Posts Tagged ‘economy’
Obama’s KeystoneXL Veto – Were Still Optimistic!
Proposed Arctic pipeline
Here we are in Alberta, moving into the 3rd month of 2015 and still trying to figure out how we can ship our oil by pipeline to a national market, instead of being held hostage by our only buyer, the US. Can’t ship west , can’t ship east, even trouble increasing output to the US going south thanks to Obama’s veto. Its starting to be one of these topics people are tired of thinking about or just stopped thinking about. It’s probably because the oil is still flowing that people have lost interest . So what’s new that we Albertans be optimistic about?
Aside from oil prices plummeting and Obama’s veto of the Keystone, Alberta’s long-term future sill looks good to me. The completion of the new Enbridge Inc. Flanagan South and the newly twinned Seaway Crude pipeline in December 2014, allowed large quantities of heavy crude oil from Alberta to flow to the Freeport TX. on the US Gulf Coast for the first time. Elbridge’s network is the first coming from western Canada to the US beating out the Keystone. It will double Canadian shipments to the Gulf Coast to 400,000 barrels a day this year. There wasn’t a lot of fan fare but still a good news story for Albertans .
Another semi good news story which got a lot of attention was the Keystone Pipeline. It finally got passed through the US senate . Normally I’ve been pessimistic over the years of this ever getting passed, but today I’m optimistic regardless of the veto. Just a little. Even though Obama has decided not to give permission for the Keystone, he left the door open for the Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. to reapply for a permit at a later date after coming up with a more environmentally acceptable route. Good News. Also the Republic party leadership intends to attach Keystone measures on to other pieces of legislation like energy, appropriations, the highway bill etc.. If nothing else, the future is looking very interesting for Albertans on this issue.
To put more pressure on Obama, Trans Mountain has applied for a permit for a new cross border pipeline called ‘Upland’ that will run in the opposite direction from North Dakota to the proposed Energy East pipeline at Moosomin, Sask. where TransCanada intends to build a 1.05 million barrel receipt and delivery terminal. Since the U.S. Bakken fracking producers also can’t get an answer from Obama regarding the Keystone, they want to ship their oil through Canada by pipeline rather than by less safe rail through the US. If the US government approves this cross border pipeline, that benefits the US, into Canada, it will prove that the veto of the Keystone is all political. The fight for cross border pipelines isn’t over yet.
Another pipeline that is looking for approval in Canada is Trans Canada’s east west pipeline that will convert an existing TransCanada 40 year-old natural gas pipeline from Saskatchewan to Ontario, connecting it with a new pipeline through Quebec and on to Saint John, New Brunswick. I think Trans Canada will be a lot more involved and vocal to tell the public the benefits than they did with the Keystone. Hopefully with a newly elected conservative government in 2015 this pipeline will have a good chance to be approved. It would be unfortunate in Justin Trudeau and the liberals got elected to govern. It would most certainly be the end of this venture since the pipe must cross over 3 providences with 3 Liberal governments (Ontario , Quebec and New Brunswick), and since Ms. Wynne and Mr. Couillard have remained vague on their demands. Also Mr. Trudeau has already been telling Quebecers’ that a pipeline through Quebec is harmful. We will need PM Harper’s conservative government for this one. I’ll be more excited after the 2015 election when the Conservatives get re-elected..
The pipeline I find most exciting for Albertans and Canadians, is the proposed Arctic route from Fort McMurray to the northern port of Tuktoyaktuk, then to Pacific and Atlantic markets. Since the Harper government reduced the layers of oversight, centralizing the territory’s complex land and water board system into a single review board, this route is plausible. A northern pipeline project could make 35 million barrels of diluted bitumen a year available for trans-ocean export. There might be a pilot project using small test shipments that could be started this year (2015). Very exciting for Albertans. With friendly provincial and territorial governments ready to do business, this could turn out to be the ultimate pipeline for Alberta.
There is definitely lots happening in the pipeline sector for Alberta. From the newly operating Flannigan pipeline taking Alberta oil to the US, to the proposed Arctic pipeline. Very exciting times for Alberta and Canada.
