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Environmental problems caused in the oil sands of alberta
Pros and cons of oil sands in alberta
Pros and cons of oil sands in alberta
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The supreme court of Canada has agreed that “The growth of modern societies has shown serious problems that can result from anarchic development and use of land, in particular those problems concerning public health and the environment.1” How can we maintain economic growth without major environmental consequences? In 1992, the Canadian Federal government enacted the Environmental Impact Assessment Act as a planning tool in attempts to identify and alleviate the environmental impact of new developments. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the process of identifying and reducing the environmental effects of a proposed project before it begins. The (EIA) is a step by step process that begins with the determination if an environmental assessment (EA) is needed, environmental impact statement guidelines, environmental impact statement, the (EA) or review panel report and finally the (EA) decision2.
The Alberta oil sands, or more technically the Alberta bituminous sands, are the largest and most developed bituminous sands and are the third largest crude oil reserve in the world. Described as “Canada’s greatest buried energy treasure”, continued development of this area will result in stable, reliable energy that will promote vast economic growth3. The Alberta oil sands provide jobs, intensify provincial growth, and generate royalties and taxes to help fund government programs5. Although these oil sands provide an array of economic benefits it has inherited the name “dirty oil” due to the mining and refining practices of bitumen, the substance transformed into crude oil. It is much more viscous than conventional crude oil and is too thick to be pumped through a pipeline. Instead, bitumen is mined in open pits much like coal and i...
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...w and Practice 20.3 (2010): 175-211. ProQuest. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
5. McLeod-Kilmurray, Heather, and Gavin Smith . "Unsustainable Development in Canada: Environmental Assessment, Cost-Benefit Analysis, and Environmental Justice in the Tar Sands." JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND PRACTICE 21 (2010): 65-105. Web. 31 Mar. 2014
8. "Oil Sands Consultation." Legislative Assembly of Alberta. MultiStakeholder Committee, 30 Nov. 2006. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
4. Song, Lisa. "Visit Our News Center for Expert Coverage of the Exxon Oil Spill in Arkansas." A Dilbit Primer: How It's Different from Conventional Oil. InsideClimate, 26 June 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
1. Southcote, Brooke and Fitzgibbon, John. An Introduction to Environmental Law and Planning. University of Guelph (2010) 249-271. Print.
3. "What Is Oil Sands?" Alberta Energy:. Government of Alberta, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
The discussion on Alberta’s oil is gaining traction among certain groups in Canada. According to Andrew Nikiforuk’s “Tarmageddon: Dirty oil is turning Canada into a corrupt petro-state,” the continuous development of the Alberta tar sands is only serving to adversely impact Canada’s political, economical, and environmental capacities. The article argues that unless the subject of the Alberta tar sands is addressed as poisonous to the nation, Canada will become overwhelmed and unstable. In a similar regard “Ethical Oil: the Puppet Rap” by Caitlin Dodd, David Henderson-Hean, Kai Nagata, Spencer Powell and Emile Scott, is a satirical rap portraying the Ethical Oil group and spokespeople in a negative light. The video targets environmentally inclined individuals and groups, and brings to their attention some logical fallacies surrounding claims made by the Ethical Oil campaign. Although both pieces address the debate over oil happening in Canada and, they use different methods to satisfy their purpose.“Tarmageddon…” uses a persuasive and argumentative approach while “Ethical Oil…” relies on satire and amusement. Both pieces employ the use of pathos to persuade their audiences, the use of which is stronger in “Tarmageddon…” leading to its more effective use of rhetorical strategies.
Solis, Hilda. “Environmental Justice: An Unalienable Right for All.” Human Rights 30 (2003): 5-6. JSTOR. Web. 13 February 2014.
The Alberta Oil Sands are large deposits of bitumen in north-eastern Alberta. Discovered in 1848, the first commercial operation was in 1967 with the Great Canadian Oil Sands plant opening, and today many companies have developments there. The Alberta Oil Sand development is very controversial, as there are severe environmental impacts and effects on the local Aboriginal peoples. This essay will discuss the need for changes that can be made for the maximum economic benefit for Canada, while reducing the impact on the environment and limiting expansion, as well as securing Alberta’s future. Changes need to be made to retain the maximum economic benefits of the Alberta Oil Sands while mitigating the environmental and geopolitical impact. This will be achieved by building pipelines that will increase the economic benefits, having stricter environmental regulation and expansion limitations, and improving the Alberta Heritage Fund or starting a new fund throu...
The reason for this report is to increase the reader’s knowledge on the Alberta Tar Sands, which will allow them to create their own opinions on the situation. It is a very pertinent issue in politics and will have a very large effect on the carbon emissions of Canada. Also, I wanted to further my understanding of the Alberta tar sands and learn the side effects of the tar sands. How the tar sands are different from other oil and energy procurement methods and which method is more energy efficient? Would the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States be an intelligent way for the US to involve itself in the tar sands? I wanted to answer these questions by knowing the real facts about the tar sands versus what the oil companies are telling the consumers. The ability to assess the entire situation will allow both the reader and I to formulate our own opinions about the tar sands and whether the extraction of oil at the tar sands should continue.
