Six ways to tell you're not getting the whole oilsands story, according to Knight

[LChoy]

Energy Minister Mel Knight made a speech last week and cleared up some common misconceptions about the Oil sands

1) incomplete if it starts with the term "tar sands."
- some say this is just about P.R. or spin. Let's be frank: we're producing oil, not tar.

2) incomplete: "ripping up areas the size of Florida."
- Oil sands lay below an area that size.
- 80% developed in situ.

3) incomplete: "destroying the boreal forest."
- Alberta's boreal forest covers more than 147,000 square miles.
- The entire mineable area-less than 1% of the forest. And less than 1/6th of THAT has been disturbed to date.
- Reclamation requirements.

4) incomplete: "depleting fresh water resources to produce oil"
- Up to 90% of water is recycled; saline/non-potable water used whenever possible
- Strict limits on water withdrawals from the river.

5) incomplete: "development is contaminating rivers putting people and the habitat at risk"
- Athabasca River probably one of the most tested water bodies in the world.
- Testing has shown rivers adjacent to oil sands projects have lower contaminant levels than other rivers in the region with no industrial oil sands activity near them.
- River "cuts through" the oil sands area. Bitumen naturally present on banks and in the river.

6) incomplete: oil sands 3-5 times more carbon intensive than conventional oil.
- Only looking at the production side.
- "wells-to-wheels"- less carbon intensive than Venezuelan and comparable to oil that is shipped over from the Middle East. Stack up to California Heavy Oil.
- Important that a low-carbon fuel standard consider this full cycle-don't want special treatment; just a level playing field.
- Oil sands not even the largest source of CO2 emissions in Alberta (coal-fired electricity).

- Perspective: entire country of Canada is 2% of world emissions; oil sands less than 5% of that (so oil sands 1/10 of 1% of world emissions).

http://communities.canada.com/calgar...a/default.aspx

[Boblobla]

Some interesting reading here if you have the time:

http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/
http://www.worstpolluted.org/

Puts into perspective how other industries rape the environment.

[mykalberta]

But think of the Ducks. Wont someone please think of the Ducks.

[J pold]

Take that hippies!

[DOK]

Not to cause a crap storm, but I lived in McMurray and saw first hand what's going on. My biggest concern is that river. I don't buy what he's selling. Ask the people in Fort Makay. No to mention the water they can't use gets put into tailings ponds. Look that up and see what it does. It's a dirty waste of water they can't clean that gets spread out to the thinnest layer and they hope it gets evaporated so they can't do anything about it. Not to mention that these guys are cutting the land down to the next layer of the earth. Reclamation is at a standstill with the smallest amount turned back into forest. And what they have done, is at the entrance to the site to make it look wonderful.

I don't think comparing it to other damaging companies/ countries is fair either. It's' like comparing murders, well, he only killed 5 people, not 10.

I'm no hippie at all, that's what bothers me about it. I'm one to spend money, drive a truck and leave my lights on, yet it bothered me too much to live up there.

[Bagor]

I don't want to get into the whole oilsands debate as it's been done before but just want to comment on what a horrible effort of a spin job that article is and how ironic it is that he focuses on the word "incomplete" as the basis for his argument.

Just one example

6) Oil sands not even the largest source of CO2 emissions in Alberta (coal-fired electricity).

Begs the question: why is he only reporting CO2 and not all Greenhouse gases? Severly "incomplete" as CO2 by itself is only one of several greenhouse gases. Could it be that it is the only one that is less that coal-fired electricity? If he's going to address global warming gases then look at the full picture and ummm tell the "whole story".

FTR: Oilsands are the largest source of GGs in Alberta.

[FanIn80]

This sounds like a case for Steven Seagal.

[Kerplunk]

Originally Posted by Bagor

FTR: Oilsands are the largest source of GGs in Alberta.

Link or reference?

[Bagor]

http://environment.gov.ab.ca/info/library/7964.pdf
Figure 9 Actually it's: (1) O&G, (2) Oilsands (3) Power generation
Figure 10 is also worth looking at whilst you're there.