More oil disasters on the way

[wynderer]

From the NRDC Action site

http://www.savebiogems.org/arctic/

New Oil Rush Endangers Arctic Wildlife
Big Oil wants access to the unspoiled home of polar bears, whales and other Arctic wildlife. Send a message to save America's Arctic.

As global warming continues to melt fragile Arctic habitat, polar bears and other imperiled species are fighting for their lives. Yet Big Oil is escalating its campaign to open America's prime Arctic wildlands -- including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Western Arctic Reserve and the Polar Bear Seas -- to massive oil development. Vast swaths of land and sea along Alaska's north and west coasts, the fragile home of polar bears, whales, caribou and millions of birds, will be ravaged by the oil and gas industry if pro-polluter policies put in place by the Bush Administration are not reversed.

NRDC and BioGems Defenders helped stave off repeated attempts to drill in and around the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and also helped win a temporary reprieve for the Teshekpuk Lake region -- birthing grounds of the legendary Teshekpuk Lake caribou herd as well as rare yellow-billed loons, tundra swans and eiders.

In a major victory for polar bears, bowhead whales and other Arctic wildlife, a federal judge recently sided with NRDC and other environmental groups in a ruling that blocks oil and gas companies from moving ahead with drilling operations in the Chukchi Sea – one of the two Polar Bear Seas – until more studies are done on the impacts and risks of drilling.

Meanwhile, the other Polar Bear Sea – the Beaufort – is still being targeted by Big Oil. BP, the company responsible for the worst oil spill in U.S. history, is planning to drill in the Beaufort using an untested technology.

And the Shell oil company wants to proceed with exploratory drilling off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Obama Administration has placed a 6-month hold on those plans but that delay is fast running out and drilling could begin next summer. We are calling on President Obama to impose a 7-year moratorium on all new offshore drilling in the Arctic in order to avoid a repeat of the Gulf catastrophe in the heart of polar bear habitat.

[Mods -- can one of you please change 'oili' to 'oil' in the thread title, if possible?]

[wynderer]

another one

http://www.savebiogems.org/peace/

Expansion Threatens North America’s Premier Nesting Ground
Tar sands mining could jeopardize millions of birds.

All four major flyways in North America -- the aerial migration routes traveled by billions of birds each year -- converge in one spot in Canada's boreal forest, the Peace-Athabasca Delta in northeastern Alberta. More than 1 million birds, including tundra swans, snow geese and countless ducks, stop to rest and gather strength in these undisturbed wetlands each autumn. For many waterfowl, this area is their only nesting ground.

U.S. demand for tar sands oil is causing Canada to ramp up tar sands oil extraction in the boreal forest just south of the Peace-Athabasca Delta, including sites upstream on the Athabasca River. Water extracted for tar sands mining could reduce flow into the delta, killing fish -- a food source for birds -- and disturbing habitat. Wastewater discharge could also contaminate the river, creating a toxic food web and leading to reproductive problems in wildlife. In 2008, 1,600 ducks died after landing in a tar sands waste pond.

Tar sands oil development also contributes to global warming, which is reducing ecologically important flooding in the delta. A number of developments are threatening the Peace-Athabasca Delta, including the Bennett Dam on the Peace River. Tar sands oil extraction exemplifies how our addiction to oil is causing loss of critical bird habitat in the delta and throughout Alberta’s boreal forests and wetlands.

The U.S. State Department is on the brink of approving a new trans-boundary pipeline that would bring tar sands oil from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast, leading to additional mining and drilling for tar sands oil in the boreal forest. NRDC and our BioGems Defenders are fighting to stop the expansion of tar sands oil extraction and to protect bird habitat in the boreal forest. We are calling on the Obama Administration to say No to new tar sands pipelines in the United States and encouraging a switch to cleaner forms of energy production that would reduce global warming and protect North America's last great forests.

