: Alberta Tarsands Update

There is so much news coming out from Northern Alberta and related projects these days, I can hardly keep up. Why does a guy in Michigan write so much about this topic? Because this megaproject will have (and already is having) a profound impact on the future of energy worldwide. For an easy read about why the Tar Sands are so influential, and so dangerous too, check out Canadian journalist Andrew Nikiforuk’s book Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent. Another reason this topic is so important is because Michigan is a huge playing-ground for the transportation of this oil between the U.S. and Canada. Below are a few links to some interesting stories in the news right now.

In Texas, southern portions of the XL Pipeline are already experiencing structural problems, such as dents and leaks, before oil is even being transported.

Digital Journal put out a great article about high rates of cancer in a community downstream from the Alberta Tar Sands. This community is also the subject in the film I suggested in an earlier post, called H2Oil.

And last but not least, BlackburnNews.com describes an oil spill in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, just across the St. Clair River from us in Michigan.

Sources: “Keystone XL isn’t even built yet and already it’s faulty”. John Upton. Gristmill. 7 June 2013.

“Could tar sands be behind high rates of cancer in Fort Chipewyan?” Stephanie Dearing. Digital Journal. 29 June 2009.

“Pipeline Spill”. Stephanie Chaves. Blackburn News. 11 June 2013.

Image: MotherJones.com

Bees in the Garden and a Pesticide Ban in the EU

The last several years, there has been a lot of concern over declining numbers of bees. Today, I was blessed with the sight of tons of bees jumping from flower to flower on my friend’s sage plants.

Recent research has implied that the large decline of bees may be partially due to the use of pesticides in agriculture. I was not so sure how well replicated this data was, but after looking further into it, there is reason to be concerned. So much so, that the European Union has decided to put temporary restrictions on various pesticides until a further course of action can be determined to curb the loss of what is such a vital insect for life on earth. Read more at Why Don’t You Try This.

Source: Why Don’t You Try This

Image: Lauren Korany, Urban Hermits

British Columbia Opposes Northern Gateway Project

In the most recent installment of Urban Hermits’ tar sand coverage, we have heard some interesting news coming from the government of British Columbia. They have officially announced their opposition to the Northern Gateway Project, a pipeline plan very similar to the XL Pipeline here in the states. This is not to say the project was completely canned, but it puts a burden on Enbridge and other oil companies, as well as the government of Alberta, who has overwhelmingly supported the project. Questions regarding how environmental disasters will need to be addressed, as well as a blueprint as to how British Columbia will benefit fairly from the investment. If things remain anything like how they are in Alberta, all I have to say is good luck. Get the detailed response here from CBC News.

I believe this is an important case study because it displays public concern and increasing skepticism about the project. Whether we will see this sort of mobilization or not here in the U.S. remains to be seen.

The Douglas Channel, a proposed termination point for an oil pipeline in the Enbridge Northern Gateway project, near Kitimat, B.C.

Image Source: Darryl Dyck. The Vancouver Sun. 31 May 2013.

Source: “B.C. officially opposes Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline”. CBC News. 31 May 2013.

Giant Swamp Rats and the Rights of Invasive Species

I have always tried to stand up for the rights of other beings and I believe that they at least deserve consideration. However, the issue of invasive species is challenging. On one hand, here is a creature that deserves the right to live and feed in its habitat, just as a human would. On the other hand, it is destroying the habitat and can drive native creatures to extinction. Matt Cantor from Newser Staff documents this dilemma in a Detroit Free Press article about Nutria, a cute species of swamp rat responsible for large-scale erosion in southern Louisiana.

While it is clear that the Nutria is disastrous for Louisiana, it also seems unfair to have them systematically eliminated, especially since humans were responsible for their introduction into the area (they were brought from Argentina for fur). Take a look at this brief article and keep this in mind when you consider the rights of invasive species. Think about what species have been problematic to the area you live in. What do you think is an effect strategy to contain them? Is there a humane option?

