The port of Churchill (John Woods) Read this Jan. 18 story from The Winnipeg Free Press on a new government report envisioning the transformation of the northern port of Churchill, Manitoba into an export hub for Alberta bitumen and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Shipping oil by rail across northern Manitoba could be
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The Common Sense Canadian: Athabasca Chipewyan Nation pulls out of govt Oil Sands program
ACFN Chief Allan Adam on tour recently with Neil Young (Canadian Press) FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – The First Nation that was the main focus of Neil Young’s recent concert tour about Alberta’s oilsands has withdrawn from a government environmental panel. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation announced Friday that it is
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Gas prices heat up as homes, shale gas wells face record chill
by Jonathan Fahey, The Associated Press NEW YORK – The frigid winter of 2014 is setting the price of natural gas on fire. Friday, the price in the futures market soared past $5 per 1,000 cubic feet, up 9 per cent for the day to the highest level in three and
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Gitga’at First Nation challenges Enbridge panel ruling in court
Members of the Gitga’at First Nation lead a rally in Prince Rupert in 2012 (Damien Gillis) by Dene Moore, The Canadian Press VANCOUVER – The Gitga’at First Nation in British Columbia has filed a court challenge to the federal review panel recommendation in favour of the Northern Gateway pipeline, bringing to
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Halliburton manager destroys Gulf spill evidence, gets probation
by Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS – A former Halliburton manager was sentenced Tuesday to one year of probation for destroying evidence in the aftermath of BP’s massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Anthony Badalamenti, of Katy, Texas, had faced a maximum of one year
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: “I stand with Neil”: Prominent Canadians backing Young on Tar Sands
Author Michael Ondaatje, actress Neve Campbell and rocker Gord Downie are all standing with Neil Young by The Canadian Press More than 20 notable Canadians have penned a letter to support musician Neil Young following his concert tour to raise money for a First Nation fighting oilsands expansion in northern
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Oil lobby tries to tar Neil Young
CALGARY – The president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says rock legend Neil Young’s anti-oilsands statements are irresponsible and do a disservice to the aboriginals he’s trying to help. Dave Collyer made his remarks ahead of Young’s fundraising concert in Winnipeg. The Friday concert will be the second
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Neil Young amps up national oil sands debate
Neil Young at a benefit concert in Toronto on Sunday (Mark Blinch/AP) When Neil Young first wandered into Canadian energy politics last year, comparing Fort McMurray to Hiroshima following a trip to the northern industry town in his biomass-powered car, it provoked a handful of rebuttals from conservative columnists. But the legendary
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: New federal study: Oilsands bitumen sinks in water
2011 Rainbow Pipeline diluted bitumen leak in Alberta (Rogu Collecti/Greenpeace) VANCOUVER – A new federal government study has concluded that diluted bitumen — the product that would be transported by the Northern Gateway pipeline — sinks in seawater when battered by waves and mixed with sediments. However, when free of
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: New study shows Canadian industrialization in graphic detail
A visualization of industrial impacts across Canada as of 2010 (Global Forest Watch) A national study suggests that Alberta has disturbed more natural landscape than any other province. The analysis by Global Forest Watch adds that Wild Rose Country also has two of the three areas in Canada where the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Multiple spy agency watchdogs have ties to oil industry
Security Intelligence Review Committee head and ex-Conservative MP Chuck Strahl (Adrian Wyld/CP) Read this Jan. 10 story from CBC.ca on further revelations of Canadian spy agency watchdogs with lobbying ties to the oil and gas industry. While the head of the watchdog committee overseeing Canada’s intelligence agency is under attack
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Harper guts more fish protections: NEB takes over habitat along pipelines
It’s the latest in a long line of efforts by the Harper Government to dismantle Canada’s environmental laws in order to facilitate energy development. In a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the National Energy Board – quietly released just before Christmas – DFO relinquished much of its
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Governor unveils new plan for $65 Billion Alaska gas pipeline
Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, circa 1976 by Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska – Gov. Sean Parnell on Friday announced a new way forward on a long-hoped-for natural gas pipeline that includes scrapping the terms of a 2007 law he says no longer works well for the
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Energy analyst: Oil-by-rail jeopardized by explosions
Exploding rail cars in last year’s Lac-Mégantic catastrophe were carrying highly flammable oil products Read this Jan. 6 column from Reuters energy analyst John Kemp on the risks posed to the emerging oil-by-rail business by the highly combustible products it’s transporting. The rising number of serious accidents involving oil tank
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Mechanical failure spurred CN oil train derailment in New Brunswick
Emergency responders stayed back from the NB train derailment due to safety concerns (wagmtv.com) Read this Jan. 8 story from CBC.ca on the latest derailment of a train carrying petroleum products, this time in New Brunswick. The CN Rail derailment that is behind a massive fire near Plaster Rock, N.B.,
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Lubicon Lake Nation appeals injunction over oil fracking blockade
Photo: Lubicon Lake Nation CALGARY – A First Nation is appealing a court injunction against a blockade of an energy company’s drilling site in northern Alberta. The Lubicon Lake Nation says the injunction granted to PennWest Petroleum Ltd. (TSX:PWT) last month gives the company unfettered access to an oil hydraulic
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Alberta, BC plan for oil-by-rail in case pipelines fail
A 2012 CN derailment in Alberta by Steven Chua, The Canadian Press VANCOUVER – A task force report has been handed in to the British Columbia and Alberta governments that examines the idea of transporting oilsands’ crude via rail if proposed pipelines don’t get the green light, government documents show.
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Alberta faces onslaught of oilsands lawsuits
ACFN Chief Allan Adam outside an Alberta court in 2012, challenging Shell’s Jackpine development by Bob Weber, The Canadian Press EDMONTON – Simmering disputes over the oilsands between Alberta aboriginals and the provincial and federal governments will break into the open in 2014 as virtually every one of the many recent
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Lac-Megantic voted top Canadian news story of 2013
MONTREAL – Editors and news directors across the country have selected the Lac-Megantic train derailment as Canada’s News Story of the Year, garnering 30.6% of the vote – ahead of Senate expenses and the Rob Ford scandal, which drew 24.2% and 22.6%, respectively. The following are select quotes from news editors
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian: Canadians get lots of coal, oil and gas in holiday trash dump
The Friday night trash dump is a well-known trick of governments looking to dispense with bad news as quietly as possible. Controversial announcements are made in the last hour of the last day of the week to avoid public scrutiny. This year, the holiday season has served the same role, only on a much
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