Wednesday, April 10, 2019

What Planet Are These People From?


The Edmonton Journal warns that Albertans are itching to separate from Canada if they don't get full access to British Columbia's coastal waters.

A recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute found that 50 per cent of Albertans would support secession from Canada.

United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney now pledges aggressive measures to counteract anti-oilsands, anti-pipeline federal policy. Such a resolute approach is needed, Kenney said. “If a reasonable leader doesn’t take us in that direction then an irresponsible leader will take us in the direction of separation.”
The most recent trigger is a little known bill, C-48. It would fulfill a Trudeau campaign promise and see Alberta crude oil banned from being tankered out from a key commercial shipping lane in Canada, the first time any oil product has faced such discriminatory treatment. If the ban goes ahead, it will be perfectly OK to tanker American, Saudi, Algerian or Norwegian oil into Quebec or New Brunswick, and to tanker Newfoundland oil for export, but not Alberta oilsands crude out of the major ports on the northwest B.C. coast. 
The move will cripple oilsands exports to Asia. It’s also unnecessary. Marine experts have repeatedly told the Senate that new double-hull tankers and tug boat guardian ships can safely move the oil out to sea.
Even Alberta newspapers ignore the truth. What they want to move is not oil. It's not crude oil. It is diluted bitumen, dilbit, a highly toxic, high-carbon sludge that causes severe and persistent environmental catastrophe whenever and wherever it has been leaked.

All this whinging about "discriminatory treatment" is pure sophistry, utter bullshit. And they grossly understate the threat by making outlandish claims about the invincibility of double-hull tankers. Then again you don't expect predators to be honest, do you?
In May of [2010], the double-hulled tanker Bunga Kelana 3 spilled 2.9 million litres of crude into the waters off Singapore after being struck by a freighter.

Last January, the double-hulled tanker Eagle Otome spilled 1.7 million litres of crude oil at Port Arthur, Texas after a collision with a barge.

In 1992, the double-hulled carrier Aegean Sea broke apart after running aground and spilled 76 million litres of crude into the ocean off of northern Spain.

‘Not a panacea’: European study 
While double-hulled tanker designs have no doubt increased the safety of marine traffic, they have by no means eliminated the risk. A 2005 report by the European Maritime Safety Agency warned: “The introduction of the double-hulled tanker would not be the panacea for prevention of future pollution from tankers at sea.” 
The authors conclude that in most cases double-hulled vessels are safer, however they also raised a number of concerns, including:

1. Accelerated structural corrosion in water ballast and in cargo tanks
2. The lack of mandatory provisions relating to coatings for cargo and ballast tanks
3. Fatigue
4. A demanding and difficult maintenance regime which, if not properly observed, could lead to structural deterioration
5. Lack of mandatory and harmonized procedures for monitoring workmanship and standards of construction during the vessel construction and repair

The panel also cautioned that many of the vessels are nearing 20 years old, and corrosion and metal fatigue between the hulls could be concealed from view unless the vessel owners invest in rigorous monitoring. 
Most commercial vessels are registered with nations with comparatively laxshipping regulations, and fully 40 per cent of the world’s gross shipping tonnage are conveniently flagged to just three nations: Liberia, Panama and the Marshall Islands. 
Nightmare scenario in Vancouver’s port 
So what could happen if a double-hulled tanker went aground in Second Narrows? At 240 metres, Aframax tankers are twice as long as the Second Narrows channel is wide. A worst-case scenario might involve the bow of a tanker running aground on one side of the channel and the stern being carried by the ship’s momentum to ground on the other side. 
As the tide falls, the fully loaded ship is supported by only bow and stern. Not designed for such stresses, the hull ruptures, spilling crude oil on a five-knot tidal current out into English Bay and the Strait of Georgia. 
Under such conditions, there would be little hope of quickly containing the oil with floating booms, or maneuvering another vessel alongside to pump out the grounded tanker.
Notley plays the same devious game:
Reasonable safety measures can and must be taken, Notley assured her, but fairness demands we must not target a particular product with standards that are way out of whack compared to our standards for moving other products.
"Other products" don't pose the same risk. Notley knows the difference between bitumen and crude oil. She simply doesn't want to admit it. They are held to different standards because they are different products.

