Tar Sands: The Most Destructive Project on Earth

Where can I get one of these "propane canons?"

US should not except this oil. Then they would have to build a pipe to the west coast slowing things down a bit. I've worked their and its just like Mad Max. The whole area smells like theres a paving crew working 24 hours a day. I'm never going back.

Effing disgusting is all I can say. This is beyond silly. Its outright stupid. 3 barrels of pollution to make 1?

U.S. environmentalists (I consider myself one) should really be ashamed of how they've been out maneuvered. As a source of crude largely for the U.S. market this is far more of an environmental disaster than many of the projects environmentalists spend far more time fighting against.

Bush and Cheney are likely gloating over this victory.

worse part is that the provincial government continues to approve project after project. I am sure that alberta will be nothing more than a toxic scar by the time the oil sands are done. Yes the province is rich now, but that money will run out and all that will be left is a wasteland. nice job conservative government.

I have been following this project. It truel is a catch 22. We desperatedly need the oil in the US. It is actually the US demand that is fueling this project.

Without a doubt it makes the conventional oil look clean.

What a shame. A ancient forest and lifestyle of the once pristine North gone forever!

You guys do realize this is canada, not the US right? US bashing doesn't really fit here.

You guys do realize this is canada, not the US right? US bashing doesn't really fit here.

What is even scarier is living in this province where there is only now critical dialogue of the tar sands disaster - everyone relishes the boom, so there is little backlash when people are rolling in cash. We have ruined a pristine environment to secure energy for the US. So people can drive 8 blocks instead of walking. When our premier was in Washington recently he called the tar sands environmental record a MYTH. We're in the middle of an election and it isn't an election issue because the same party has been in power since the tar sands were first developed in the 70's. What to do? Tell your MP to tell Alberta to clean up their (our) act.

What is even scarier is living in this province where there is only now critical dialogue of the tar sands disaster - everyone relishes the boom, so there is little backlash when people are rolling in cash. We have ruined a pristine environment to secure energy for the US. So people can drive 8 blocks instead of walking. When our premier was in Washington recently he called the tar sands environmental record a MYTH. We're in the middle of an election and it isn't an election issue because the same party has been in power since the tar sands were first developed in the 70's. What to do? Tell your MP to tell Alberta to clean up their (our) act.

propane cannons, farmers use them to scare geese from pea fields.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/2656/cid/789

I have worked at the very project in the photo, that's Suncor. And Surfcam is right about Mad Max... although it reminds me more of Mordor.

Its a very depressing place to be, and most Canadians don't want this explosive expansion, its drawing a transient population that's taxing out infrastructure greatly. Even those that don't see the destruction are tired of the effects of the boom.

Greenpeace has also been very vocal about stopping expansion in the oil sands.

But, if it makes Bush and big oil happy, Harper and Stelmach will gladly sign away the rights our future.

It is really a stupid thing. We need to stop it.

I have an idea. Let's tell them to shut that down, and instead drill in ANWR. In the end, that would be far less environmentally destructive.

Preventing drilling in one place only outsources the pollution somewhere else.

It's a dumb puppy that pees in his own milk.

I read a while back (mid-2007) that the companies involved in tar sands extraction were going to use two CANDU reactors for heat because natural gas prices were too high. As a proponent of nukes I still have to say that's a really stupid use of nuclear power!

Keep an eye on how the fossil fuel industry begins to account for reserves. I saw one instance of a change in oil reserve calculations that included tar sands and oil shale. Hey, forget Hubbert's Peak, we'll just change the definitions so anything we can turn into gasoline can be counted as oil.

So when they've squeezed all the oil out of these sands, where's the next place they'll go drilling?

It's easy to play the blame game on the tar sands but its really an Alberta problem. Other countries could help out by slowing the demand down. It's the similar to the drug problem. The demand for both commodities is never ending.

It's easy to play the blame game on the tar sands but its really an Alberta problem. Other countries could help out by slowing the demand down. It's the similar to the drug problem. The demand for both commodities is never ending.

This is not the U.S. People. It needs to be shut down! It is killing the earth!

this is why i ride a bike

Oil sands are completely horrible. I'm glad these are finally getting reported on. Canada has most of them. They are extremely expensive to develop and create an insane amount of pollution. Check out the damage here: http://www.managedq.com/search.php?q=oil+sands

The oil sands pump out lots of CO2 and have fairly toxic trailing ponds and use tons of water.

Having worked in the area, I dont find it much different than any large mine tho. The suncor site is about 20km long and 5 km wide. The forests in the area are not rain forests either. However the oil sands companies need to be required to replant the tree like logging companies.

One good thing about the oil sands is that they have economy of scale working for them. With increased tech I think they can reduce Co2 by large amounts. But these companies will need to be forced to do so.

