Energy in British Columbia and the World: Year 2007 News, January to December
Liquefied natural gas poised to surpass oil as energy source
Oil may be the energy source on everyone's mind right now, but there is a good chance that liquefied natural gas (LNG) will surpass it as oil prices remain astronomical. Leah Bower, Gulf News (Dubai), 24-Dec-2007
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25 Dec 2007
Russia’s Big Energy Secret
Putin wields gas as a weapon. But the reality is that Russia can barely meet its own growing demand. Owen Matthews, Newsweek, 22-Dec-2007
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25 Dec 2007
Big Oil lets sun set on renewables
Shell, the oil company that recently trumpeted its commitment to a low carbon future by signing a pre-Bali conference communique, has quietly sold off most of its solar business. Terry Macalister, Guardian, 11-Dec-2007
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24 Dec 2007
Petrocan's Libyan dream
Petro-Canada already once had a dream of creating a huge business empire in North Africa, in which it would supply energy to Europe after developing vast natural gas projects in Algeria and Tunisia. What happened? Norval Scott, Globe and Mail, 14-Dec-2007
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21 Dec 2007
Last Major Russian Gas Field Goes Online
Europe depends on Russia for its natural gas, but, as Gazprom begins production at the last major field, it is unclear how much gas is left in Siberia. Developed fields are almost exhausted, and tapping new reserves involves huge technical difficulties. Christian Wüst, Der Spiegel, 18-Dec-2007
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18 Dec 2007
More Bali-hoo
UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONVENTION: BALI ROAD MAP Geoffrey York, Globe and Mail, 17-Dec-2007 Disappointments on Climate Editorial, New York Times, 17-Dec-2007 Stalling in Bali Editorial, Washington Post, 18-Dec-2007 Bully for Bali Editorial, The Sunday Times, 16-Dec-2007 Canada, U.S. back off Bali deal Mike De Souza, National Post, 17-Dec-2007 Willingness to talk climate change what counts
Richard Gwyn, Toronto Star, 18-Dec-2007 The Day After.. Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South, 16-Dec-2007 HAPPY ENDING ON BALI Markus Becker, Der Spiegel, 15-Dec-2007 We've been suckered again by the US. George Monbiot, The Guardian, 17-Dec-2007
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18 Dec 2007
Proponents hope to get pipeline flowing
Proponents of the $16-billion Mackenzie Valley Pipeline have presented a new financial plan to the federal government in hopes of kick-starting the long-stalled gas pipeline from the Arctic, Industry Minister Jim Prentice said yesterday. Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 14-Dec-2007 Prentice reviewing Mackenzie Valley pipeline financial plan CanWest News Service, 17-Dec-2007>
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17 Dec 2007
No opposition to Chevron plan to sell Aitken
Chevron Canada's application to turn B.C.'s main natural gas storage facility into a saleable asset is meeting virtually no opposition, according to documents on file with the B.C. Utilities Commission. Earlier this year the BCUC granted Chevron's Aitken Creek facility, the only world-class gas storage venue in the province, exemption from regulation on the price it charges producers to store gas coming out of northeastern B.C.'s gas patch. Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun, 15-Dec-2007 Moneta Targets Gas Storage Opportunities Nickel's Energy Analects, 12-Dec-2007 Moneta Energy Services Will Be Taking Producers Old Reservoirs and Turning Them Into New Natural Gas Storage Moneta News Release, Marketwire, 14-Dec-2007
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15 Dec 2007
Bali climate delegates eke out `weak' deal
Canada's Harper government and the Bush administration caved in to international pressure at the United Nations climate change summit on Saturday, accepting the "Bali roadmap" towards a new comprehensive agreement to stop human activity from causing irreversible damage to the earth's atmosphere and ecosystems. Canada Bows to Pressure at Bali's 11th Hour Canadian Action Network on Climate Change, 15-Dec-2007 Climate delegates eke out `weak' deal Peter Gorrie, The Star, 15-Dec-2007 Bali breakthrough launches climate talks David Fogarty, Reuters, 15-Dec-2007 FACTBOX: Achievements at Bali climate talks Reuters, 15-Dec-2007 Isolated Canada grudgingly accepts Bali deal Geoffrey York, Globe and Mail, 15-Dec-2007 U.S., Canada agree to framework at climate conference Mike De Souza, CanWest News Service, 15-Dec-2007 Canada's environment minister regrets watered-down climate deal Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press, 15-Dec-2007 A Look at the Bali Climate Change Plan The Associated Press, 15-Dec-2007 WWF says Bali Roadmap "weak on substance" China View, 15-Dec-2007 Bali Action Plan
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15 Dec 2007
LNG Knocking On Canada's Door, Energy Policy Needed
Liquefied natural gas will become a more important player in the continent's commodity mix over the next decade, the National Energy Board predicts in its long term energy outlook released Thursday. Richard Macedo, Nickle's Daily Oil Bulletin, 16-Nov-2007
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16 Nov 2007
Natural gas exports take a hit
One of British Columbia's biggest cash generators, its natural gas exports, are taking a substantial hit from the increasing value of the Canadian dollar. Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun, 08-Nov-2007
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08 Nov 2007
Oil firms need a new game plan
PetroChina's remarkable ascendancy yesterday to the world's first trillion-dollar company is an important event for energy consumers and private sector energy companies. Claudia Cattaneo, Financial Post, 06-Nov2007
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06 Nov 2007
Alaska Debate Over Tax On Oil Cos Reflects Global Changes
If oil companies want to continue taking Alaska's oil, state officials say they need to up the ante ... oil giants are warning lawmakers ... But after Western oil companies have been effectively kicked out of Venezuela and Russia, these could just be hollow arguments. Steve Quinn, Wall Street Journal, 03-Nov-2007
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04 Nov 2007
Enbridge to build oil pipeline
Enbridge Inc. said Friday it will build a $2-billion, 250,000 barrel-per-day, 480 km oil pipeline to handle tar-like bitumen from Petro-Canada's planned Fort Hills oilsands project to an upgrader near Edmonton.Vancouver Sun, 03-Nov-2007
