WP----Canada Pays Environmentally for U.S. Oil Thirst

[rodeodance]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/30/AR2006053001429.html

Canada Pays Environmentally for U.S. Oil Thirst
Huge Mines Rapidly Draining Rivers, Cutting Into Forests, Boosting Emissions

By Doug Struck
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, May 31, 2006; Page A01

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta -- Huge mines here turning tarry sand into cash for Canada and oil for the United States are taking an unexpectedly high environmental toll, sucking water from rivers and natural gas from wells and producing large amounts of gases linked to global warming.

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The digging -- into an area the size of Maryland and Virginia combined -- has proliferated at gold-rush speed, spurred by high oil prices, new technology and an unquenched U.S. thirst for the fuel. The expansion has presented ecological problems that experts thought they would have decades to resolve.

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"The river used to be blue. Now it's brown. Nobody can fish or drink from it. The air is bad. This has all happened so fast," said Elsie Fabian, 63, an elder in a native Indian community along the Athabasca River, a wide, meandering waterway once plied by fur traders. "It's terrible. We're surrounded by the mines."

From her home on the bluff of the river, she can see billowing steam rising from a vast strip mine 10 miles away. There, almost 200 feet below what was once a forest, giant machines cleave the earth into a cratered moonscape. Immense shovels plunge into the ground, wresting out massive chunks. Trucks the size of houses prowl the pit. They deliver the black soil to clanking conveyers and vats that steam the tar from the sand.

[dipsydoodle]

1. Fortunately it's only economic while

the price of oil stays as it is now or higher. Hopefully the price of oil will drop again but I'm not too optimistic about that.

What large scale extraction is likely to do the environment is truly horrific.

Thanks for drawing attention to the article.

[dysfunctional press]

6. the price isn't going to go back down that low-

and even if it did- it wouldn't be for very long.

they'll be pulling that ggo out of the ground in alberta until global-warming has killed enough people that it's no longer needed.

[Coventina]

2. It's Canada's fault for having OUR oil in their sand!

They should just be thankful that we're paying them for it, rather than just invading and taking it.

[wordpix2]

3. I thought all oil produced goes to world markets, even oil produced in US

So when BigOil is drilling off the Gulf Coast or wherever, that oil goes to world markets and not necessarily to US market. Why is Canadian oil sand oil any different? :shrug:

[u4ic]

4. At least the Fort Chip concern gets a mention

<snip> Native communities on the river say that further reductions in the low winter flows will make the river unhealthy and that the northern pike, walleye and burbot may not survive. And they believe the waters have been contaminated by someone. Native residents of Fort Chipewyan, a village of 1,200 on the shores of Lake Athabasca, have experienced abnormally high rates of rare cancers. Federal and provincial medical investigators are trying to determine the cause. <snip>



Cancer rate in Fort Chipewyan cause for alarm: medical examiner
Last updated Mar 10 2006 08:48 AM MST


Northern Alberta's medical examiner has requested an investigation by Health Canada into the unusually high rate of cancer and immune diseases in Fort Chipewyan.

Dr. John O'Connor, a physician and medical examiner for the remote northern community, says the population of 1,200 has been disproportionately affected by a high number of both rare and common cancers.

There's a particular type of cancer that has been diagnosed in the community that normally affects one in 100,000 people. In Fort Chipewyan, five people have died from this particular cancer, said O'Connor. The doctor said he's also observed an unusually high rate of thyroid problems and other immune-related diseases.

"The incident rates of the disease, and the diseases I'm particularly concerned about, are by my experience and in discussions with colleagues and their experience, much higher than I should be seeing in a population of 1,200 people," said O'Connor.

http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/story/ed-fortchip20060310.html

[Lisa]

5. the Alberta ranchers are screaming about the loss/contamination of water

They need it for their herds ... and the province just came through a severe drought. But as long as the petroleum sector has such clout in the province, they are ignored.

[CHIMO]

7. Fort McKay residents pleased by equipment shutdown

Fort McKay residents breathed a sigh of relief -- literally -- at the news Syncrude Canada’s smelly desulphurization unit is shutting down.
Treena Gladue, 30, said she had been calling Alberta Environment and Syncrude officials all week telling them to shut the unit down after her nine-year-old daughter left school early for the second time this week suffering from nausea and dizziness. “We’re getting it full impact -- almost as though the stack is coming in your face,” she said of the smell.
Thomas Mintenko, 13, said the smell in Fort McKay School became unbearable early Wednesday afternoon, forcing some students to move to another classroom. Several teachers, he pointed out, complained of dizziness, while one girl had trouble standing up.
His father, Ace, said it was about time Syncrude shut down the desulphurization unit, which has been causing an occasional odour likened to cat urine since the company started it up in late April. It’s been especially strong over Fort McKay, residents say.

http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/story.php?id=231735

Syncrude plant closed temporarily because of odour concerns
A Syncrude bitumen processing plant has been ordered by the Alberta Environment Department to shut down and deal with foul-smelling emissions that have prompted complaints from nearby residents.

Residents of Fort McKay and Fort McMurray say the Mildred Lake plant has been spewing odours the last few days. The plant is 40 kilometres north of Fort McMurray.

The department ordered Syncrude to "immediately" shut down its new flue gas desulphurization unit and the equipment attached to it.

The environmental protection order said the shutdown was directed "as a precautionary measure" following "numerous" complaints of poor air quality and "new health symptoms." A departmental investigation is underway.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/business/national/2006/05/18/syncrude.html

Syncrude shuts down operation of flue gas desulphurization unit

Syncrude is complying with an Alberta Environment Protection Order to shut down operations of its flue gas desulphurization unit and associated equipment, including pulling feed on one of its three coker units (coker 8-3). The order does not impact the rest of Syncrude’s base plant operations at its Mildred Lake facility which continues to operate at full capacity.

The order was issued due to complaints from residents of Fort McKay and Fort McMurray about odours in their communities. Syncrude has been working with regulators over the last several weeks to determine the cause of the odour. Production was also reduced to the new fluid coker in an attempt to identify the odour source while the unit was operational.

“We have been deeply concerned about the odour complaints resulting from the start-up of our expansion project and will continue to work with Alberta Environment and regulators to determine the cause of the recent odours and take appropriate steps to rectify the situation,” said Jim Carter, Syncrude president and chief operating officer.

Syncrude will submit a detailed plan to Alberta Environment on its efforts to pinpoint the source of the odours and will continue to fully cooperate with regulators in this regard.

http://www.syncrude.ca/investors/news/may18_06_2.html