[wynderer]

from Pambazuka News , an African Freedom & Justice website

Oil-dependency and food: Livelihoods at risk
Tanya Kerssen
2010-09-09, Issue 495
http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/66792

[clip from article]
The Jubilee Oil Field, slated to begin commercial production in November 2010, already has government officials and civil society organisations voicing serious concerns, including reported spills. Kosmos Energy is under government investigation for negligence in the spillage of 598 barrels of oil-based mud around its rigs between December 2009 and March 2010.[21] Once production is operational, there are heightened concerns about spills, leakages, atmospheric emissions and waste discharge that may threaten human health, marine life and the fishing-based livelihoods of local people.

There are also onshore concerns. Since exploration began, the area has come under ‘economic siege’, particularly by companies and businessmen seeking land for housing construction and other commercial activities. High rates of in-migration and rapid urbanisation raise issues of sanitation, crime and rising prices.[12]

Despite these many concerns, the development of Ghana’s deepwater oil is advancing rapidly. This fast-track is especially problematic since the country lacks the legal and regulatory framework to deal adequately with its nascent oil and gas sector. Ghana has chosen to accept so-called ‘stabilisation clauses’ in its contracts with companies that lock in current laws and regulations. If the country should decide to strengthen its regulatory framework, companies with existing contracts could claim that the new laws do not apply to them, or require the government to provide financial compensation for the cost of compliance.[13] As foreign companies reap handsome rewards, and Ghana gains uncertain benefits (much of the content of these contracts remains secret), coastal communities are sure to pay the highest cost. At a recent Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) workshop held in the coastal town of Takoradi, representatives of six districts located closest to the oil find responded angrily to refusals to commit part of the petroleum royalties to an environmental mitigation or compensation fund, as is legally required in the mining sector.[24] No such provision has thus far been established for the oil and gas industry.

[wynderer]

from RumorMillNews -- 2 more oil spills here in the USA, plus more about the Canadian oil sands

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=183081

A very Interesting day

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/09/17/oilsands-senators.html

(snip)
"Well I'm just interested in learning all about it and seeing the volume that's coming into the U.S," North Carolina Democratic Senator Kay Hagan told CBC News. "And I think we're very concerned about purchasing oil from some of the countries in the Middle East and we're very interested in talking to our Canadian partners."

Hagan, along with South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Georgia Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, arrived in Edmonton late on Thursday.

No doubt they want to see what is going
(snip)
Their inspection of the site follows U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's high-profile meeting earlier this month in Ottawa with Stelmach, Wall and Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

They might want to secure an oil supply
otherwise China, Japan and India would dearly love to buy

also on the radar and I for some reason believe
the Oil Spills in Illinois and Michigan were sabotage
interesting that these mishaps happened in these two states
who are not doing to well

here is two news articles on those little mishaps
when the Big Boys & Girls do not get their way
they sometimes resort to some rather strange tactics
pipe line ruptures in Nigeria are weekly, all the time

Repairs done on Enbridge's Illinois pipeline
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Repairs+done+Enbridge+Illinois+pipeline/3529435/story.html

(snip)
The pipeline which supplies almost a third of Midwest U.S. crude imports was shut down last week after spilling 6,000 barrels of oil near Romeoville, Illinois. The outage sent oil and gasoline futures up to monthly-highs on supply concerns.

Rocks, nearby water line suspected cause for Enbridge Illinois spill

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Rocks+nearby+water+line+suspected+cause+Enbridge+Illinois+spill/3535771/story.html#ixzz0zpeTDQev

(snip)
"The only feature of significance on the Enbridge line was the puncture itself," said Matthew Nicholson during a conference call. "There was very little visible corrosion on the exterior or interior of the line that we could tell at this time."

A similar puncture was seen on the water pipeline, which showed corrosion around the damage, Nicholson, a spokesman for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, said.

Enbridge doesn't strike me as a irresponsible Company

http://www.enbridge.com/

and hot of the press

Enbridge restarts Chicago-area pipeline
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/862809--enbridge-restarts-chicago-area-pipeline

It does not matter if Republican or Democrat
the Oil will be flowing for a few years yet
until other sustainable energy can accommodate
330 million people in the US and 34 million in Canada

the companies involved in the Oilsands are the Big Ones
and politics and their games are going to get interesting
oddly enough, let's just say the Big Ones also own many
water rights
so, whether it be oil or electricity, supply and demand
will be dealing with the same people