Friends of the Earth U.S. For more than thirty years, Congress has heavily subsidized the production of dirty corn ethanol. The corporate interests behind ethanol production have already received $5.4 billion in tax credits this year alone. Fortunately, we have a chance to stop this corporate giveaway at the end of this year. There are bills in Congress right now that would extend subsidies on bad biofuels for another five years, costing taxpayers $31 billion -- but we can defeat these bills. These subsidies go mostly to the "Big Oil" companies, even though the oil companies are already legally required to purchase ethanol under the Renewable Fuels Standard passed by Congress in 2007. In essence, we are paying Big Oil to simply follow the rules. We, the people, can’t afford to keep throwing money at polluters.
Make Or Break For six days and counting now, hundreds of protesters have gathered outside the White House to demand President Obama intervene and stop the construction of an oil pipeline that will span the breadth of the United States -- from Montana to the Gulf of Mexico. Over 300 of them have been arrested -- and not just wild-eyed idealistic college students, but high-profile advocates including environmental leader Bill McKibben. Despite all this, the administration says this is a question for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. What the heck is this all about? At issue isn't just NIMBYism or standard concerns about oil spills, but the question of whether the United States should accelerate an extraction process that some environmental experts say will lose the fight against global warming forever. The oil in question comes from the Canadian oil sands -- or tar sands, as opponents refer to it. And there's tons of it -- perhaps as much as 200 billion barrels-worth. This is one to keep an eye on.
Canada May Boost Asia Oil Sales If Keystone Blocked, Globe Says Canada will look to boost oil exports to Asian countries such as China if the U.S. blocks TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported, citing Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver. The $7 billion pipeline would deliver crude from the oil sands of Canada to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Canada wants to diversify its customer base and China could be a “key” customer in the future, the Globe and Mail reported. Keystone could be “modified” if it fails to get U.S. approval, or other projects to ship oil to the U.S. could emerge, the newspaper cited Oliver as saying. To contact the reporter for this story: Frederic Tomesco in Montreal at tomesco@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Scanlan at dscanlan@bloomberg.net
Friends of the Earth U.S. Thank you for joining the thousands of people coast-to-coast as we swarm Home Depot and Lowe's stores the week of Valentine's Day, from February 10 to 16. Activists just like you will be delivering valentines to stores nationwide, encouraging them to stop selling bee-killing pesticides called neonicotinoids. Please RSVP below. Click here to download the valentine and delivery tips. You can deliver a valentine to your local Home Depot or Lowe's wherever you are. Bay Area, CA: When: Wednesday, February 12 Meeting time -- 11:00 a.m. Where: Meeting -- Starbucks, 3839 Emery St. #800, Emeryville, CA Event -- Home Depot, 3838 Hollis Ave., Emeryville, CA Contact info: Lisa Archer, Friends of the Earth, larcher@foe.org Minneapolis, MN: When: Wednesday, February 12 Meeting time -- 11:15 a.m. Where: Meeting -- Caribou Coffee, 1720 New Brighton Blvd. Contact: Pat Kerrigan, Organic Consumers Association, patrick@organicconsumers.org Washington, D.C When: Wednesday, February 12 Meeting time -- 11:00 a.m.
Oil sands Tar sandstone from California, USA. Oil sands, tar sands or, more technically, bituminous sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. Oil sands reserves have only recently[when?] been considered to be part of the world's oil reserves, as higher oil prices and new technology enable profitable extraction and processing. Oil produced from bitumen sands is often referred to as unconventional oil or crude bitumen, to distinguish it from liquid hydrocarbons produced from traditional oil wells. The crude bitumen contained in the Canadian oil sands is described by the National Energy Board of Canada as A highly viscous mixture of hydrocarbons heavier than pentanes which, in its natural state, is not usually recoverable at a commercial rate through a well because it is too thick to flow.[5] Making liquid fuels from oil sands requires energy for steam injection and refining. History[edit] The name tar sands was applied to bituminous sands in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Pipeline session looks to Montana LINCOLN — Up in Montana three years ago, state regulators ordered a major rerouting of a $260 million, high-voltage electrical transmission line so farmers wouldn't have to dodge power poles as they cultivated their crops. The state-ordered detours for the proposed Alberta-Montana Tie Line have caused at least a one-year delay in the project and added 10 miles to the line and $10 million in costs. While detractors say the decision has simply created a whole new set of unhappy landowners, supporters say Montana's law gives the state a voice in multimillion-dollar projects that cross the state and can result in major alterations to their location. A lot of eyes in Nebraska are on Montana and its Major Facilities Siting Act right now. Nebraska legislators will begin a special session Tuesday in search of a legal and constitutional way to reroute the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline around the state's ecologically sensitive Sand Hills. State Sen. One key lawmaker, Sen. Omaha Sen.
UBS Equities Bosses Resign Over Trader Scandal By SwissInfo The co-heads of UBS Global Equities division have resigned in the wake of the rogue trader scandal that cost the bank $2.3 billion (SFr2.01 billion). UBS said in a statement on Wednesday that Carsten Kengeter, ceo of UBS Investment Bank, had accepted the resignations of François Gouws and Yassine Bouhara following the recent unauthorised trading incident. “Their resignations come as they assume overall responsibility for the effective management of the equities business,” UBS said. The bank said it would also take “appropriate disciplinary action” against other individuals in the equities business as a result of the scandal. The man accused of making the unauthorised trades worked on an equities desk in the bank’s London offices. UBS said Mike Stewart, who joined the bank in July from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, had been appointed head of Global Equities. About the author: SwissInfo swissinfo is an enterprise of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).
Join Us This Fall ! | OttawaAction.ca Hundreds gathered on Parliament Hill to say ‘No to Tar Sands’ (Ottawa) – On September 26, hundreds of people from across North America gathered on Parliament Hill for a rally followed by a mass civil disobedience sit-in. Participants responded to a call to action for a large peaceful protest where many risked arrest to tell the Harper government they don’t support his reckless agenda and urge him to turn away from the tar sands and build a green energy future that promotes climate justice, respects Indigenous rights and prioritizes the health of our environment and communities. “It is morally justifiable to risk arrest if you see and witness a crime occurring or about to occur. We are saying the tar sands industry is unlawful. We need to stop it before the damage is done. More than 200 people risked arrest on Parliament Hill in the largest climate-related civil disobedience action in Canadian history. Learn more about the Ottawa Action Sunday September 25 Monday September 26 Sincerely,
Will other states follow Nebraska’s lead in fighting Keystone XL? Nebraskan protesters outside the state capitol.Photo: Mitch PaineThe Keystone XL pipeline will cross six states: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Opposition has been fiercest in Nebraska, whether because of a desire to protect the Ogallala Aquifer and Sand Hills or because of tremendous organizing by Jane Kleeb and Bold Nebraska (or both). Gov. Dave Heineman (R) has called a special session of the state legislature, beginning Nov. 1, presumably to regulate safety or, if possible, route the pipeline out of Nebraska entirely. The red state populist rebellion is now spreading beyond Nebraska. Now, South Dakota’s Gov. Daugaard spokesman Tony Venhuizen said offering similar protections for South Dakota is only fair. What’s going on in the remaining four states? Montana, as the United States inlet for Keystone XL, will benefit from the pipe: Eastern Montana’s oil transport costs will be reduced.