The opposition to this project is increasing because the people living in those areas are already feeling negative consequences. The large communities living in Boreal Forest and other Natives lands are being affected by the extraction and process of tar sands. Not only this people are being rushed away from their lands, but also, the rate of cancer, renal failure, lupus, hyperthyroidism and other decease, are higher than ever. This health conditions increased because of the air pollution and the high quantities of metals and chemicals in the drinking water. Yet, lots of precautions are being taken by the company, oil spills keep happening over and over. The external metal corrosion caused by extreme temperatures and the corrosive acid components of the bitumen are factors that contribute to accidents like explosions and oil
This chapter reading by Andrea Olive provided background of the Canadian environmental issues of terms of its substance and political discourse. The author focuses on the wide range history of environmentalism in Canada, as well as highlights the ‘waves that occurred in the twentieth era. Then looks at the most current Conservative government. Throughout this chapter Olive explains and teaches environmental policy and events that occurred waves. The author constructively outline the reason and causes of the Third wave. The critical issues occurring policymaking environmental challenges and even opportunity that Canada has been facing throughout its history and twenty-first century was discussed within this chapter. Thus, my review on this
The Criminal Process in Environmental Regulation. (n.d.). UH Law. Retrieved April 6, 2014, from http://www.law.uh.edu/faculty/thester/courses/Environmental-Practicum-2014/syllabus/chap6.pdf
...ty. It is available to reflect the social values of a society such as new concepts of justice. The law Reform Commission of Canada is persistently submitting legal proposals that can be used to improve a society and it also serves as a crucial role to the structure of law and the government and the Canadian Criminal Justice System. A proposal that has drawn a lot of debate is the idea of whether environmental destruction and maltreatment should be criminalized. After examining the given themes, environmental harm should not be considered a crime. The undesirable outcomes of criminalizing environmental harm outweigh the positives of criminalizing such a reform. Although the environment affects people’s lives, so do the laws and regulations. This crime is too broad and may result in more harm than good in the Canadian society and the Canadian Criminal Justice System.
Oil sands crude is more corrosive to pipeline and more difficult to clean up when there is a oil spill (Palliser 9). Traditional clean up techniques used will not work and some are concerned that the federal agency that oversees the United States pipelines are not equipped to handle such a massive project (Palliser 9). Search for how many oil spills in the united states. In the event of a structural failure of the Keystone XL pipeline the maximium spill volume could be 2.8 million gallons (Palliser 9). This would be devastating to wetland, rivers, ground water and drinking water
Swift, W.H, . C.J. Touhill, W.L. Templeton, and D.P. Roseman. 1969. Oil spillage prevention, control, and restoration—state of the art and research needs. Washington, D.C.: The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
Canadian Natural Resources is an oil and gas exploration, development and production company with its corporate head office in Calgary, Alberta. CNR is Canada’s largest oil and gas company and one of the world’s largest independent oil and gas producer. CNR was founded in Calgary, Alberta in 1989 but there is no specific man or women who have found the company. The company started off with drilling shallow gas basin, which is a big contributor of their success. Slowly they shifted into bitumen and crude oil. CNR headquarters are located in Calgary, Alberta and all the other offices are located in Alberta except for one, Fort St.John which is located in British Columbia. Their factories and offices are located in Alberta because Alberta is the
In Title I of NEPA, our government recognizes the immutable link between mankind's dealings and the impacts on the environment. People have an individual responsibility to the world around them. The Constitution assures us "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." However, "life" is undefined. We, as human beings, have the superiority to nurture and preserve all forms of life. Transitions in population growth (or decline), urban spread, industry expansions and technological advances are critical in determining and modifying the ever-changing needs of the environment. Extensive research and planning with State and local government allows NEPA to anticipate, possibly even predict, an environmental disaster before it occurs. These measures are to insure the most beneficial use of our natural resources, to preserve our Nation's history as well as encourage individuality, to search for improvements in recycling our resources and the discovery of new ones. These goals are sought after in a systematic manner to include the most recent available data that could promote or reject proposals for changes t...
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) entails a multifaceted appraisement of the possible aftermath caused by a project or action on the surrounding man-made and natural environment (Wood, 2003). This systematic process requires the involvement of all interested stakeholders in the process and the public, in order to achieve a widespread consent on the planned project and mitigation strategies proposed [European Commission (EC), 2014].
Wilcock, D. A. (2013). From blank spcaes to flows of life: transforming community engagment in environmental decision-making and its implcations for localsim. Policy Studies 34:4, 455-473.
The worst imaginable environmental catastrophe that could occur in Maryland has just become a reality. The lifeblood of Southern Maryland's Watermen has been forever affected. The ecosystems of the Patuxtent River and Chesapeake Bay have been irreversibly contaminated. The Three Mile Island and Chernobyl Nuclear Accidents have affected the world ecosystems; but the Chalk Point oil spill has reached us here in Southern Maryland. The ethical considerations with generating electricity from fossil fuels, specifically oil, has a profound impact on us all. We all use electricity to make our lives easier and more productive. By using this electricity have we given our permission for the oil companies free reign in order to provide us with the service we demand?? Are we just as responsible for the oil spill as the corporate leaders who run the companies? As citizens we are in a position to develop and enforce regulations to protect ourselves. Do we also protect the environment; or is the environment just something for us to use? These and many other moral dilemmas exist for modern man.