[R-G] Exploiting Canada's tar sands prolongs America's carbon habit

[Anthony Fenton]

MArch 27, 2008
http://www.bnd.com/285/story/292337.html
WAYNE MADSEN: Exploiting Canada's tar sands prolongs America's carbon  
habit

WASHINGTON --
Anything that allows America to continue its narcotic-like dependence  
on carbon fossil fuels - whether the sprawling tar sands of Canada or  
the petroleum pools under Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -  
completely misses the point about shifting to alternative energy  
sources.

Alternative sources should be real energy alternatives like wind,  
solar and geothermal power rather than alternative fossil fuel sources  
that often give off more greenhouse gases than conventional crude oil.

Without making that crucial distinction we will continue to stoke the  
boilers of global warming that are destroying our planet's all-too  
fragile environment at an ever-increasing rate.

Congress was wise to ban oil drilling in ANWR, one of the most  
pristine areas on Earth, and it would be equally wise to ban the  
import of oil from the tar sands of Alberta in Canada. Our Congress  
also should support efforts by far-sighted Canadians, who are pushing  
for a moratorium on the further development of Alberta's tar sands.

Unfortunately, recent reports estimate that Alberta's tar sands could  
produce 3.1 million barrels of oil per day by 2015.

That's a much too tempting opportunity for Canadian businessmen and  
politicians to line their pockets with increased profits from rising  
global oil prices by shipping quickly across the border to desperate  
gas-swilling Americans,

The one sure way to prevent this monumental crime against the  
environment is for Congress to immediately ban the import of oil  
processed from tar sands. The fact that existing Canadian pipelines  
will result in more than half of Alberta's tar sands oil moving  
southward ought to provide all the impetus Congress needs to impose  
this very sensible - and highly moral - ban.

Opponents can seek to label this action as "too drastic" but only  
drastic action now will eliminate the attractiveness of tar sands oil  
and eliminate much of the profit motive for its exploitation.

And exploitation it is! Extracting oil from tar sands relies on  
surface mining that requires defoliation of tress and destroys  
wildlife habitat - compounding the injury to the environment.  
Destroying trees that produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from  
the air creates a nightmarish situation that will only accelerate the  
coming global warming catastrophe.

How many more tornadoes ripping through Atlanta's downtown and super- 
hurricanes devastating New Orleans will it take to wake up Canadian  
oil profiteers that their gated communities and Caribbean luxury  
condos are located on the same planet the rest of us inhabit?

With the United Nations issuing report after report on the disastrous  
effects of global climate change, even the Pentagon is now concluding  
that global climate change will adversely affect our national security  
and increase world instability.

The irresponsibility of Big Oil and its political allies in Edmonton  
and Ottawa can only be checked by urgent congressional action that  
once and for all removes the United States as the world's top customer  
for tar sands oil..

Congress was wise to include in last year's energy legislation a  
section that stops federal use of high-carbon content energy from non- 
conventional petroleum sources like tar sands. That means the U.S.  
military, the U.S. Postal Service, and government vehicles are banned  
from using fuel from tar sands, oil shale or coal.

It's a good start but Congress should now extend the ban to the rest  
of the United States and resist efforts by Alberta's Conservative  
Premier Ed Stelmach and Canada's Tory Prime Minister Stephen Harper to  
force their "dirty fuels" on U.S. consumers.

Only a concerted effort by the United States and Canada to shift to  
non-carbon fuel energy sources can help mitigate the mounting effects  
of severe climate change.

Wind, solar, tidal, geothermal and bio-fuels should be the order of  
the day in both Washington and Ottawa. Alberta's tar sands -  
tantalizing as they are - should remain buried forever.
Wayne Madsen is a contributing writer to the progressive Online  
Journal (www.onlinejournal.com). Readers may write to him c/o National  
Press Club, Front Desk, 529 14th Sreet NW, Washington, D.C. 20045.