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US Delays Decision on Tarsands Pipeline
The U.S. State Department has bowed to pressure from environmental and political lobbies, giving federal agencies until the end of the year to decide if a massive bitumen pipeline from Canada is in the national interest.
Water used in the extraction process is dumped into pools in the northern Alberta oil sand fields. Federal agencies now have until mid-December to comment on the $7-billion Keystone XL project, which would flow bitumen from Alberta to refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast. (AFP/File/David Boily) TransCanada Corp.' s contentious Keystone XL
project has been challenged by groups in the U.S. decrying Alberta's
oilsands operations as environmentally unsound.
Monday's move gives federal agencies three more months to comment on the $7-billion project, which would flow bitumen from Alberta to refineries in the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The original directive was for federal agencies to weigh in on whether the pipeline was in the national interest by Sept. 15, the same time analysis of an environmental impact study will be released.
"After further consultation with those agencies, the department has extended the time for all consulted federal agencies to provide their views to the department until 90 days following issuance of the final EIS.," the agency said on its website.
Both national need and environmental approvals are necessary before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issues the presidential permit required to allow the expansion.
TransCanada said the 90-day delay, half of which was built in to its construction plans as risk, will give it more time to emphasize the benefits of bringing Alberta oil to the U.S.
"I think that what we are seeing here is a discussion that will ultimately come back to the premise of the project, and that is the importance of North American energy security," said Robert Jones, vice-president of the Keystone project. "As we get an opportunity to explain the issues around energy security, we're very confident that people will recognize the overall benefit of the project for North America."
The State Department's announcement Monday comes on the heels of efforts by groups critical of the oilsands.
The effect of a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has heightened scrutiny of all oil projects, Jones noted.
A time lag between environmental results and a national needs assessment often occurs, he said, conceding the new order would delay construction by at least six weeks. He could not comment on how the delay would affect project costs.
Phase 1 of the Keystone pipeline started flowing 435,000 barrels of oilsands crude a day to refineries in Illinois July 1. The extension would bump up deliveries to Gulf refineries to 510,000 bpd by 2013.
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12 Comments so far
Show AllAmazing what a good BP-made, government-certified disaster will do for you.
The Alberta Clipper pipeline , built to move tar sands oil, is already in place.
http://www.enbridge-expansion.com/expansion/main.aspx?id=1218
So is the US Government decision on the Alberta-Gulf pipeline...just waiting for the heat to die down on the Big Spill. (They can peddle it as a financial incentive for the devastated Gulf coast.)
You have to see it to believe it! The bitumen is moved through pipelines as an emulsified mixture of hot water and bitumen; when the mixture is allowed to settle and separation occurs, the bitumen froth is skimmed from the top for processing and the water mixture goes into giant ponds (man-made lakes) SURROUNDED BY AIR CANONS THAT ARE FIRED CONTINUALLY to keep the geese from landing! So nasty it's better kept in the far north where it's the abundance of geese that are in danger than the more populated gulf coast - BAD IDEA!!!
because once 1600 ducks saw the lake and decided to land. They were killed instantly.
Tar sands are worse than "toxic". they must be stopped.
OK, it's up to you Yanks to stop this pipeline and help close the taps on the gawdawful Alberta Tar Sands.
This Enviro/Political discussion is all about CITI:
the only refineries in the US that can crack this "dirty oil".
CITI was built,and is owned by Venezuela to refine it's own
(previously known as) "heavy" oil.
The adage: "Cutting off your nose to spite your face" looks
to be an American obsession.
PS, I'm against the tar sands as well, however your reps may be doing the "right thing" for the wrong reason.....and that's
never good.
In Canada the provincial governments have control over natural resources-Alberta has had a conservative government for at least 30 years with few exceptions. These tar sands do nothing for the domestic populations other than provide income and housing in camps away from family etc. The profits all go to private enterprise in spite of the fact that a former federal government privatized our national oil company after the taxpayer invested billions in it. This national company could have been the masthead on how to do things right and made the private sector tow the line as far as safety environment goes, and the expertise to go along with it. Our present conservative government is doing to same thing with our Atomic Energy and Candu reactor division. Dave Letterman might be getting a raise soon as General Electric will probably eat it up. Albertan's get very low royalties from this oil, they get the boom town inflation in housing and what the process for getting that stuff separated and the water it uses and pollutes so that it is unuseable is atrocious-it is a crime against human and non human nature. The drug use is highest in these boom towns inflation pollution traffic jams poor infrastructure it is a disaster!!!! The health hazards cancer rates birth defects etc are just off the chart. Vote no to Alberta Tarsands. This Prime Minister takes lessons from the likes of Karl Rove and set up a Fox News North in Canada to get his distorted views on the air waves. I am a Canadian and asking you all please vote no to this damaging process and help to bring this 19th century political and economic regime to an end.
Sincerely,
RR
Canada's greenhouse gas emissions increase enormously (due to natural gas utilized for manufacture of hydrogen needed in the upgrading) when bitumen is processed in Canada. Canadians are more sensitive to carbon emissions (Kyoto history) than we are here in the US.
By processing the bitumen here in the US, instead of in Canada, the increased carbon output is tallied on the US side of the ledger. We haven't figured out how to add in the natural gas utilization when calculating our "carbon footprint", or we don't care to do it.
In the US, our Congress worries much less about the increased carbon emissions than it does about the "perception" with regard to the number of "jobs" an activity creates.
The USans are NEVER going understand this deception, mostly because USan politician's re-election DEPENDS on their not understanding it.
It's the ole "switcheroo" trick.
Canadians can help out by promoting their own clean energy technology, specifically the Atmospheric Vortex Engine, which has its greatest potential in Ontario, with somewhat less in Manitoba and Quebec.
Ref-- http://vortexengine.ca
May the "Force" be with you.
Tar Sands the most polluted place on the planet. Why because the oil industry that is above environment laws around the world runs it. Alberta always says , shut down the tar sands Canada and get ready to freeze. Alberta says it is the back bone of the economy in Canada. Both are a total lie if we have a PM ( Harper) with some guts to put Canada back on its feet. Romove this American wanabe fool next election.
The entire planet is being smeared with deadly oil. Aren't we having enough fun yet? The measly dollars will never be enough to clear the conscience!