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03 Nov 2007
Assess climate risk, firms urged
Corporate executives and directors face a growing threat of investor lawsuits if they fail to assess and mitigate the risk their companies face from climate change, accounting experts warned Tuesday. Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 30-Oct-2007
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30 Oct 2007
Oil sands seen as 'threat No. 1,' as U.S. may target dirtier fuels
Canadian oil sands producers should brace for further bad news - this time from south of the border, as the U.S. government moves toward a national climate change policy that could target dirtier fossil fuels such as the oil sands bitumen, a former U.S. energy official said yesterday. Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 30-Oct-2007
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30 Oct 2007
Power Plant Rejected Over Carbon Dioxide For First Time
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment yesterday became the first government agency in the United States to cite carbon dioxide emissions as the reason for rejecting an air permit for a proposed coal-fired electricity generating plant, saying that the greenhouse gas threatens public health and the environment. Steven Mufson, Washington Post, 19-Oct-2007
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19 Oct 2007
Little Green Lies
The sweet notion that making a company environmentally friendly can be not just cost-effective but profitable is going up in smoke. Meet the man wielding the torch. Ben Elgin, Business Week, 29-Oct-2007
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19 Oct 2007
Another Inconvenient Truth
Behind the feel-good hype of carbon offsets, some of the deals don't deliver Ben Elgin, Business Week, 26-Mar-2007
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19 Oct 2007
The Peace Prize - Who are the real Winners?
The award to Al Gore and the U.N. Climate Panel of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize last week ... signals not only a quantum shift in thinking about the focus of the Peace Prize Award, but also about the seriousness of the crisis facing mankind.Editorial, GLOBE-Net, 17-Oct-2007
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18 Oct 2007
U.S. LNG imports take bite out of Canada's natural gas sales
Canadian natural gas producers are suddenly finding themselves in competition for lucrative U.S. markets with counterparts in places like Nigeria and Egypt, as imports of liquefied natural gas displaced Canadian exports earlier this year. Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 16-Oct-2007
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17 Oct 2007
Canada maintains LNG tanker stance despite study
Ottawa unmoved by positive LNG study Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 06-Oct-2007 Canada maintains LNG tanker stance despite study Energy Current, 09-Oct-2007 Unstable Mix: Politics and Liquefied Natural Gas Rob Annandale, The Tyee.ca, 11-Oct-2007
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11 Oct 2007
Paying for No
The old political rule to "follow the money" never makes more sense than in ballot measure campaigns, since ballot measures never grant interviews. David Sarasohn, The Oregonian, 03-Oct-2007
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06 Oct 2007
Coal "whipping boy" for greens
Brett Harvey, CEO of coal mining giant Consol Energy, whimpered in a media statement that environmentalists were picking on his industry. Harvey was responding to the launch of the No New Coal campaign by Rainforest Action Network Brett Harvey, Consol Energy, 04-Oct-2007 Media Announcement, Rainforest Action Network, 02-Oct-2007
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06 Oct 2007
Royalty advice: don't act, talk...
An outbreak of world peace and respect for human rights would be disastrous for Alberta. Global happiness would bankrupt this province. It's not obvious how Alberta prospers by the world's misery. Let's connect the dots. Only threat to Alberta is onset of world peace David L. Yager, National Post, 18-Sep-2007 Beyond royalty hysteria Diane Francis, Financial Post, 06-Oct-2007 Wall Street to Alberta: Don't be ‘so stupid'
Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 05-Oct-2007 Energy giant rages against plan to hike Alberta royalties CBC News, 05-Oct-2007
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06 Oct 2007
Alaska: Image problem plagues gas line
The hurdle is letting the rest of North America know that shipping North Slope natural gas means heating for Lower 48 homes and business, not simply a lining of the state's pockets. This means overcoming an image of Alaska as the national symbol for pork barrel spending. Steve Quinn, Anchorage Daily News, 29-Sep-2007
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30 Sep 2007
Simulations highlight risk of oil disaster
A computer model developed in the United States to track oil spills shows what will happen if tankers go down, or an offshore well starts to leak, on British Columbia's rugged and beautiful coastline. Mark Hume, Globe and Mail, 27-Sep-2007 Try the animations at the Living Oceans website
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27 Sep 2007
More whining about Alberta's royalty report
Alberta could raise oil and natural gas royalties but this week's recommendations for major increases are “Draconian,” according to Murray Edwards, vice-chairman of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. [CNQ-T], the country's No. 2 producer in the oil patch. Parts of royalty report called 'Draconian' David Ebner, Globe and Mail, 20-Sep-2007 We'll listen to oilpatch, Stelmach says Tony Seskus, Calgary Herald, 20-Sep-2007 More room to manoeuvre Editorial, Calgary Herald, 20-Sep-2007 Good direction on environment Editorial, Edmonton Journal, 20-Sep-2007 Scare tactics too predictable Graham Thomson, The Edmonton Journal, 25-Sep-2007
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20 Sep 2007
Pipeline worries landowners' group
Oil spills, soil erosion, soil contamination and crop loss top the list of concerns of an organization of landowners about a proposed oil pipeline. Stefan Schussler,
Regina Leader-Post, 19-Sep-2007
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20 Sep 2007
Energy CEOs call for national policy
In Alberta's oil patch, the words “national energy program” are usually uttered as a curse, a reference to the ill-fated 1980s program of oil nationalization and price controls. Doug Saunders, Globe and Mail, 19-Sep-2007
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19 Sep 2007
Take Action on Climate Change by Sept 20!
