OIL SANDS A GLOBAL ENVIROMENTAL ISSUE

[leftcoast]

The oil sands in Fort McMurray Alberta is Canada’s single largest source of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Acid rain from the Oil sands project is ruining the lakes in Manitoba, Sask, Alberta & BC.

The open pit is now the size of Grease and quickly will double in size. This land will remain waste and once was home to countless wildlife.

The tailings ponds are the size of the Great Lakes in Ontario and contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthenic acids, heavy medals, salts and bitumen – these are the largest ponds of poison in the world.

The industry stakeholders have been reticent to share information. The fundamental issues pertaining to the earths health have been ignored.

The oil sands consumes one barrel of oil to produce two. Canada’s natural Gas supply will be depleted in 5 years as a result of this project.

The health of the local Fort McMurray population is failing. The world will be next if selfish big-business interests are not curtailed.

And how does this connect with Fernie?

Murray Edwards, the owner of Fernie Alpine Resort, Kimberley Island Resort and Lake Louise, is one of the main drivers of the oil sands project.

The following excerpt is taken from Forbes 500 Richest 2006:

“Murray Edwards has more at stake in the Canadian oil sands than possibly any other individual. His company, Canadian Natural Resources, has sketched out plans to spend $25 billion to turn the gucky mud found in northern Alberta into barrels of crude.

This media shy lawyer-turned financier also owns big stakes in Ensign Energy, Canada’s second biggest oil services company, and Penn West, one of Canada’s biggest energy trusts.

He also owns Lake Louise, Canada’s famous ski hill, and a chunk of the Calgary Flames hockey team.”

Perhaps public opinion can change the selfish value these business types place on ROI at the expense of community and the earth as a whole.

I urge you to express yourself and make a difference.

For more information on the oil sands project read the March issue of Explorer, Canada’s Outdoor Magazine.

[gagbandit]

I could have my numbers wrong but as far as I know the current CO2 production is 30 million tons per year from oil sands plants. Without some sort of regulation the plans call for a ramp up to 165 million tons – so much for Kyoto.

An intereting point is that most of the ramped up production will go to the US. The US consumes more daily oil production than the next 5 countries combined – and increasing. So what we seem to be doing as a country is allowing US interests to invest mega $ here ( like 100 billion ) to ramp up oilsand production and then they will burn it as fast as they possibily can…hmm where is the logic in this ?

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