Separate? Be my guest. Just leave us out of your lunacy.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

No doubt there is some anger in Alberta. However, it is misplaced. Trudeau has actually tried to do more for Alberta than Harper ever did. He doesn't control the price of oil or "Western Canadian Select". (Actually, Notley did appear to help WCS out with her market intervention. Take that, UCP free-marketers!)

But then, of course, that Angus Reid poll was yet another useless on-line poll. They keep putting in their methodology this disclaimer. "For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size with this sample frame would carry a margin of error of +/-2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20." But, there is no comparison because it is NOT a random probability sample and does not have a margin of error.

Gawd ... it seems like Nanos is the only one left out there that actually does any potentially useful polling.

UU

Purple library guy said...

It's a moronic idea even from their perspective. Like, what they want has nothing to do with what the Quebecois call being "maitres chez nous". Alberta controls Alberta pretty solidly--sure, they're in a snit about carbon taxes, but it's a minor irritant. What they want is for the Federal government, the Supreme court, and the BC government all to do what they tell them to. Currently, they've got quite a lot of influence federally, and the feds have been pretty much neutralizing the BC government for them. They don't have the Supremes, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

So say they separate. Boom! They're toast. At that point why should anyone from Canada let their pipelines through, or let tankers despoil our waters for their benefit, or do anything else they might want? It's idiotic.

zoombats said...

I will never forget when we were the "eastern bums"or when we had a big love in to support their beef during the mad cow scare. Separate? They better hope they stay in a boom not bust economy or they will be toast. Let them eat bitumen!

Anonymous said...

I've been examining maps today. I believe an all-weather highway and train tracks could be routed over Northern Alberta.

So far as I'm concerned that group of whining self-entitled bunch of navel-gazing arseholes can mutter into their own cups. Everyone's fed up with Alberta except themselves who feel just fine telling everyone else what to do. Why ruin just your own land when you can browbeat your neighbours into ruining their land too?

Alton Gas, an Aberta company, has jimmied Nova Scotia into approving a scheme to jet-wash out an underground salt dome to store natural gas. The resulting brine, get this, is to be pumped into the local FRESHwater river, one of the few remaining spawning grounds of the true salmon which doesn't commit suicide when reproducing. What could possibly go wrong? Well, First Nations protesters were arrested today by fat out-of-shape heavily-armed RCMP for disobeying some white judge's injunction to stay away. Three women. Justin at work. Video cameras to capture the likenesses of people who flout the "law" to blackmail them later.

BM

rg said...

in 100 years there has never been a way found to clean up ordinary crude oil spills on land or water let alone dilshit.b.c. and the rest of Canada needs to start a daily campaign demanding scientific proof from multiple sources that there is a way to clean up Albertas crap. there is no need for anyone to listen to lies daily without an opposing view. only when the voice of truth becomes as loud as the voice of lies can we start talking about any subject.
a final nailing the coffin would be to demand that Alberta show all the signed agreements to purchase oil shipped from the west coast. today 95% is sent to western u.s. ports that could be shipped by expanded pipelines south.

JasonS said...

200+ billion to clean up the tar sands mess and only 1.5 billion fund by industry. Hopefully they secede before the "industry" fully implodes leaving all of Canada to foot the bill ... you know because Alberta cann't manage their own affairs worth squat.

the salamander said...

.. I find Andrew Leach at U of Calgary a very useful source of knowledge.. he knows the big picture as well as the macro.. of the hydrocarbon industry. One question I would ask him is what stopped Alberta from developing bitumin refining capability.. and also, what prevented expansion of dilbit transport via pipeline - due south.

There are so many known facts about Alberta dilbit.. and an equal number of fallacies, fantasies and sheer nonsense. I won't get into it here.. re 'Alberta oil'.. which is not dilbit.. nor the fact that dilbit is not 'Alberta oil'. Its a hybrid slurry, high in sulphur content, of approx 30% diluent and 70% granular bitumin. The refined diluent is actually the more valuable component by volume.. such that WCS - Western Canada Select (dilbit) is priced, in part based on the recovery of the diluent.

I've mentioned or asked in the past.. what happens when Venezuelan dilbit of higher quality from their larger tar sands deposits starts arriving on The US Gulf Coast for upgrading, refining and/or transport in huge supertankers than can load/unload simultaneously in deepwater ports. They carry twice what supertankers out of Burnaby can exit 2nd Narrows with.. and deliver faster and at lower cost.. What then Alberta ?