If you like them or not, oilsands are very important to secure our energy. There are some problems, indeed. But they provide oil and (wellpaid) employment.

Vice Magazine has a great series on Toxic Alberta... Fort McMurray is a crazy town !!

http://www.vbs.tv/video.php?id=987199110

80% of the reserves in Alberta are too deep to mine.

They will be exploited with another technology nowhere near as harmful as surface mining i.e. SAGD.

All this fuss over CO2 is a joke. Methane is 6 times more harmful as a GHG. Not to mention the fact that the science behind the fact of GHGs is still so flawed. Irrigation and abnormal water evaporation patterns are probably contributing as much or more.

People need to make up their minds on their priorities. If they want projects to slow down and for companies to spend millions mitigating environmental impacts, then stop complaining about the high gas prices because you haven't seen anything yet.

Yes, but methane is broken down within years by sea-water. Carbon dioxide remains resident in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. The water cycle is far faster, though inefficient irrigation techniques need to stop (plowing in general needs to stop, but that's a separate issue).

And, as an environmentalist, I welcome high gas prices. I also use human-powered transportation. You think a ScanGauge is good, but the incentive to save energy while commuting is undeniable when you're the one providing the energy!

Capitalism will not only enslaves the people but it will distroy the Enviornment. Thats okay, I can while for humans to become extinct.

Although I can respect the fact everyone wants to save the planet. People tend to forget the oilsands is being pushed out of the ground and flows into the river naturally I might add.To say we don't need to be doing more by all means we need too. Realization though their is many of jobs created from these Mega projects,mine is one of them. we need to invest in our technology sector to find better ways to delovelope the oilsands and quite pointing the finger at each other and doing nothing about the real problem.Making companies and people accountable is the first step. Shutting industries down will not help anyone in a province that depends on oil. Look for better ways to use your energy other than bitching about the oilsands

THOSE CANADIAN IDIOTS! We are all going to die a horrible death if they do not stop the pollution of our world! THOSE CANADIAN WHORES!

THE OIL COMPAMIES ARE BLOODY IDIOTS!

I really don't like it. All of this oil drilling. Its is ruining our lovely Earth. It is really like sticking your head up your ass and never coming back out. They are blind to the rest of the world!

I can't belive the ordasity of some people all of the work that I have put foth into the creation of this planet and jerks like the oil company will take it all away in a blink of an eye!

You all sit here and whine and complain about oil and gas mining, but i bet you have no problem filling your vehicle with gasoline or deisel, Just ridiculous, you all helped create the need for this project, so you might as well accept it, and thank the thousands of workers make it possible to fill all your vehicles and farm equipment

Vk, I'm not gonna except it. I'm gonna drive less, carpool more, grow my own organic garden, hunt my own meat, plant trees, drive at efficent speeds, support any rightous bill or politician who promotes clean alternative-renewable energies and when the time is right, things will switch over and we will turn off this road and the sooner the better.

All you yanks,brits,whatevers,it's kinda like the pot calling the kettle black, you need to do your own house keeping before you get involved with ours,the yanks and the brits seem to have a problem with minding their own business.Stay away,we Canadians are more than capable to look after our own affairs.And you whining canadians who would take full advantage of the money that flows from these projects,try living this winter without the benifits of our energy industry.

all to keep up the happy motoring????
i doubt it, ever hear of plastic?

Dear Trevor - PLEEEEZ don't tar ALL Canadians as whores - I can understand your anger and am with you, and there are MANY Canadians who are on yoru side. Please don't alienate us with such harsh accusations. There are a great many Canadians who are absolutely against Tar Sands exploitation. But this operation is in the pay of American oil companies. So if you drive a car, or use a bus wherever you are in the US then, you might be supporting this exploitation . So i would ask you to think twice before you jump to conclusions such as yours.

Here is a site worht going to.. It is Canadian, made by Canadians and for the world.

www.tarsandswatch.org

Just so you can really see what plenty us Canadian whores are saying against it. Glad to be of service to American pimps, in that case.

Let's try to be a little more fair about who we accuse, and do our research first, in future.

Cheers
Rebecca Mackay

everyone complains and bashes each other because of this, but we are all the cause of this.have we bashed ourselves yet?lots of people just complain on here and then dont actually do anything about it.how many people are actually gonna change how they live when they are so comfortable?the thing is, he have to step out of our confort zones ourselves and maybe others eill follow.but if we dont, we are going to be forced out of our confort zones!

I have done something about it. I sold my Pontiac GTP and purchased a Honda. I now also take the train to work instead of driving and when I do have to drive my car, l drive the speed limit. Unfortunately, no one else seems to be driving the speed limit and all those big SUVs (actually, large and small cars alike) just whiz by me on I-95 as if they are racing someone or maybe each other. Guess we humans will just never learn or until it is too late.