You have until 20-Sep-2007! Click here now to tell Minister Baird to Take Real Action on climate change. Environmentalists file lawsuit over Kyoto law Mike De Souza, National Post, 19-Sep-2007
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19 Sep 2007
Alberta Royalties Report Released
Royalty Review Panel final report released to public News Release, Province of Alberta, 18-Sep-2007 Alberta royalties report made public today David Ebner, Globe and Mail, 18-Sep-2007
Alberta should hike oil sands royalties Katherine Harding & David Ebner, Globe and Mail, 18-Sep-2007 Royalties hit would kill 'golden goose' Claudia Cattaneo and Jon Harding, National Post, 19-Sep-2007 Energy stocks plunge after call to raise royalties David Ebner and Norval Scott, Globe and Mail, 19-Sep-2007
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19 Sep 2007
Montana accuses B.C. of breaking green pact
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer is accusing Premier Gordon Campbell of breaching a four-year-old pact to protect environmentally sensitive areas that straddle the border. Don Whiteley, Globe and Mail, 14-Sep-2007 BAUCUS TO BP EXECS: HALT COALBED METHANE PLANS Press Release, Max Baucus, 10-Sep-2007
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18 Sep 2007
EUB's private eyes ruled illegal
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach would not rule out firing the Energy and Utilities Board, after a damning report was issued today finding the organization had violated provincial law when it hired private eyes to spy on them at EUB hearings. Geoffrey Scotton, Calgary Herald, 13-Sep-2007 Alberta's spy games Editorial, Globe and Mail, 17-Sep-2007 Knight fumbles on EUB stage Graham Thomson, The Edmonton Journal, 18-Sep-2007
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13 Sep 2007
Reactor-maker backs Alberta project
The maker of Canada's Candu nuclear power plants remains committed to a partnership with proponents of a plant in Alberta despite the absence of a buyer for most of the electricity, an official at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. said Wednesday. Calgary Herald, 13-Sep-2007
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13 Sep 2007
Royalty review muddle hands Stelmach options
Before the royalty review panel even reports, its chairman has managed to annoy both the industry and the government, and thoroughly confuse the rest of us. Don Braid, Calgary Herald, 13-Sep-2007
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13 Sep 2007
Explosive interlude on a summer weekend
On Saturday Sept. 1, Toronto averted a catastrophe. You can search in vain for news reports about the near tragedy. Andrew Mitrovica, The Star, 11-Sep-2007
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12 Sep 2007
Methane from the oceans could power the world
The Economist Magazine recently reported on the effort that is quietly going into the pursuit of what is probably the world's greatest store of fossil fuel - caches of methane, the primary component of natural gas, stored in structures called methane hydrates found in cold Arctic regions and in the marine sediment near continental shelves. GLOBE-Net, 06-Sep-2007
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10 Sep 2007
Green ambition
The most astonishing news from the recent APEC summit in Australia is that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's rhetoric on climate change has almost caught up to Paul Martin's. This is not unalloyed good news, of course, given Martin's tendency to become so intoxicated by the wonders of his imaginary world that he never got around to doing much about climate change, or anything else. Susan Riley, Ottawa Citizen, 10-Sep-2007
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10 Sep 2007
U.S. Draws Map of Rich Arctic Floor ahead of Big Melt
In the Arctic this week, researchers aboard the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy are mapping claims to the spoils of global warming. Robert Lee Hotz, Wall Street Journal, 31-Aug-2007
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10 Sep 2007
ExxonMobil CEO: Mackenzie Pipeline Costs Could Top C$16.2 Bln
Costs for the troubled Mackenzie gas pipeline could top the last cost estimate of C$16.2 billion, ExxonMobil Corp.'s (XOM) chief executive warned Friday. Hyun Young Lee, Wall Street Journal, 08-Sep-2007
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09 Sep 2007
Chevron's Great Game
By creating an on-line simulation along the lines of SimCity, Chevron is trying to prove that figuring out how to provide civilization with enough energy is not an easy game. Stanley Florek, Seattle Times, 06-Sep-2007
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07 Sep 2007
Palin offers oil tax plan for session in Juneau
Gov. Sarah Palin will call lawmakers to Juneau for a special session next month, where she will ask them to increase oil taxes by adopting a new hybrid system combining gross-production and net-profits taxes. Tom Kizzia & Sean Cockerham, Anchorage Daily News, 05-Sep-2007 BP dislikes call for higher taxes in Alaska Steve Quinn, Anchorage Daily News, 04-Sep-2007 Build trust on oil taxes Editorial, Anchorage Daily News, 05-Sep-2007 BP Alaska President Doug Suttles talks taxes John Tracy, KTUU News, 05-Sep-2007 Oil companies, associations express displeasure with tax proposal Stefan Milkowski, Fairbanks News Miner, 06-Sep-2007
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06 Sep 2007