Please leave a comment below or email: ALBERTASOAPBOX@gmail.com
Oil Sands Hypocrisy
Utah has little problem with their oil sands, yet Alberta’s oil sands and the Key Stone Pipeline is trashed around the world as an environmental nightmare. Why the hypocrisy? This is a question that no one seems to want to tackle and give an answer. Oil sands are the same around the world. You can’t have good and bad oil sand. So why is the world just picking on the Alberta oil sands? The argument of being an environmental catastrophe just doesn’t wash. Since other oil sands around the world are not being attacked by the same environmental groups with the same gusto as attacking Alberta, how can it possibly be an environmental motive that drives the push to shut down the Alberta Oil Sands. Just the idea of an environmentalist having two different views on oil sands depending on the country is ludicrous. It can’t be. The drive to shut down the Alberta Oil Sands must have another motive.
Venezuela is now producing more extra heavy crude in the Orinoco oil sands than its four upgraders can handle. The upgraders have a combined capacity of 630,000 bbl/d . There is approximately 300 bn bbl of bitumen estimated to be recoverable (largest recoverable deposit on earth) compared to Alberta’s 168 bn bbl. The mostly in-situ operations, as in Alberta (80%), in Venezuela are massive and very carbon intensive projects, so where is the protest to shut down Orinoco. Where is the outrage and the news coverage. The largest oil sands deposit on earth being mined with little to no CO2 emissions regulations and hardly a word.
The USA also has its oil sands production going on in the Uinta Basin in Utah. Although the Utah’s Uinta Basin bitumen deposits contain 90% less sulfur than the bitumen found in Alberta’s Athabasca region and Venezuela which averages about 5%, it is still Oil sands and comes with all the environmental problems all oil sands come with. Again, little opposition for the Utah product to be shipped by pipe through the USA. Not a word from the Obama administration.
An Italian oil company ENI announced a project to develop a small oil sands deposit estimated between 500 million and 2.5 billion barrels reserves of recoverable oil sands in the Republic of Congo. Production is scheduled to commence in 2014. Small potatoes compared to Venezuela and Alberta but still oil sands. Again very little criticism from our world environmentalists even though it could destroy the Congo’s rainforest.
We could go on with examples around the world from Russian oil sands to Kazakhstan, bottom line, Alberta is the only oil sand producing country that is getting the shaft from the environmental community. Why does so many factions want Alberta Oil Sands and the Keystone pipeline shut down or reduced to limited production. The answer has little to do with the environment and much more as to who is going to get the oil business and make the money. Venezuela is going to be a big winner with the Alberta oil sands stalled. With its business dwindling to the US and oil accounting for 90% of its export business , Venezuela has sold China on their oil sands resulting in China dramatically altering its international investment policy, pulling back on its plans for direct participation in Canada’s oil sands. With Alberta Oil sands land locked its businesses as usual for the other oil-producing countries, the environment and CO2 emission’s be dammed.
As David Hannum once said “there’s a sucker Born every minute”. Guess they all ended up in Canada since we’re the biggest dupe’s and losers in the oil sands environmental game. We coulda , woulda been a world-class oil-producing nation if only we had known what game we were playing.
Please comment below or email me direct at ALBERTASOAPBOX@gmail.com
Thorium Nuclear Power – A Real Alternative Energy
Below is an interesting post (comment) by Texas . Tony on Thorium Nuclear Power.
OILPRICE.COM -“The world currently has 435 commercial nuclear power plants, all of which run off uranium, but thorium is gathering support to replace uranium as a nuclear fuel, for several reasons. Thorium is much safer than uranium, being less likely to suffer a meltdown; it is a far more abundant element meaning that it should be cheaper to produce than uranium; the leftover waste decays at a far faster rate than uranium, meaning that it becomes safe far quicker; and it is much more difficult to create a nuclear weapon out of thorium waste”.
With all the talk of Oil and the Keystone , East West and Gateway pipelines Albertans should be aware that there is an alternative energy that could be ready for commercial use in 5-10 years that could be a game changer. Presently its has just begun tests in Norway in a paper mill for the next 5 year to see if it is cost effective for public use. If Alberta is going to establish markets for its oil it had better be quickly before the opportunely is lost.
