Alberta Oil Spill: MAGIC Cleanup

 

Seeing Red

 There has been another oil spill in Alberta...and for the record, here at Incoming Bytes, yes,  I am seeing red. A very old pipeline that crosses a river has conveniently spewed some 3000 barrels of crude oil into the pristine waterway.  That is, of course, if  anyone should somehow believe it is "only" 3,000 barrels, or a half million liters of dirty, black oil.

 All Canadians should be aware of this latest mess courtesy of the petroleum industry.  The residents of Red Deer, Alberta, soon will be  aware of it since they,-- all 100,000 of them, obtain their drinking water from the Red Deer River.    

 We expect that Alberta premier Alison Redford, and her "Environment Minister" will quickly don designer Hazmat suits, rubber boots and rubber gloves, and get VERY busy scrubbing up the LATEST oil spill FROM A LEAKING PIPELINE  contaminating the Red Deer River. This is yet ANOTHER ugly oil spill from pipelines operated  by Plains Midstream Canada.   

We expect Alison and oil friends will clean up EVERY DROP, since she reportedly said, in famous last words:

“In Alberta, this does not happen very often, and when it does we’re able to get a handle on it quickly” 

 She also apparently believes “the situation is in hand.” 

Doesn't that give us all a warm and fuzzy feeling? The residents of Red Deer, Alberta, who get their drinking water from this river must be delighted with this latest environmental disaster.

We suggest that Ms Redford should take EVERY executive from this irresponsible industry WITH her and clean up this " impossible to clean up" MESS-- and for once, face the consequences and reality of their responsibility, close up and dirty.

Which part of "Dirty oil can not be completely removed from a pristine environment" do they not understand?  Which part of "Oil is a systemic poison to plants, fish and wildlife" does this whole industry not understand?  Which part of "It is not a matter of IF, but WHEN a pipeline will fail" do these people not understand?
Canadians should be outraged and demand a review of all pipelines in the country.  With hundreds of leaks, incidents, and accidents,  the fact is, the oil industry is out of control and reckless governments continue to allow MORE pipelines. 

 The sad fact is, like all dirty crude oil spills, ad nauseum, this mess will never be cleaned up.

Oh, wait, Ms. Redford and her government have a magic way of cleaning up oil spills. How comforting. 

Our "governments" want to allow these people to build the Northern Gateway pipeline, and the XL pipeline --and knowingly gut environmental regulations to enable, and speed up the process?   Readers of Incoming Bytes are encouraged to pay attention. We clearly have a problem.....

*--and no, I will not be posting any pictures of this sickening environmental stupidity. I do not wish to make loyal readers of IncomingBytes sick to their stomachs. We already know what oil-coated wildlife looks like, courtesy of the oil industry.

Meantime, we'll just issue dunce caps and magic wands to all concerned.

 Is that incoming I hear?

Keystone Pipeline : DEAD, or just more DECEPTION about Dirty Oil?

The greatest energy source known  to mankind

I always find it interesting to see how 'International Relations' are affected when there is a hidden agenda. The  American  'DELAY' of the Keystone pipeline is a fine example of a political decision that was made for reasons that have nothing to do with oil, but manipulation and political  'control'.  

Canada's response? MORE  posturing.  "We'll  build a pipeline to the west coast in British Columbia and sell the oil to China and other Asian markets instead". China would love it, regardless of the cesspool of pollution it will leave in Northern Canada. 
The reciprocal American response?  Crocodile tears.  "Oh, we hope you wouldn't do that".  
Why? 
Canadians and Americans both know that the Athabasca Oil Sands projects are the biggest source of pollution in North America. No refineries will be built in Canada.  
The Keystone oil pipeline, which will pipe dirty crude oil all the way from the Athabasca tar sands to Texas refineries is already being built.  Imagine that. 
At Incoming Bytes we have no illusion that the multi-billion-dollar pipeline will 'terminate' at the 'border'.  Let us be realistic.  Canada already supplies some 2 million barrels of oil per day to American markets.


Where does that leave the 'decision' ?   The fact is, it's parked in 'limbo' while the political benefits are being coolly calculated;  Canada's |Prime |Minister Stephen Harper will benefit politically by "saving" the Keystone pipeline, getting the 'delay' reversed,  and |President Barack Obama will benefit by playing the political game of satisfying environmental critics, while simultaneously delaying development of the Bakken.  Everybody wins by playing the game--except the native population of Athabasca.
Clearly approving the pipeline  'in the next few days'  at least,  is not a beneficial political decision. The United States of America has it's own Bakken oil deposits which are untouched--and hold more oil than Saudi Arabia, and more oil than Athabasca. 
  Why has the Bakken not been developed?  The fact is, nobody in the USA  wants to appear responsible for developing an unprecedented   environmental mess in the United States. It is much more attractive to  well-heeled  NIMBY's  to leave a cesspool of permanent pollution in Northern Canada instead.

How simple. The Keystone delay  won't hurt the historical Canadian/American relationship for long --a calculated deception,  with the economy in such tough straits, we estimate a reversal in a few weeks, or maybe a month or two.  January sounds about right. Everybody gets a big political Christmas present when the 'decision' is somehow magically reversed.  Joy to the world and all that.

   I guess they just don't get it.  Nobody has the moral right to create an irreversible ecological disaster, regardless of where it is.  


Meantime, the same politicians in  North America are collectively missing out on the greatest opportunity the world has ever seen; -the opportunity to develop clean, endless,  alternative energy --which already exists. Look up. 






That's my story and I'm sticking to it.