Speakers Urge Debate On Hydro-Quebec Privatization
A conference today in Montreal was told that partial or full privatization of Hydro-Quebec would produce greater value for the Quebec's water resources. Nickle's Energy Analects, 29-Aug-2007
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29 Aug 2007
Firm to build $6.2B nuclear plant in Alberta
Energy Alberta Corporation has chosen Peace River as the site of a proposed $6.2 billion, twin-Candu reactor, nuclear power plant. Jamie Hall, Edmonton Journal, 28-Aug-2007 Company seeks approval to build Alberta's first nuclear reactor Jon Harding, Financial Post, 28-Aug-2007 Firm to build $6.2B nuclear plant in Alberta Canadian Press, 27-Aug-2007 Alberta nuclear proponent has mystery power buyer Jeffrey Jones, Reuters, 28-Aug-2007 Energy Alberta Corporation
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28 Aug 2007
Exxon seeks legal sympathy over Valdez
In his Savile Row threads, the senior partner from a distinguished Los Angeles law firm rose in a Seattle courtroom and argued a case that made the blood leave my face: The Exxon Corp. had suffered enough. Joel Connelly,
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 23-Aug-2007
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26 Aug 2007
Looking to the sun
Faiman and his team have been experimenting with using concentrated sunlight and a very durable solar panel to produce more electricity than ever thought possible. In theory, this is the breakthrough that solar energy has been waiting for — the one that makes it more practical, reduces the price of production and makes it cheaper than coal-fired, nuclear or even hydro-electric plants.Tom Parry, CBC, 15-Aug-2007
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23 Aug 2007
Offshore deal worth $16-billion to Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams said Wednesday that an offshore deal reached with four major oil companies represents an unprecedented gain for the province. The agreement to develop the Hebron-Ben Nevis offshore oilfield gives the province an equity stake of 4.9% in the project, estimated to contain 731 million barrels of recoverable oil. CanWest News Service, 22-Aug-2007 Nfld. strikes Hebron deal Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 22-Aug-2007
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22 Aug 2007
Squeezing oil from stones
OSUM Oil Sands Corp. believes it might have the answer to one of the oil patch's most perplexing problems - extracting the billions of barrels of crude trapped in Alberta's limestone deposits. Norval Scott, Globe and Mail, 22-Aug-2007
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22 Aug 2007
Alberta Energy loses gas decision
National Energy Board approves new LNG terminal to be built in Quebec. Alberta Energy has lost a quiet but hard-fought national duel with importers and consumers over the future of the province's top money-earner: natural gas. Gordon Jaremko, Vancouver Sun, 21-Aug-2007
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21 Aug 2007
Proposed plant in Cowlitz County to test pollution law
When Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a new law in May to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, she called it a "testament to the unique, broad-based coalition that came together - utilities and environmentalists, faith communities and business leaders." Four months later, that coalition is already splintering over one of the first real tests of the new law Craig Welch, Seattle Times, 20-Aug-2007
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21 Aug 2007
The new dirty energy
It's big, it's growing -- and it's bad for the environment. Inside the other alternative-energy movement. Drake Bennett, Boston Globe, 19-Aug-2007
August 19, 2007
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19 Aug 2007
Royalties: As Big Oil pumps Alberta
Royalties have existed as long as humans have spun wealth from the world's underground riches, digging and drilling to produce personal and collective fortunes. But what the rate should be is a difficult debate, as the arguments are relative in the absence of absolutes – reflected in the fact that there are a thousand or so royalty systems for energy around the world. The question is also clouded and confused by the word at the heart of the argument: Fair. Dave Ebner, Globe and Mail, 18-Aug-2007
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18 Aug 2007
In Alaska, scandal flows like crude
"I had to cheat, steal, beg, borrow and lie." Allen: "I own your ass." Many of the investigations lead to oilman Bill J. Allen. The scope of corruption threatens to reshape the state's political landscape and touch Sen. Stevens.Kott: In Alaska, scandal flows like crude Scott Martell, Los Angeles Times, 17-Aug-2007 Stevens and Alaska, a Longtime Partnership William Yardley, New York Times, 17-Aug-2007 Ex-legislator asks for separate trial from co-defendant Lisa Demer, Anchorage Daily News, 17-Aug-2007
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18 Aug 2007
And then there were six!
On June 8, 2007 landowners opposing the AltaLink’s 500 KV export transmission line uncovered four private investigators spying on their group. The Alberta Energy Utilities Board (EUB) subsequently admitted to hiring four private investigators. Joe Anglin, Lavesta Area Group, 16-Aug-2007
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17 Aug 2007
Will Electric Utilities Be the Fueling Stations of the Future?