Also, wonder if the Elizabeth May of the Green Party or Iran might be interested?
by Texas.Tony » Thu May 09, 2013 5:23 am
So really this disruptive technology is a game-changer since people will own and use a car battery for life and just keep transferring it to every new car they buy and when they get home at night, plug the battery into an interface in their garage that would power their house as well. We could also say goodbye to the power grid and electric bills forever. This is the reason why the industry leaders like J.P. Morgan abandoned Tesla in favor of Marconi when he said “If we cannot measure and sell the electricity, why would anyone invest in it?” Unlike the relatively “cheap” energy that Thorium would provide (there will always be a one-time purchase/profit), current metered electricity is extremely profitable with residual income that is perpetual. Thorium does not provide that incentive to those more interested in a long term renewable profit .
Lastly, to preempt those that will scream and worry about the “radiation danger” of Thorium, the amount needed to power an automobile (the size of a golf ball) gives off the same radiation as most cell phones and television sets. You can handle it daily for 320 years before accumulating enough radiation that constitutes a health hazard. In fact the CDC admitted that common coal dust is 30 times more dangerous to human beings than Thorium (unless it is ingested in a powder form or drunk in liquid form). When used in batteries it would most likely be used in wafer form. See the below radiation chart to put this into proper perspective. So , there is little reasons why cars, trucks, trains, boats, and ships are not using Thorium batteries today:
.
There is one last point to consider – It is being tested by China, Norway, and India to verify that Thorium can also be used cost-effectively to power conventional nuclear power plants (with 200 more times the energy output) with zero chance of meltdown or catastrophic failure. Current uranium-based operations time bombs can all be eliminated simply by switching over to Thorium with relatively minor conversions. Also Thorium cannot be used to make nuclear weapons. Are world leaders deliberately stuck on uranium only to justify weapon development?
Calgary City Hall Alderman Exposed by CTAG
Calgary City Council on Banning Shark Fish on the prairies
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending an information session at the Chinese Culture Center in Calgary hosted by CTAG (Coalition For Transparent and Accountable Governance) to hear the pros and cons of having a shark fin ban in Calgary. I was surprised to see the auditorium full of concerned Calgarians wondering why the City Council did not consult them prior to the first reading and passage of the bill last month. The message that really stood out from the crowd was not only did the two City Alderman, John Mar and Brian Pincott, not seem to know any facts about shark fishing they really didn’t seem to understand that they cannot use bully tactic and tax payer’s money to pursue an agenda that has little or no bearing on city issues which they were elected for. The few facts that Alderman Pincott threw our were so extremely skewed , that when confronted were indefensible. When Pincott said that over 70 million sharks were killed each year , there was no mention on how many are fished for food or fished just for the shark fin. Also in the scientific study that was quoted back to him, the scientific community really doesn’t know how many sharks are fished each year, they can only estimate between 26 million to 70 million. It’s clear that Mr Pincott is only quoting the highest numbers to benefit his own agenda and not giving the public the real balanced facts so they can understand the issue .
Its was very disturbing hearing politicians like Alderman Mar and Pincott trying to defend their position with innuendo and rhetoric. Not only did they not have any real facts on why they want to have Calgary ban shark fishing, but they had no idea on the cost to the taxpayer to police the ban. Alderman Pincott just ignored this important question by saying it will be looked into later. Completely irresponsible and ill thought out.
Mar and Pincott also seem to ignore the legal sustainable shark fishing industry in BC supported by the Suzuki Foundation. There is nothing wrong with fishing any sustainable seafood whether it be the spotted shrimp or shark. It’s a mystery as to why these two Alderman think they know more than the Suzuki Foundation on this issue and are dragging Calgary taxpayers into an expensive ban while the federal government has already banned shark finning in 1996 plus the Ontario court just yesterday overturned the Toronto shark finning bylaw.
By far the most disturbing comment by Alderman Pincott was when he blamed the federal government for not doing enough to protect the shark. This remark suggests they have other motives for getting involved in a federal jurisdiction. Do they really care about the shark or is this just a ruse to develop an issue , again on our tax dollars, to slam the Federal Conservative government. The motives for this ban have clearly become very suspicious.
