Climate change takes U.S. center stage 11/25/2007
Consultant: Climate change, energy security concerns setting the agenda for U.S. government energy policy; could favor NS gas line
There was a time not too long ago when the forces that guided what passed for a U.S. energy policy in the corridors of Washington, D.C., could be summed up as a three-statement mantra: maximize supply...

Canada lags behind emissions target 11/25/2007
The Canadian government will fall far short of its own 2020 target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from 2006 levels, the government's own energy regulator predicts. Even with bold m...

Energy board: Jury out on oil sands 11/25/2007
Beset from all sides, sector production scaled back by 200,000 barrels per day by 2015; despite costs and regulatory burdens
It is one of those wake-up calls that come in the middle of a disturbed sleep. You're not sure whether it is real or imagined. But the message is clear enough, spelled out in temperate language by one...

Alberta oil sands, water in conflict 11/18/2007
New study reports high levels of carcinogens, toxic substances in fish, water and sediment downstream from projects
In the words of Mark Twain: Whisky is for drinking. Water is for fighting over. Some might consider posting that quip in large letters over 90,000 acres of what was once forest and wetlands and is now...

30 STRONG: Engineering ingenuity pays off 10/14/2007
EOR techniques developed over three decades succeed beyond developers' wildest dreams
Getting more oil out of the ground is a technical challenge that teams of engineers tackled from Day 1 on the North Slope. More than 30 years later, the brainstorming that produced and perfected a se...

Deep Panuke edges closer to go-ahead 10/14/2007
Defying the odds and the doubters, Nova Scotia's offshore Deep Panuke natural gas scheme keeps plodding its way to a go-ahead decision by operator EnCana. Almost four years after being pulled from the...

Alberta leader wants calm 10/14/2007
Stelmach: formal royalty, tax talks 'over,' but ministers meet privately with investors
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has urged all sides to "just calm down" as a parade of industry heavyweights has issued dire warnings about the consequences of implementing a proposed wholesale change in...

High-stakes clash looms 09/30/2007
Former Alberta premier's chilling prediction; test of wills could undermine key U.S. source
He doesn't always spread a welcome message these days among Canada's oil patch leaders, but ignoring him is not an option. Peter Lougheed led the beginnings of an Alberta political dynasty as the prov...

(Mushroom?) cloud over oil sands 09/30/2007
Private company's plan for Alberta nuclear plant faces long road; industry watches from sidelines, despite need for alternative power
As the Alberta oil sands swing from mining to in-situ operations - only three of the next 14 projects will rely on mining to extract raw bitumen - so does the hunger for natural gas to generate the st...

Look up ... way up 09/09/2007
Nexen, OPTI JV in labor crunch at Long Lake oil sands project; forced to delay startups, hike costs by another 10-15 percent
Canadian independent Nexen and technology innovator OPTI Canada are close to finding an answer to a question that has bedeviled civilization: How high is up? The joint partners in the Long Lake oil sa...

Mac critics 'inflate' numbers 09/09/2007
Environmental and social activists are seeking a replay of the late 1970s, by calling for a moratorium on pipelines out of the Canadian Arctic until the long-term impacts are known. They made their ca...

Alberta faces nuclear test case 09/02/2007
Privately held company files regulatory application for province's 1st reactor; expects 10 years of public, regulatory hearings
Privately held Energy Alberta has brought the nuclear debate in Alberta to a head by filing an application to build twin reactors in northwestern Alberta at an estimated cost of C$6.2 billion to gener...

Canadian leaders split over greenhouse gas emissions 08/19/2007
The leaders of Canada's 10 provinces and three territories ended a three-day conference deeply divided over attempts to set absolute reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and start a national carbon-...

Engineering ingenuity returns big payoff 08/19/2007
Prudhoe Bay teams develop enhanced oil recovery techniques over three decades that succeed beyond their wildest dreams
Getting more oil out of the ground is a technical challenge that teams of engineers tackled from Day 1 on the North Slope. More than 30 years later, the brainstorming that produced and perfected a se...

Begging to differ on oil sands 08/05/2007
An Alberta government multistakeholder committee assigned to chart a course for oil sands development achieved consensus on 96 of its 120 recommendations. But where there was disagreement it was deep,...

Denali funds Yukon River hydropower 08/05/2007
Alaska Power Co. has announced that the Denali Commission has awarded a $1.6 million grant to support the company's planned 100-kilowatt "hydrokinetic" turbine power plant in the Yukon River, to suppl...

Getting serious about clean energy 07/29/2007
British Columbia wants zero greenhouse gas emissions from power plants; no flaring in oil and gas fields; energy conservation
It's abundantly clear where British Columbia's government, led by Premier Gordon Campbell, stands when it comes to clean energy. "We have always been vigilant about the environment and look after it m...

Canada offers C$1.5B in biofuels incentives 07/22/2007
The Canadian government is offering C$1.5 billion over nine years to producers of renewable alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuel, ignoring the latest warnings that biofuels are transforming agricu...

China quits sands pipeline in a huff 07/22/2007
Abandons role in plans to ship Alberta oil sands production to Chinese refineries, accuses Canadian government, producers of blocking Chinese access to markets; Enbridge says discussions continue with possible California, Asian buyers
In a scathing public attack on the Canadian government, China's giant oil company abandoned its role in plans to ship Alberta oil sands production to Chinese refineries. China National Petroleum Corp....

Pain could soon follow gain for trusts 07/01/2007
Gross revenues, cash flows from operations and total assets were all inflated in Canada's energy industry last year and they might be needed to cushion some bumps that lie ahead, warns Pricewaterhouse...

The Chinese are coming 07/01/2007
State-owned CNPC makes first independent entry into oil sands, disclosing 'very small' acquisition of leases, says commercial operation long way off
China's state-owned energy stable has quietly added more oil sands assets to its breeding stock. China National Petroleum Corp. disclosed June 21 that it scooped up 67 square miles of leases containin...

Sands top enviro hit list 06/24/2007
International environmentalists, think tanks put Alberta oil sands in cross-hairs
At the same time the Alberta oil sands are gaining attention from global investors they are also becoming a target for international environmental groups troubled by the consequences of developing wha...

Quebec imposes continent's first carbon tax 06/17/2007
Quebec will lead the way as the first North American jurisdiction to impose a carbon tax on hydrocarbon producers, raising C$200 million a year to support measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ...

Canada offers climate change strategy 06/10/2007
Canada will not meet its Kyoto targets to lower greenhouse gas emissions because of 10 years of inaction by the former Liberal government, but its new environmental legislation could serve as a templa...

Plea for visionary 06/10/2007
Canadian government urged to lead way in tackling greenhouse gas emissions
The Canadian government should take the lead role in crafting an energy vision that integrates the social, economic, environmental and energy goals shared by Canadians that promote energy development...