What if you could buy a car that got over 100 miles per gallon (100+ MPG), and emitted almost no greenhouse gases. Instead of paying $3.50 a gallon to fill up your car, you could pay 50 cents a gallon? Instead of foreign oil, what if your car ran on clean northwest electricity and biofuels? What if electric utilities become the gas stations of the future? Northwest Public Power Association, Jun-2007
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02 Aug 2007
Juxtaposition in the oil sands
Greenpeace vs Royal Dutch Shell, Suncor, et al. Western Oil Sands directors approve $6.6-billion Marathon deal CanWest News Service, 01-Aug-2007 Suncor ramps up oil sands plans Norval Scott, Globe and Mail, 01-Aug-2007 Greenpeace comes to Edmonton Nicki Thomas, Edmonton Sun, 31-Jul-2007
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01 Aug 2007
Canada, U.S., Mexico sign trilateral energy accord
Canada, the United States and Mexico signed what officials are calling a historic energy accord on Monday, sharing information about the science and technology of energy. CBC News, 23-Jul-2007
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23 Jul 2007
Investigation, Oversight of Refinery Operations and Profits Is Urgent, Says Group
Oil refineries' deliberate failure to boost gasoline inventories, in combination with unusual maintenance and accident shutdowns, drove this spring's record pump price spike, concludes a study conducted for OilWatchdog.org and The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. PRNewswire-USNewswire, 23-Jul-2007
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23 Jul 2007
Lots of energy, shortage of policy
The U.S. National Petroleum Council's new report on global energy markets, believed to be one of the most extensive studies of its kind, received mixed reviews this week from greens and others whose policy ideas depend on an ever-present looming catastrophe. Terence Corcoran, Financial Post, 21-Jul-2007
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23 Jul 2007
SaskPower eyes clean-coal facility
Saskatchewan's provincially owned utility is set to deliver a reality check for the notion that the world can increasingly rely on coal-fired electricity, while aggressively battling climate change. Shawn McCarthy, 16-Jul-2007
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16 Jul 2007
PetroChina walks away from Gateway
PetroChina, one of China's national oil firms, has withdrawn its support for Enbridge Inc.'s Gateway pipeline, citing a lack of progress in the $4-billion project that it says is the result of a lack of support from both Canadian companies and the federal government. Norval Scott, Globe and Mail, 12-Jul-2007
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15 Jul 2007
Costs Surge for Building Power Plants
General Electric called in reporters yesterday for a briefing on a nuclear plant it is trying to sell in partnership with Hitachi. But what will it cost? "There's massive inflation in copper and nickel and stainless steel and concrete," said John Krenecki, president and chief executive of GE Energy. The uncertainty is not just in nuclear plants, he said; coal plant prices are now similarly unstable. Matthew L. Wald, NY Times, 10-Jul-2007
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10 Jul 2007
Preston Manning's market based approach to the environment inspires coalition
Preston Manning's market based approach to the environment inspires coalition. "Balancing the ecological budget,‘‘ he says, and the most important thing the environmental movement can do is bring big business on board. Oilweek Magazine, 31-May-2007
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10 Jul 2007
IEA sees oil supply crunch looming
Global oil companies will reap the windfall from growing demand and constrained supply for years to come – and consumers should expect higher fuel prices for the foreseeable future, the International Energy Agency says in a report released Monday. Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, 09-Jul-2007
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09 Jul 2007
(Coal fired) Power plant would bury greenhouse gas
For people worried about global warming, it's one of the Holy Grails: Figuring out how to affordably take greenhouse gases and permanently store them underground. Now, a small Northwest company says it will do just that in a coal-fueled power plant it wants to build near the banks of the Columbia River in Southeast Washington. Warren Cornwall, Seattle Times, 06-Jul-2007 Wallula Energy Resource Center
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06 Jul 2007
25 Coalbed Methane development wells in Peace River
GeoMet and Canada Energy Partners announced the intention to drill 25 wells in the Peace River Project. In the government’s “3-Phase process” for coalbed methane (evaluation/exploration, feasibility/development, production) , this project is the first in BC to move to the feasibility stage. News Release, GeoMet, Inc., 03-Jul-2007
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03 Jul 2007
Is This the Beginning of the End for Damming America's Big Rivers?
Usually shareholders meetings don't include traditional Native American salmon bakes and intertribal healing dances. But at the recent shareholders meeting for Berkshire Hathaway -- owned by investment icon Warren Buffett -- Omaha, Neb., got a taste of native culture -- all the way from the Pacific Northwest. Tara Lohan, AlterNet, 02-Jul-2007
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02 Jul 2007
Nuclear power too expensive
The world must start building nuclear power plants at the unprecedented rate of four a month from now on if nuclear energy is to play a serious part in fighting global warming, a leading think-tank said yesterday. Not only is this impossible for logistical reasons, but it has major implications for world security because of nuclear-weapons proliferation. Reuters, 28-Jun-2007
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28 Jun 2007
MPs call for Northern B.C. oil-tanker ban
Growing interest in routing new oil and gas pipelines to British Columbia's northern coast has some decades-old fears about oil spills bubbling to the surface again. Scott Sutherland, Globe and Mail, 25-Jun-2007
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25 Jun 2007
Flathead: Fish odyssey may help sink energy development plan
The cross-border sexual odyssey of six fish from northern Montana to southern B.C. could help sink a planned multi-billion-dollar Canadian energy development that has spawned years of conflict between the U.S. and Canada. Randy Boswell, CanWest, 21-Jun-2007 The Missoulian, 18-Jun-2007
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22 Jun 2007
Customers, 1; fish, 0
A mad scramble to meet Northwest energy demands forces the BPA to make a tough -- and illegal -- call to put salmon protections second Michael Milstein, The Oregonian, 21-Jun-2007
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21 Jun 2007
Role of major north slope producers unclear with signing of AGIA
The Alaska Gasline Inducement Act is now law. Gov. Sarah Palin signed the potentially historic legislation last night, setting up a competition to build the natural gas pipeline. But as Alaska moves into uncharted territory, the role of major north slope producers remains a big question mark. Bill McAllister, KTUU Television, 09-Jun-2007 A delicate balance between Slope's gas, oil Wesley Loy, Anchorage Daily News, 10-Jun-2007
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10 Jun 2007
Alcan bid prepared by Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro, the Oslo energy, power and metals company, is preparing a more than $30 billion bid for Montreal aluminum producer Alcan Inc., the online edition of Canada's Globe and Mail reported on Monday. Robert Daniel, MarketWatch, 28-May-2007
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03 Jun 2007
Backlash against a whistle-blower
For years, Dr. John O'Connor has made headlines by continually asking why natives near the oil sands have so much cancer. But that's not the only reason he's in such hot water now. Andrew Nikiforuk, Globe and Mail, 19-May-2007
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23 May 2007
A cowboy with a cause
Butte Creek cowboy Tony White says “The oil and gas industry and the provincial government are getting too greedy. They’re endangering the health and safety of the students in Fort St. John elementary schools.” Sage Birchwater, Williams Lake Tribune, 17-May-2007
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21 May 2007
Hydroelectric power's dirty secret revealed
Contrary to popular belief, hydroelectric power can seriously damage the climate. Proposed changes to the way countries' climate budgets are calculated aim to take greenhouse gas emissions from hydropower reservoirs into account. Man-made reservoirs convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into methane - with 21 times the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide. Duncan Graham-Row, New Scientist, 24-Feb-2005
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21 May 2007
Warming up to nuclear power
So far, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire has taken a cautiously open-minded tack on a Tri-City Industrial Development Council (TRIDEC) proposal that, if successful, could expand nuclear activities in the state. Kate Riley, Seattle Times, 20-May-2007
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21 May 2007
Do we want Pipeline Canada?
The Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline, for decades a glimmering mirage on the horizon of Canada's northern economic future, may soon become the nightmare of Canadian energy policy. Terence Corcoran, National Post, 18-May-2007
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18 May 2007
Russia to Build Underwater Tunnel to Alaska
Official from the Russian Economy Ministry told reporters on Wednesday, April 18, that Russia plans to build the world’s longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.MOSNEWS.com, 19-Apr-2007 Also, articles from Anchorage Daily News and CNN.com.
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15 May 2007
How Creative Mass Non-Violence Beat a Nuke and Launched the Global Green Power Movement
Thirty years ago this month, in the small seacoast town of Seabrook, New Hampshire, a force of mass non-violent green advocacy collided with the nuke establishment. Harvey Wasserman, CommonDreams.org, 13-May-2007
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15 May 2007
Tory MPs storm out of meeting on energy sharing
Amid heated charges of a coverup, Tory MPs on Thursday abruptly shut down parliamentary hearings on a controversial plan to further integrate Canada and the U.S. Ottawa Citizen, 11-May-2007
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11 May 2007
Alaska legislators (22 of them) still stumping for VECO
To put into perspective what legislators who take bribes have cost Alaska: Gazprom agreed to develop a Libyans oilfield for 10 percent of the profits, giving Libya 90 percent. It's a split unheard of in North America. Is bribery of legislators a factor?
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07 May 2007
Fighting to uphold a 35-year moratorium
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shrugged off a 35-year practice to ban oil tankers plying B.C.'s inside passage. David Beers, Globe and Mail, 28-Apr-2007
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28 Apr 2007
North American Oil Sands Corp. said Friday it intends to sell all of its outstanding common shares to Norway's Statoil ASA in a transaction worth $2.2-billion. Canadian Press and Associated Press, 27-Apr-2007
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27 Apr 2007
Ottawa to cut emissions 20 per cent by 2020
The federal Conservatives have reworked their much criticized environmental plan to significantly cut the time frame for reducing the gases linked to climate change. Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail, 26-Apr-2007
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26 Apr 2007
Canada's water supplies up for grabs in closed-door talks
The leaked document of a prominent Washington-based think-tank obtained by the Council of Canadians revealed that government officials and business leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States are scheduled to discuss bulk water exports in a closed-door meeting in Calgary. The April 27 roundtable on the "Future of the North American Environment" will discuss "water consumption, water transfers and artificial diversion of bulk water" with the aim of achieving "joint optimum utilization of the available water." Maude Barlow, Edmonton Journal, 26-Apr-2007
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26 Apr 2007
Canada's energy insecurity
A prominent right-wing think-tank based in Washington is the lead host to two closed-door meetings in Calgary. The meetings are to discuss ways to enhance American energy security by getting more Canadian oil and gas. Why are Canadians involved in discussing American energy security when Canada has no energy policy, and no plans for ensuring oil for Eastern Canadians during a supply crisis? Gordon Laxer, Toronto Star, 26-Apr-2007
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26 Apr 2007
Canadians want leadership on climate change
"The only thing missing in [Baird's] study is that all our children will contract smallpox and a can of maple syrup will cost $100. Canadians are not idiots. The government should stop treating them as if they were," said Hugo Séguin, Equiterre.