Lucky for the taxpayer, over the next few weeks there will be more information sessions to expose this ridiculous ban and attack on our personal freedom to choose what legal food we like to eat. There has already been close to 6000 signature on a petition to stop this ban in just a few weeks. Now that the citizens of Calgary realize how they are being bullied and their right to choose legal products is being strip by these Alderman without properly being consulted, we will most likely see these Alderman running for the door blaming each other for this stupid and very dubious bylaw.
Please comment below or email me direct at ALBERTASOAPBOX@gmail.com
Additional interesting Reading from CTAG – http://ctagcal.blogspot.ca/2012_10_01_archive.html
The Age Of Crazy
We’ve defiantly entered the age of lunatic politicians , political parties and crazy extremists. I can’t pick up a newspaper or check out the news on TV without being subjected to some nutcase blaming Alberta Oil for the worlds environmental problems or a crazed politician blaming us for all their financial mismanagement. Its starting to get tiresome listing to individuals doing their best to divide Canada by insulting Albertans with their negative innuendo. Unfortunately for Canadians these manipulators are ruining our great Canadian way of life for their own personal agenda. What bothers me the most is that so many Canadians are falling for their clap trap rubbish.
The PQ Party, since they won the Quebec election is the latest to bash Alberta for personal party gain. No matter that the vast majority of Quebec voters didn’t vote for them, they are still pushing for seperation.Their weapon of choice, kick the federal government and Alberta in the face. The PQ must be seeing something im not. I can’t see any benefit for them to succeed from Canada. They have a good deal with billions in transfer payments flooding into their coffers, their own personalized language laws, more benefits than any province in the West or the rest of Canada for that matter, yet their brain just can’t grasp how good they have it. Should be interesting to watch how these loony toon’s blackmail the rest of Canada to have the gas pipeline reversed from Ontario to Quebec to transport oil from Alberta. I’m not holding my breath.
And how about Canada’s number one dysfunctional Leader, NDP Thomas Mulcair who still thinks President Kennedy’s (35 president of the US) assassination was a coverup by the US government , openly admires Cuban dictator Fidel Castro and questioned Israel’s validity as a country. How does this guy get votes. Have Canadians really fallen that far over the edge as to believe his baloney. Hard work and ingenuity made Canada what it is today not Mulcair’s tin foil hat theories.
Of course we can’t forget one of Canada’s all time favorite rants, David Suzuki Reporting From The North Pole trying to pluck children’s piggy banks for a donation to save Santa and the North Pole. This has to be the all time low blow , sleazy solicitations ever. Are these guys that desperate for cash that they have to go after little kids and ruin their christmas. Guess the grown up are getting wise to this crazed broadcaster. I expect this years christmas to be bombarded with another Suzuki rant. Cant wait.
So whats going on? Why are all these people pulling us apart and why is the main news media supporting this madness? Cant these crazies look elsewhere and see that democratic socialism and extremist have ruined their countries? The most likely answer is simply the so-called superior Liberal thinkers want to control our money (tax) and mold us into their twisted political framework and save us from ourselves , slowly eroding our freedoms . Seeing how the NDP/Liberal socialists viciously attack and intimidate anybody with a different view (Toronto Conservative Mayor Rob Ford) gives me an uneasy feeling on the direction were traveling.
As far as Alberta goes, I hope we keep our Conservative values and stick together for the next Federal election. After the close by-election last week its clear the crazies are here.
Please comment below or email ALBERTASOAPBOX@gmail.com
BC Premier Clark and The Enviormental Bogeyman
News shocker! Alberta blocks BC truckers from travelling to East Canada. Wants its FAIR SHARE
So Christy Clark , leader of the BC liberals, whats to kick Alberta and Canada in the face with her selfish politics and greed. Well , I have always said what goes around comes around and in Premier Clarks case I doubt very much she will be the premier come next election. The only thing she stands up for is her own political survival and the BC voters are seeing and hearing this loud and clear.
Trying to pick the pockets of other provinces for transporting goods through BC goes against decades of cooperation. Asking the Alberta taxpayers to subsidize the Gateway Pipeline because it runs through BC is ridiculous and sets a very bad precedent for trade between provinces. I think Premier Clark forgets that BC is just as isolated from the rest of Canada as Alberta is isolated from the west coast sea ports. Quite frankly her thinking is foolish.
