Environmentalists target oilsands customers
U.S.-based lobby group goes after fuel made from heavy oil
By Gordon Hamilton
Vancouver Sun
Thursday, January 10, 2008
VANCOUVER - A powerful American environmental lobby group launched a campaign Thursday against airlines using fuel derived from the Alberta tar sands, using the same tactics that proved so successful in limiting clearcut logging in B.C. rainforests.
The Washington D.C.-based Natural Resources Defense Council said it is pressuring 15 major U.S. and Canadian airlines to publicly oppose the use of jet fuel made from the tar sands, liquefied coal and oil shale.
Eco-groups in the U.S. and B.C. developed their markets campaign model on the B.C. Coast. American purchasers of B.C. lumber and paper products, such as Home Depot and Victoria's Secret, were pressured to alter their buying strategies through campaigns targeting them as environmentally unfriendly.
Forest companies here changed their practices when purchasers complained they were tired of buying truckloads of two-by-fours that came with a protester hanging off the back.
NRDC claims that some of the aviation fuel used by airlines like United, is derived from tar sands oil. The production of tar sands oil generates more heat-trapping global warming pollution compared with conventional oil, the eco-group claims.
In an interview Thursday, Liz Barratt-Brown, senior attorney for the organization, said the marketing campaign is focusing first on airlines in the Chicago and Denver areas. Those two U.S. cities are prime markets for aviation fuel derived from Alberta's tar sands, she said.
"The government of Alberta and especially the industry there may not have time to listen to U.S. environmentalists. But when their customers start asking them questions, then they respond," she said.
"Part of our effort here is to start engaging in the debate over the future of tar sands development and the use of fuels by the aviation industry."
EDMONTON - All but one of 10 Alberta oilsands mines received a failing grade on environmental performance in a report released Thursday by the Pembina Institute and the World Wildlife Fund.
The report says the mines have substantial room for improvement in their environmental practices. They need to "step up and work together to solve these environmental challenges," a news release from the study's authors said.
Pembina and WWF graded 10 mines in areas such as environmental management, land impacts, air pollution, water use and management of greenhouse gases, using information provided by the companies.
The average score among the mines assessed was 33 per cent. Albian Sands Muskeg River mine scored the highest, with 56 per cent, while Syncrude and the proposed Synenco Northern Lights Mine had the weakest scores, both with 18 per cent.
"The poor environmental performance reflects badly on the oilsands mining companies, which include the largest and most profitable major oil companies in the world," said WWF Canada's Rob Powell in the release. "These companies have both the expertise and the resources to do much better.
"Government must establish limits to curb impacts on fresh water, the global atmosphere, wildlife and public health."
Syncrude rejected the report's findings.
"We obviously don't agree with their findings," said company spokesman Alain Moore. "In fact, we consider ourselves a leader in sustainability in the oilsands."
Moore said the company is the most efficient user of water in the industry. And the company has an emissions-reduction project worth $772 million that will bring down sulphur pollution in phases between 2009 and 2011, he said.
The study found that while the majority of oilsands operations have environmental policies in place, only two provided evidence of having an independently-accredited environmental management system.
In addition, no operation, except Albian Muskeg River Mine, has voluntary targets to limit greenhouse gases and no mine has publicly reported targets to reduce water usage from the region's Athabasca River, the report said.
The 10 companies reviewed, in order of ranking, are Albian Muskeg River Mine (existing), Total E&P, Petro-Canada Oil Sands, Shell Canada, Imperial Oil, Suncor, Canadian Natural, Albian Muskeg River Mine (expansion), Syncrude and Synenco.
Alberta Environment spokesman Jim Law said that as companies come into the oilsands business and as technology improves, the department does require that the new technology be implemented. As for the older companies, the department does require continuous improvement in environmental performance, he said.
CanWest News Service
© Vancouver Sun
Seeking Friendlier Skies
Natural Resources Defense Council
January 10, 2008
Under-Mining the Environment
The Oil Sands Report Card
Pembina Institute & WWF
January 10, 2008