Canada - the new Saudi?

[Der Nister]

In a story on 60 minutes last night Canada is being touted as the new Saudi Arabia after the discovery of crude oil. Well, they didn't exactly discover it last week, actually it was found decades ago but thought to be to expensive to extract the oil from the sand in which it is found.

With new technology and higher oil prices it is more than a good idea to start tapping that sand. That could be good news for the U.S. but apparently we have a few problems and those are 1) Japan is looking to buy into this oil reserve and 2) it would seem that the popular opinion among Canadians is that Americans have been treating them rather poorly and we would only be using them for the oil.

Seems kind of odd for Canadians to think that way since we (Michigan) allow Canadians to dump their trach in our land fills. I think maybe they forgot that part.

Anyway - I thought I'd throw this topic here to get other peoples thoughts on this issue.

For more info click here or if you like search the web for other related news articles.

[BrassFusion]

In a story on 60 minutes last night Canada is being touted as the new Saudi Arabia after the discovery of crude oil. Well, they didn't exactly discover it last week, actually it was found decades ago but thought to be to expensive to extract the oil from the sand in which it is found.

With new technology and higher oil prices it is more than a good idea to start tapping that sand. That could be good news for the U.S. but apparently we have a few problems and those are 1) Japan is looking to buy into this oil reserve and 2) it would seem that the popular opinion among Canadians is that Americans have been treating them rather poorly and we would only be using them for the oil.

Seems kind of odd for Canadians to think that way since we (Michigan) allow Canadians to dump their trach in our land fills. I think maybe they forgot that part.

Anyway - I thought I'd throw this topic here to get other peoples thoughts on this issue.

For more info click here or if you like search the web for other related news articles.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe a better idea would be to reduce/eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. And it's not that we're "allowing" Canada to dump on us, they're paying us for it, because we're suckers.

What does it say that a country with such a low population density as Canada would STILL prefer to pay us to dump their garbage here? That their natural resources are that much more important to them?

I don't see how we've been treating Canada poorly, other than that Ann Coulter bullshit (not reality), but I can see where they'd be worried that we'd try to control them for their oil if it were accessible to us. That's what we do all over the world, eh?

[kellygrrrrrl]

The entire cascade mountain range is loaded with oil....

From S America up through Alaska.

But it is said that it would be too expensive to Process this crude oil, AND we would need more refineries to process it....but the libs and democrats won't allow for it as it will cause much pollution and take up space.

So, will it make a diff to the whole world if we put a refinery somewhere in nowhere USA or somewhere in Canda or south america???

No, it will still cause pollution....to the whole world. Whether it is here or there.

Building refineries will create jobs. Will create a surplus of our own. Will give us some dependence from the world, destroy the environment, and create global warming....

Hmmmm...balance balance.....

So from what I understand, one volcanic eruption causes more pollution than 20something? years of refinery smoke....

I say put one in the desert. No need to cut down forrests or anything...

-------------------

Although getting away from fossil fuels is ideal.

Please forgive this if it makes no sense...I wrote in pieces over the last 2 hours when I got the chance....

Just some thoughts.... :fear :fear :fear

[Hellion]

:devil Drilling for oil also causes alot of damage.

[paradox]

i ready to invade canada.

[Homicidalheathen]

Canadians FEAR us because we are RUTHLESS ASSHOLES who start wars over such things. Plus we live CLOSE and can blow them up real easy.

I think they will let us have first pick thus. :devil

[The Kanuck]

~runs over and gets my bow and arrow~ ok bring it on, I will protect my oil!!!

But honestly, I think we should sell it to you guys... once we get enough for ourselves. You guys need it, be cheaper to bring it over the boarder then ship it to anywhere else and it will make everyone happy. ^.^

[BrassFusion]

What a typical polite Canadian. I'm almost surprised you didn't apologize for causing "such a stir" by having the oil available

[Homicidalheathen]

Yes, appologize for being Canadian and give us your oil.

[kellygrrrrrl]

Natural Disasters cause WAY more damamge than drilling a hole in the ground.

I think the earth can handle another hole.

Now, I am not an oil worker nor do I know what it takes to drill for oil, so this post may be ingnorant.....?????

[BrassFusion]

Natural Disasters cause WAY more damamge than drilling a hole in the ground.

I think the earth can handle another hole.

Now, I am not an oil worker nor do I know what it takes to drill for oil, so this post may be ingnorant.....?????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think when you drill for oil, it might put the local water sources at risk, maybe.

[The_Dark]

There are many risks in the oil industry. My step father’s family all work in the oil fields and my Father ran the crude unit at a refinery for 32 years. As such, I have learned a great deal about the drilling industry.

the hazards are mostly to the workers. Drilling is in the top 50 most dangerous jobs in the world.

For the environment.. the water supply close to an active drilling rig is at risk, but it's small. During the drilling process a large amount of water is used to lubricate the shaft and it's used to bring the material out of the hole. You get mud.. lots of it.. super slippery fine mud... that can get in an aquifer and make the water taste bad.. but that’s about it.

After the rig is done... the area where it was is a death trap. the mud can be very deep and look like dry land, hence the do not cross signs that animals cant read.