Environmentalist and Premier Clark have been exaggerating and misrepresenting environmental problems of the Gateway Pipeline to the BC residents just for their own gain and agenda, just looking after number one, and stiffing the rest of Canada who badly needs the riches of the oil sands. These games they are playing will cause delays in a west coast pipeline that will cost Alberta and Canada the oil market with Asia that we are all counting on to pay for health care and other benefits we have been accustom to. Only today , Venezuela announced it will be looking to China to sell its oil. Being one of the largest oil reserves in the world with ease of access ( unlike Canada thanks to the BC Premier and the environmental Bogeyman) will give Venezuela a major advantage over Canada. How long is the Asian market going to wait for Canada?
So, is BC prepared to increase their transfer payments to subsidize Alberta, Saskatchewan, NWT and the other Canadian provinces for their loss of oil revenue since they are responsible for blocking oil commodities from travelling to west coast ports for sale ? Is BC prepared for retaliation from the other provinces. Does BC really think they can strip Canadian provinces from their major source of income with no consequence? I would suggest that Premier Clark think again. The path she and her environmental cohorts are on will only cause a lot tension between provinces. BC would be in shock if Alberta decided to block all truck traffic travelling through to the east demanding its FAIR SHARE of taxes from the BC taxpayer.
Here is BC’s Premier Christy Clarks email address premier@gov.bc.ca . Email her and tell her to quite using our livelihoods to further her own political career , Its shameful, and to get a pipeline approved to the west coast ASAP.
Please comment below or email me at ALBERTASOAPBOX@yahoo.ca
NDP Socialism – 21st Century Suffering
Norman Mailer once said “The function of socialism is to raise suffering to a higher level” and Larry Sechrest was quoted as saying ” Each new government regulation taxes the private sector, relentlessly shifting resources out of the hands of the productive, and into the hands of the unproductive.“. Two quotes that seem relevent in today’s world looking at the European crises that was based on a social system, and concerning for Canadians since this European democratic socialism is the same system that the Liberals and NDP have envied for decades and are still striving for.
After all the suffering in Greece and other European countries its hard to believe that anyone in Canada would seriously consider the NDP or the Liberal brand of governing. Maybe Rodger Scruton had it right when he said “ It is not the truth of Socialism that explains the willingness of intellectuals to believe it, but the power that it confers on intellectuals”. The NDP and the Liberals are certainly showing they want power they way they have been foaming at the mouth and vilifying Steven Harper and the Conservatives. Their lust for power alone should alert Canadians that there is a problem with these parties.
Greece fell into the Socialist trap many years ago with a system that gave the workers lavish bonuses of up to 1300 euros per month for just being able to use a computer or arrive at work on time. Employer’s were forced to provide severance packages to retired workers up to 50% of their wage for up to 24 months with 20,000 euros tax-free. Greece also offered the most generous pension system in the EU, with a pension of 90% to 110% of final earnings for some employees. Small wonder why the Greeks were sold this bill of goods. Money for nothing! Little did they know they were bleeding the cash cow dry, that is the companies that provided all the jobs. I wouldn’t doubt that many Greeks still don’t realize there is a problem with their economy,They think someone is waiting in the wings to bail them out. But there out of luck and money and in for a very rough ride. With all the money that was sucked out of business and given to an unproductive government for benefits, made their down fall inevitable.
“The historical experience of socialist countries has sadly demonstrated that collectivism does not do away with alienation but rather increases it, adding to it a lack of basic necessities and economic inefficiency“
Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus (1991)
Once elected ,these social governments (NDP) usually transform into hierarchical societies with all the power, while the masses end up with little rights and freedoms. It amazes me that
so many working Canadians and students are being sucked in like the Greeks, especially when the European crises is so highly publicized and that Canada, under the Conservatives actually have one of the best economies in the world, even though we have to depend heavily on the USA for most of our trade. These social governments are even happening at the local level like in Calgary where the alderman have decided to take it upon themselves, with little input from the public, to ban a food product which are actually under the federal jurisdiction.
Canadians have to start taking note that they are under attack from Social left, before we end up like Greece and suffering their fate.
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