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20 Apr 2007
Baird's Green scare wears thin
Some media comment on Environment Minister John Baird's report that meeting the Kyoto Protocol carbon emission reduction targets would be devastating for Canada's economy. "We finally got step one of the Conservatives' two-step climate change plan yesterday: Scare the bejeesus out of everyone." Green scare wears thin Susan Riley, Ottawa Citizen, 20-Apr-2007 Conservatives' Kyoto analysis based on voodoo economics Don Martin, Edmonton Journal, 20-Apr-2007 Kyoto forecast 'alarmist' Mike de Souza, Kevin Dougherty, Montreal Gazette, 20-Apr-2007 Kyoto study raises alarm Allan Woods, Toronto Star, 20-Apr-2007 Like Kyoto? Don't vote Liberal! Lorrie Goldstein, Edmonton Sun, 19-Apr-2007 Baird bites back Lorrie Goldstein, Toronto Sun, 20-Apr-2007 Failure to act on environment a crime against future generations, Suzuki says Guelph Mercury, 20-Apr-2007 The Senate should gas over-the-top environmental bill Editorial, The Province, 20-Apr-2007
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20 Apr 2007
CO2 Tax Proposed As Long Term Solution For Greenhouse Gas Reductions
A properly designed, broadly-applied carbon dioxide tax would be the most effective way in the long run to tackle the global issue of greenhouse gases, an industry spokesman said Wednesday. Elsie Ross, Nickle's Daily Oil Bulletin, 19-Apr-2007
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20 Apr 2007
Baird says Kyoto will lead to economic collapse
Environment Minister John Baird attacked the Kyoto accord on Thursday as a costly measure that lead to economic collapse. Baird says Kyoto would lead to economic collapse CTV.ca News Staff, 19-Apr-2007 Baird paints apocalyptic scenario of Kyoto compliance for committee Dennis Bueckert, The Canadian Press, 19-Apr-2007 Ottawa rolls out 'validators' to bolster anti-Kyoto stand Steven Chase, Globe and Mail, 19-Apr-2007
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19 Apr 2007
Gov't to be fuelled by Exxon?
Exxon Mobil Corp. - the largest and one of the most powerful companies in the world - appears to have offered to help the provincial government lift the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas development. Sean Holman, 24 HOURS, 04-Apr-2007
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05 Apr 2007
2007 Federal Budget: What's interesting?
Environment: Fee slapped on SUVs Bill Curry, Globe and Mail, 19-Mar-2007
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19 Mar 2007
Scrap oil sands tax breaks, MPs' report urges
The Conservative government should scrap the generous tax breaks for the oil sands that some say are worth hundreds of millions annually, recommends a draft report by the Commons natural resources committee. Bill Curry,
Globe and Mail, 03-Mar-2007
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03 Mar 2007
Tireless energy has Fortis cooking with gas
Last Saturday morning, the Fortis board met in Toronto to approve its $1.4-billion takeover of a B.C. energy distributor, Terasen Gas. Then its no-nonsense CEO did what he usually does – he hit the road. Gordon Pitts, Globe and Mail, 03-Mar-2007
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03 Mar 2007
Pipeline review panel told to block oilsands from using Mackenzie natural gas
Environmentalists want Alberta's booming and greenhouse-gas-spewing oilsands blocked from using natural gas flowing through a proposed $7-billion pipeline from the Mackenzie delta. Bob Weber, Canadian Press, 26-Feb-2007
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27 Feb 2007
Fortis to acquire Terasen Gas for $3.7 billion
Fortis Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Terasen Inc. from a wholly owned subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Inc., a U.S. energy transportation, storage and distribution company based in Houston, Texas, for a purchase price of $3.7 billion, ... Fortis buys Terasen's natural gas retailing Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun, 27-Feb-2007
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27 Feb 2007
Electricity Surplus? Depends on Independent Power Impacts
Does the Pacific Northwest electric power system have a surplus supply of electricity for the next 10 years or does it currently have an electricity deficit the size of a nuclear power plant? Columbia Basin Bulletin, 22-Feb-2007
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25 Feb 2007
Simple fix offered for oil sands
Adding just one extra dollar to the cost of producing a barrel of oil would raise enough money for energy companies to exploit Alberta's vast tar sands and still comply with Kyoto, a Commons committee was told yesterday by the Pembina Institute. Bill Curry, Globe and Mail, 21-Feb-2007
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21 Feb 2007
An Ill Wind off Cape Cod blows into BC
How an article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the New York Time ties to energy projects in British Columbia.
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21 Feb 2007
Over a barrel
Within 10 years, Alberta's tarsands could become the single largest source of new oil in the world. "The oilsands hour has come." "But how long will that hour last?" Andrew Nikiforuk, Canadian Business, 12-Feb-2007
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18 Feb 2007
The New Climate Almanac
The Globe's New Climate Almanac 2007 breaks down the complexity of climate change with a concise miscellany of the latest ideas, facts and predictions Globe and Mail Update
17-Feb-2007
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17 Feb 2007
The Politics Of Climate Change A Growing Concern For Oilpatch
When you are caught directly in the crosshairs of the most pressing political issue of the day, it is not a time to blink. Such is the case with the oilpatch as it continues to stare down the latest threat to its bottom line: climate change. Paul Wells, Nickle's Daily Oil Bulletin, 16-Feb-2007
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17 Feb 2007
Harper now says he will 'respect' Kyoto bill
The Conservative government said yesterday it would produce a plan to comply with Kyoto if forced to, a dramatic shift from the previous day when it dismissed legislation passed by opposition MPs that would require Canada to meet the protocol's targets for reducing greenhouse gases. Bill Curry, Globe and Mail, 15-Feb-2007 Harper does it my way Nigel Hannaford, Calgary Herald, 17-Feb-2007 Dion stripped of his environmental edge Chantal Hébert, The Star, Toronto, 16-Feb-2007 Harper seems unwilling to find solutions Linda McQuaig, The Star, Toronto, 16-Feb-2007
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16 Feb 2007
The Hockey Pond
Hockey players should be skating in Ontario in January. Friends of the Earth video on YouTube
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15 Feb 2007
Opposition forces through Kyoto bill
Opposition parties have forced through legislation requiring the Conservative government to respect Canada's commitments under the Kyoto accord, setting the stage for what could be a constitutional quagmire. Alexander Panetta, Canadian Press, 14-Feb-2007
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14 Feb 2007
Gov't release: new water standards for coalbed methane
BC will require that coalbed methane projects result in no surface discharge of produced water.
