Tar sands strife - Trinidad and Tobago style

By Renata D’Aliesio 02-12-2009 Inside Alberta Politics
http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/insidealberta/archive/2009/02/13/tar-sands-strife-trinidad-and-tobago-style.aspx

As the Stelmach government touts its new oilsands strategy, the "Canadian model of extraction from the Alberta tar-sands" doesn't seem to be going over very well with some folks in the Caribbean.

Here's some bits from a story in Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday.

Energy Minister Conrad Enill is seeking new sources of crude oil from tar-sands in an effort to maintain this country’s oil revenues in light of sustained low oil prices.

However, while Enill said Trinidad and Tobago was trying to follow the Canadian model of extraction from the Alberta tar-sands, reports are that this source is being opposed by environmentalists who say the extraction involves an unacceptably large amount of energy and leaves a large carbon footprint.

The extraction of oil from tar-sands involves a greater financial cost and does more harm to the environment than pumping out traditional crude oil, with some reports saying that separating the oil out of the sand generates three times as much of the greenhouse gas, carbon-dioxide, than pumping out conventional oil.

In light of the fact that the US Congress last year passed a law - Section 526 of the Energy Independence And Security Act -banning US federal agencies using oil from tar-sands, and speculation that Obama administration could impose a national ban on this "dirty fuel", Newsday asked Enill if anyone would actually buy the tar-sand oil from Trinidad and Tobago.

Enill replied that the licence would allow Petrotrin to do a study to find out the answers to these questions, including identifying suitable technology to address the environmental question, and to cost the project.

"On that basis we will determine whether it makes sense. Well, the study we are doing suggests there is an opportunity, there is a requirement and a need for it, and certainly what we would want to do is to understand these issues before we make the investment decision."