Source: “Louisiana is shrinking, thanks to giant swamp rats”. Matt Cantor. Detroit Free Press. 9 May 2013.

Image: Eustis Christine, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Canadian Government Ups Tar Sands Advertising

Now it would be nice for me to post about something besides the Alberta Tar Sands (and I will very soon), but you can’t make this stuff up. In light of Barack Obama having to make a decision about the XL Pipeline this year, the Canadian Government has doubled its advertising budget. Who would’ve thought that you need to launch a massive advertising campaign for a huge deposit of one of the most vital natural resources on the planet? Well, just ask the European Union, which has officially categorized Tar Sands as separate from conventional crude oil due to the higher resulting greenhouse gas emissions. The Canadian Government considers this to be: “Discriminatory…not based on science and it would potentially hurt Canada’s ability to access markets for its resources” (Goldenberg 2013). Hilarious.

Check out Suzanne Goldenberg’s great article in The Guardian here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/16/canadian-government-doubles-advertising-spend-tar-sands#ixzz2Uhh5zVrW

Oh, and that picture is of Joe Oliver, Canadian Minster of Natural Resources. Good guy…..

Source: “Canadian Government Doubles Advertising Spend on Tar Sands”. Suzanne Goldenberg. The Guardian. 16 May 2013.

Image: Oil Change International

Decades of Environmental Change Depicted in Seconds

This is fascinating so I have to share it. TIME Magazine has released something on their website called Timelapse, which shows land use changes over three decades from satellite imagery. What sparked my interest is that all of images depict human induced environmental change. Take a look and take some time to think about what is occurring. Also, just enjoy the eerily artistic aesthetics: TIME Timelapse

Source: TIME Magazine online

Canadian Academics Criticize Government’s Investment in Dirty Oil

This morning, I came across two articles about how prominent Canadian scientists have written to Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver. They explained how further development of oil sands, particularly those in Alberta, sends the Canadian economy backwards and will lead to large scale environmental repercussions. Check them out: CBC News, The Guardian.

This sort of thing bugs me, especially, considering that I’ll be going to grad school starting this fall for the environmental sciences. If you haven’t seen it, I highly suggest the independent documentary H2Oil. It is a great film and also gives insight into how this development affects us South of the Canadian border. Check them out on Facebook!

Source: Max Paris, CBC News, May 8 2013; Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian, May 8 1013.

Photo: The Alberta Tar Sands, PriceofOil.org

Michigan’s Oil Future and the XL Pipeline

There has been a lot of focus in the last couple years about the proposed, in some places completed, XL Pipeline project. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the project, it is a plan to pump bitumen sands from the Alberta Tar Sands, amongst other extraction operations, across the U.S. to the Gulf Coast. This is a controversial project that has alarmed environmentalists and served as the poster child for dirty oil and how a stronger push for alternative energy is of greater need than ever before. While the fight over the XL Pipeline is still a huge battleground for environmentalists and landowners across the continent, many other noteworthy projects have been slipping through the cracks. On April 14, Keith Matheny of the Detroit Free Press released an informative article about a “new venture [that] would nearly double the amount of crude oil shipped on a major pipeline from Canada to Lake Superior — transporting more oil than the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that has caused an environmental outcry and fierce debate in Congress” (Matheny 2013). A second project also calls for a refinery to be built on the shores of Lake Superior, allowing the shipment of 13 million barrels of crude oil a year (ibid).

This is an article that should be particularly concerning to people in my home state of Michigan, who remember the 2010 Enbridge oil spill in the Kalamazoo River, the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history. The spill caused an estimated $1 billion dollars worth of damage and counting (ibid). To go forth with this project would be to accept the reality of inevitable contamination in the Great Lakes Basin. The only real question is how severe.

Source: Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, April 14, 2013

13 Oil Spills in 30 Days Infographic

March and April have not been a good time for backing up the Keystone XL credibility. This infographic by tcktcktck.org and Cynthiayue show an ugly set of oil spills in an intriguing way.

13 Oil Spills in 30 Days infographic by cynthiayue.