There are other dangers people don’t think about though. Deadly ones. Sour gas eruptions during drilling can kill everyone and everything within miles. If enough is removed from an area with high seismic activity... you can get earth quakes and sink holes. And the list goes on….

[The Kanuck]

Come on, the world is full of holes.. just look at detroit.. JUST KIDDING! Love yea guys But seriously few more holes are nothing. World needs the oil until we find something else to push our cars around that is not so expensive to produce and keep up (Electric Cars and such)

[Blackmail]

We have our own oil in the U.S.

Anwar

we just aren't allowed to use it.

Yet.

[Msterbeau]

Just so veryone knows what were dealing with here. It's not conventional drilling. In fact... one form of extracting this type of oil leaves deep scars in the land. Fortunately, there appears to be more earth/habitat friendly forms of extracting it.

http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/public...shale/shale.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shale_oil

[kellygrrrrrl]

The water supplies wouldn't be in jeopardy if the plants were in the middle of the desert.....or in Nowhere Alaska, or in the middle of somewhere Canada, or TEXAS.

You wouldn't be able to put one in a populated area. Too much risk...pollution...health hazards etc.....

In the middle of Nowhere USA.

Now as for the commute? Well, I hear you get some coin if you're an oil worker...so I'm sure you can afford the long haul....*shrugz* I dunno...

[Msterbeau]

The water supplies wouldn't be in jeopardy if the plants were in the middle of the desert.....or in Nowhere Alaska, or in the middle of somewhere Canada, or TEXAS.

You wouldn't be able to put one in a populated area.  Too much risk...pollution...health hazards etc.....

In the middle of Nowhere USA.

Now as for the commute?  Well, I hear you get some coin if you're an oil worker...so I'm sure you can afford the long haul....*shrugz* I dunno...

In the middle of nowhere can be some of the most pristine and beautiful forests immaginable. You're OK with fucking that up?

[Blackmail]

In the middle of nowhere can be some of the most pristine and beautiful forests immaginable.  You're OK with fucking that up?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In places where they drilled in Alaska they didn't fuck it up, it looks exactly the same except with a few large towers miles apart.

However in 2004 (or 2005?) there was a large oil spill that did fuck things up.

[Msterbeau]

In places where they drilled in Alaska they didn't fuck it up, it looks exactly the same except with a few large towers miles apart. 

However in 2004 (or 2005?) there was a large oil spill that did fuck things up.

Exactly. The pipline that runs through hundreds of miles of such lands leaks all the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Alaska_Pipeline_System

[Blackmail]

Exactly.  The pipline that runs through hundreds of miles of such lands leaks all the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Alaska_Pipeline_System

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I didn't see anything that said it leaks all the time, it said a person shot a hole in it but maybe I missed something.

From everything I've read, due to new advances in oil drilling, if we were to be careful and drill at Anwar, the affect on the environment would be minimal. However I know some don't share that view.

if I ran the Country I would demand all cars become hydrogen or electric by 2010 or drill in Alaska.

[The_Dark]

Hydrogen and electric would be great... Where are you going to get the Electricity or the Hydrogen?

At this point... it costs 1.5 energy units to create 1 energy unit worth of Hydrogen. Until we get a more efficiant process for creating fuel grade hydrogen.. thats not going to work.

Electricity would be great.. but.. you have turn generate it somehow... buring something.. be it oil, coal or nuclear... is the most common way.. sure.. hydroelectric damns work.. but we only have so many of those.. windmills would be great.. but everytime we try to build more Wind Farms the enviromentalists and rich Democrats stop it. The Enviromentalists do because birds gets killed and the Rich Democrats because it ruins thier view.

[kellygrrrrrl]

NO On cutting down forrests, I am not OK with that. But there is a LOT of unused, desolate, Uninhabitable land that can be used that doesn't have tree's everywhere.

Like in the Desert. (Parts of the desert anyway)

[The_Dark]

BTW.. one of the richest oil fields in the world is under Utah and surrounding states... We dont drill it for a few reasons...

1. It's really really deep

2. Fualt lines. We dont know what will happen it we release the pressure on the tectonic plates. Some modles have Cali falling off the map.

[Msterbeau]

I didn't see anything that said it leaks all the time, it said a person shot a hole in it but maybe I missed something. 

From everything I've read, due to new advances in oil drilling, if we were to be careful and drill at Anwar, the affect on the environment would be minimal.    However I know some don't share that view. 

if I ran the Country I would demand all cars become hydrogen or electric by 2010 or drill in Alaska.

"From 1977 to 1994 there were 30 to 40 spills a year on average, the worst years in terms of number of incidents were 1991 to 1994 when there were 164 spills, although none were major"

Whatever happens with cars... we need to move away from an almost exclusive use of petroleum to fuel them.

[Msterbeau]

BTW.. one of the richest oil fields in the world is under Utah and surrounding states... We dont drill it for a few reasons...

1. It's really really deep

2. Fualt lines. We dont know what will happen it we release the pressure on the tectonic plates. Some modles have Cali falling off the map.

Bunch of self-indulgent freaks anyway. Let it fall... :whistling