Alberta has evolved around buried hydrocarbons.. in fact lived high off the hog since long before I arrived in Swan Hiils, 1969 and was bulldozing lots up there in the clay muck for oil executives custom homes. If Alberta sees a savior in Jason Kenney et al or their other carperbagger guests such as Stephen Harper & Ray Novak.. Tom Flanagan, Ken Boessenkool.. or strident partisans a la Licia Corbella, Lorne Gunter etc.. well, it may be the most bitter mistake they make since letting Alison Redford stagger in and out of being Premier.

The 'Right' united by Kenney is a collective disaster for Alberta and Canada.. BC needs to tune them out and look after their own backyard.. which is already falling prey to the lure of easy money with resulting pollution & habitat destruction via fracking & LNG exports.. why royalties for BC LNG are microscopic or just given away is another good question for Andrew Leach or David Climenhaga. We might also inquire re proposed water diversion to the USA via Site C - the vaunted 'past the point of no return' dam and The Christy Clark Memorial Lake.
Regardless, any level of useful remediation re tar sands, tailings ponds, fracking and its toxic conversion of freshwater to toxic waste ponds is pure economic fantasy. When I see Boat Harbour NS remediation of its toxic estuary (which exits into Northumberland Strait's prime lobster grounds) has happened & its pulp mill based town and economy rescued.. I may believe Canada and its provincial governments have a chance to regain their senses at least partially.

Do I think the buffalo will roam ? No. Nor the caribou. Do I believe shellfish or tourism or First Nations will return to fish in Boat Harbour? No. Do I believe the Southern Resident Orca can survive on diseased farmed salmon ? No.. We are now in Disaster Mode due to Climate Change.. and Alberta thinks Jason Kenney has good people and good ideas re Medicine, Education, Social Issues, Pipelines, or Equalization (that he helped draft with Harper ?)


rumleyfips said...

Since Alberta's economy is being retarded by Ottawa and since Alberta shares a border with the US , its obvious that a pipeline is carrying Alberta asphaultum south as we speak. Its easy to bypass regulators and get a pipeline ( lets call it Keystone ) built in America.

Anonymous said...

One of the lesser people running for the Premiership has said he will run a pipeline from Alberta to Alaska...some people on this comment board think they are smarter it seems. But then people steal other people's ideas all the time. Do I think this is a wonderful idea? No! I don't. It is still bitumen being transported over land. And one more thing I have refrained from saying...so I will remain anonymous. Southern Albert's population is mostly German. All those prisoners of war returning after imprisoned here during the war returned. They changed the spelling of their name a bit and now they are practicing their very far-far right German attitudes. And of course the Canadian Government provide much tax payers money to set any German who immigrated to this country with money to begin all over again. They won't be told anything about Climate Change at all so they are prepared to separate and do not like change at all even though this is 2019. So do tell, will they be better off? Not on your life. From repealing overtime pay, to cutting 25% of the healthcare budget, to a $30 million war room to counter so-called ‘foreign-funded environmentalists,’ to tying funding for Indigenous nations to their stance on energy projects, to cutting the minimum wage for young workers, to outing gay kids in schools, to cutting corporate and high-income tax rates, to opening Crown land up for sale to private industry, to setting the stage for right-to-work laws, none of it looks good.
When this election started, people were speaking of it as a coronation for Kenney because of the merger between the Progressive Conservatives and the Wild Rose Party. And while the UCP has maintained a lead, many recent polls are showing it at only 5-10%. Plus, many recent elections have taught us to take polling predictions with a whole shaker of salt. I have no one else but Notley to vote for and that is who I am voting for. At least she can change her mind about Albertan oil after she is in. She is providing much of the Carbon Tax money now on alternative energy. In Southern Alberta near the US boarder there is a huge solar farm. Actually, Notley has closed the lead on Jason Kenney. If he wins, we are all in peril. The other Cons who are already in power or are hopeful like Scheer, will be looking to Jason Kenney as their mentor. I do not want that man to win. So...you people the much lesser of two evils is Notley. xxxxx

Anonymous said...

Do not think