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14 Feb 2007
NEB OKs TransCanada pipeline conversion for Keystone project
TransCanada Corp. vaulted ahead yesterday in the race to build a new pipeline to handle additional oil sands output as it received a key regulatory approval for its proposed $2.1-billion (U.S.) Keystone pipeline. David Ebner, Globe and Mail, 10-Feb-2007
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11 Feb 2007
IPCC report confirms global warming
IPPC report Global warming is caused by mankind, is here to stay and is getting worse, leading climate scientists have concluded. In a bleak report to world leaders aimed at assessing the impact and extent of climate change, 2,500 scientists from 113 countries said that the evidence of worsening global warming was overwhelming. Damning report seeks to end debate over global warming Lewis Smith, The Times, London, 03-Feb-2007 Britain is to spearhead a new drive against climate change by bypassing President Bush and urging US states to join directly with Europe’s own carbon trading scheme. New fears on climate raise heat on leaders Anthony Browne, Tom Baldwin and Mark Henderson, The Times, London, 03-Feb-2007 Science Panel Says Global Warming Is ‘Unequivocal’ Elisabeth Rosenthal and Andrew C. Revkin, New York Times, 03-Feb-2007
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02 Feb 2007
Crude oil lingers from Exxon Valdez spill
Lingering crude from the nation's largest oil spill has weathered only slightly in some places almost 18 years after the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and fouled hundreds of miles of Alaska shoreline, a new federal U.S. study released Wednesday concludes. Rachel d'Oro, Globe and Mail, 02-Feb-2007
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02 Feb 2007
Monuments Go Dark For Climate Change
The Eiffel Tower's 20,000 sparkling bulbs went dark for five minutes Thursday night and the lights went out at the Colosseum in Rome and the Greek parliament in Athens in a demonstration of concern about climate change across the European continent. Associated Press, 01-Feb-2007
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02 Feb 2007
TransCanada set to boost Keystone pipeline
TransCanada Corp. increased the intensity of its competition with archrival Enbridge Inc. yesterday, saying it is ready to spend $700-million (U.S.) more on a proposed oil sands pipeline to expand and extend a project that is already budgeted at $2.1-billion. David Ebner, Globe and Mail, 31-Jan-2007
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31 Jan 2007
beaverguys - stanley park
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27 Jan 2007
Radio-Canada's oil sands 'scoop' dug up nothing
Canada's public TV network is a two-headed, English-French creature with a mandate to foster a "shared national consciousness." Just how it's supposed to do this when it speaks out of two mouths, in two languages and to two different audiences is one of those great Canuck incongruities. Konrad Yakabuski, The Globe and Mail, 25-Jan-2007
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26 Jan 2007
LNG projects hit supply snags
Kitimat LNG’s $500 million LNG import terminal was scheduled to have broken ground in Kitimat on BC's northwest coast this spring, but the project has been pushed back at least until the fall. The company now expects to come on stream in 2010, a year later than planned. Krisendra Bisetty, Business in Vancouver, 16-Jan-2007
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22 Jan 2007
PM's energy plan hailed
Independent power producers in British Columbia on Friday lauded a $1.5-billon renewable-energy initiative announced in Victoria by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Scott Simpson, Vancouver Sun, 20-Jan-2007
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20 Jan 2007
Ranchers fear losses from project
B.C. ranchers fear a proposed wind energy project near Chetwynd will cause major losses to their cattle operations by damaging summer grazing areas. Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun, 18-Jan-2007
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19 Jan 2007
PM to boost funding for tidal power
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit Race Rocks off Metchosin today to announce a major federal investment into alternative energy technology. Peter O'Neil and Richard Watts, Times Colonist 19-Jan-2007 Like watching a steak guy eat tofu.
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19 Jan 2007
U.S. urges 'fivefold expansion' in Alberta oilsands production
The U.S. wants Canada to dramatically expand its oil exports from the Alberta oilsands, a move that could have major implications on the environment. CBC News, 17-Jan-2007
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18 Jan 2007
Pipeline demands mount
Enbridge Inc. wants to move Canadian oil-sands output all the way to the Philadelphia region, and is working on early plans for a $1.4 billion pipeline that would carry domestic crude to the east coast of the United States for the first time. Canadian oil pipeline to U.S. East Coast planned David Ebner, Globe and Mail, 17-Jan-2007 Pipeline demands mount Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald, 18-Jan-2007
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18 Jan 2007
Ottawa set to unveil climate plans
The Conservative government is launching a series of new climate-change policies this week before MPs return for what is expected to be a heated parliamentary session dominated by divisions over the environment. Bill Curry, Globe and Mail, 16-Jan-2007
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16 Jan 2007
Do carbon offsets live up to their promise?
In 2006, "carbon neutral" became the New Oxford American Dictionary's word of the year, evidence not only of the "greening" of our culture, but of our language as well. As scientists predict another bout of record-setting temperatures this year, climate concerns may soon "green" our wallets as well. By all accounts, 2007 is poised to see the industry of carbon neutrality - so-called carbon offsetting - grow dramatically. Moises Velasquez-Manoff,
Christian Science Monitor, 10 January 2007
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14 Jan 2007
The Polar Dash for Oil
As companies rush to find the new fields that will satiate our world's increasing demand for oil, their mad dash has pushed them to the ends of the earth, literally. Luke Burgess, Pure Energy Report, 11-Jan-2007
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11 Jan 2007
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