Gas prices are rising once again. As usual we are given excuses like Iran, supply and demand. What they don't talk about much is the Keystone Pipeline.

They ( read Republicans ) have cleverly diverted attention to contraception, and the Catholic Church.   Never mind that they are plotting with Big Oil, to reopen the Keystone Pipeline project!

The Keystone Pipeline, that darling project of Big Oil and their stooges in Congress.  The pipeline that would bring filthy tar sands oil, from Canada across our own environmentally sensitive areas.   The same pipeline that was vetoed by President Obama.   The one that Obama only vetoed, after much pressure from environmental groups!  The one that Speaker John Boehner, and his cohorts have made a number one priority!

The Athabasca Tar Sands were discovered as early as the 1700's. The Native Peoples there used the bitumen, to seal their canoes. But development did not start until the late sixties. Big Oil has wanted to develop the oil sands of the far north for some time, but every time they have been defeated by Environmental groups. Also the high cost of extracting this oil, has also kept it from further development. Finally the Canadian government gave in to Big Oil and ignored the environmental risks involved in developing the vast tar sand areas of the Canadian Arctic. They ignored the fact that just to process those tar sands takes vast amounts of energy itself!

From Wikipedia---( cut and pasted here )

“The standard extraction process requires huge amounts of natural gas. Currently, the oil sands industry uses about 4% of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin natural gas production. By 2015, this may increase 2.5 fold.

According to the National Energy Board, it requires about 1,200 cubic feet (34 m³) of natural gas to produce one barrel of bitumen from in situ projects and about 700 cubic feet (20 m³) for integrated projects.

Since a barrel of oil equvalent is about 6,000 cubic feet (170 m³) of gas, this represents a large gain in energy. That being the case, it is likely that Alberta regulators will reduce exports of natural gas to the United States in order to provide fuel to the oil sands plants. As gas reserves are exhausted, however, oil upgraders will probably turn to bitumen gasification to generate their own fuel. In much the same way the bitumen can be converted into synthetic crude oil, it can also be converted into synthetic natural gas.”

Besides the energy required to extract the oil. The process is a dirty one! First of all, the sands are mined in open pits destroying the natural environment.   Once the oil is extracted from the sands, what is left is a open wound in the landscape which will take decades to heal, perhaps never.  Slurry ponds are also created, to hold the toxic sludge that is the byproduct of the process.

 A satellite view of the Athabasca Oil Sands area, from miles up shows the scope of the damage done!  This is only a fraction, of the area they want to develop.

The Canadian government requires that the land be reclaimed after extraction. What they don't require is that it be restored exactly as it was before.  The native boreal forest and muskeg is not restored, instead only pasture lands, for grazing are left.  That is fine for buffalo and cattle, but what about the other dislocated fauna, and the trees that help remove CO2 from the atmosphere!

Along with the huge amounts of natural gas required to extract the bitumen from the sands, large amounts of water are also needed. Once again quoting Wikipedia, on the tar sands.

“A Pembina Institute report stated "To produce one cubic metre (m³) of synthetic crude oil (SCO) (upgraded bitumen) in a mining operation requires about 2–4.5 m³ of water (net figures). Approved oil sands mining operations are currently licensed to divert 359 million m³ from the Athabasca River, or more than twice the volume of water required to meet the annual municipal needs of the City of Calgary."

Bio Oil is counting on these tar sands, they have invested billions of dollars! They have no intention of backing down, on this project.  The Petroleum Institute which regularly airs commercials on national TV touting the economic advantages of developing oil and gas resources, recently added “ Developing Canadian Oil Sands” to their litany of energy sources they deem important for the economy.

So why are gas prices rising? It should be very obvious to anyone with a brain in their head, but little is mentioned about it.  People are purposely left ignorant.  Big Oil and the Republicans, are holding us hostage for Keystone!

People really need to do some research, on why oil prices fluctuate the way they do. It's all about holding us hostage to their desires, to make big bucks!  Nothing more.