Canadian News
The latest news from and about Canadian issues.Monday, June 30, 2008
Oil or water.
London Free Press, June 29, 2008 - “It has been called God’s canvas. A freeze-frame of what the world looked like 10,000 years ago, when millions of buffalo grazed freely on these grasslands. It’s a tract of virgin land, unsullied by human activity. The slopes in this part of the emerald country roll upon themselves like sea waves, while watercolour mountains are painted on the distant horizon.” Read more.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
New Canada oil pipes will address tight space: NEB.
Reuters, June 26, 2008 - “Capacity is tight on Canada’s crude oil pipelines, but as much as C$23 billion ($22.8 billion) in new lines could be on the way to help supply current and as-yet-untapped markets, the country’s energy regulator said on Thursday. The National Energy Board said new pipeline space is needed to handle rising production from the oil sands and to give producers flexibility in where they can ship their crude. In a report on the 45,000 km (27,960 miles) of oil and gas pipelines it regulates, the NEB said there was some rationing of space in 2007 on Enbridge Inc’s (ENB.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) 1.9 million barrel a day system to the U.S. Midwest and beyond, and that the system ran at or near capacity in this year’s first quarter.” Read more.
Friday, June 27, 2008
NAFTA and the Elephant in the Room.
IRC Americas Program, June 25, 2008 - “It’s rare for the junior partners of NAFTA—Mexico and Canada—to have a chance to sit down and discuss regional integration without the dominating influence of the United States. Even when they do, of course, the U.S. is the elephant in the room. The University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico hosted a conference recently on the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) from the Canadian and Mexican perspective. Although most of the presentations were from academics, businessmen or government officials, our panel on civil society participation set me to reflecting on the long personal and political history of the nearly 15-year-old NAFTA and its offspring, the SPP.” Read more.
Canada holds winning hand in oil fight.
National Post, June 25, 2008 - “With the fight against Canada’s oil sands getting uglier by the day, the United States should be reminded that its bargaining position is a weak one. Canada’s chips include getting nasty on the proposed Alaska natural gas pipeline and cutting off U.S. preferential access to Canada’s energy under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Canada can also build very big, new offshore markets for oil that no longer meets the standards of U.S. energy snobs.” Read more.
Canada Oil Pipeline Capacity To Stay Tight Through 2008.
CNN Money, June 26, 2008 - “Canada’s oil pipeline capacity will likely remain tight this year, but some C$23 billion ($22.7 billion) in proposed projects could help ease the strain in the future, the national energy regulator said Thursday. Canada’s National Energy Board said some pipeline operators rationed spare capacity on their systems last year, as growing production from Alberta’s vast oil sands struggled to reach existing U.S. markets. In the first quarter of 2008, these systems ran at or near full capacity, which will likely continue for the rest of the year, the NEB said. Canada’s pipeline infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with the rapid boom in Alberta’s oil sands, which is forecast to top 3.5 million barrels a day by the end of the next decade. Canada is the biggest crude supplier to the U.S., which currently sources about a fifth of its crude demand, or around 2 million barrels a day, from its northern neighbor.” Read more.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Webcast: North America 2030.
Commission For Environmental Cooperation - “On 25 June 2008, the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) will host North America 2030: An Environmental Outlook. This conference will feature expert and public discussion of the forecast for population growth, urbanization, energy and food security, competition for habitat and resources, transportation, and climate change. The focus will be the potential for cooperative solutions, and will assist the JPAC in its advice to the CEC Council on environmental priority-setting for the years ahead.” Watch their web page on the 25th to tune in to their webcast.
Let’s renegotiate NAFTA.
Ottowa Citizen, June 21, 2008 - “U.S. presidential candidate John McCain apparently thinks Canadians, and perhaps American voters, will be reassured by his promises yesterday in Ottawa to defend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The truth, however, is different. Citizens in both countries, especially workers, could benefit greatly from a thorough rewrite of NAFTA to put their interests first, rather than the interests of corporate investors who alone have reaped the benefits in the 15 years since NAFTA was signed.” Read more.
Oilsands forecast cut over red tape, royalties.
Ottowa Citizen, June 19, 2008 - “Oil production growth from Alberta’s oilsands will be slower than anticipated a year ago, partly due to major policy changes like new climate change initiatives, regulatory delays and higher provincial royalties, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said yesterday in its annual oil production forecast. Canadian crude production will increase to almost 4.5 million barrels per day by 2020 under a moderate case, and to five million bpd under a more aggressive forecast developed for pipeline planning purposes, up from 2.8 million bpd in 2007, said the group, which represents 150 companies active in the oil and gas sector in Canada.” Read more.
U.S. senator says Canada’s oilsands won’t be penalized by restrictions.
Sympatico/MSN, June 18, 2008 - “Canada’s oilsands won’t be penalized by American legislation that prohibits the U.S. government from buying alternative fuels with higher greenhouse gas emissions than conventional sources, Senator Jeff Bingaman said Wednesday. Bingaman, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, said he supports adopting a clarification like one in the House of Representatives that clearly exempts the oilsands. Under that measure, restrictions wouldn’t apply to general U.S. purchases, only contracts drawn up specifically limiting a certain type of alternative, non-conventional fuel.” Read more.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Oil sands upgrader processing strategy under fire.
ReportOnBusiness, June 17, 2008 - “ A report cautioning against the construction of more upgraders in Alberta is reopening the question of how best to process Alberta’s hard-to-handle bitumen once it’s extracted from the oil sands. Crude from Alberta’s oil sands is too heavy for most refineries to process, and can’t travel down a pipeline without being diluted with a lighter petroleum product. Alberta argues the best way to get the bitumen to market is by processing it in an upgrader - a vast industrial complex that removes the heavier parts - allowing output to be received by more refineries and ensuring that valuable processing work stays in the province.” Read more.
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