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Showing posts from 2016

Can we TRUMP The Status Quo?

By: Mark Scholz Published: Oilfield Pulse        As 2017 approaches, the Canadian oil and gas industry is part of the national conversation like few times in our history. Our responsible, ethical, world leading industry is at risk of being permanently damaged by an orchestrated attack from radical environmentalists. Over the past decade, millions of dollars have been spent by well-organized, media savvy ENGOs to position Canada's oil sands in popular culture as the focal point of climate change, dirty oil, and corporate greed. They have managed to place several of their key representatives, such as Tzeporah Berman and Gregor Robertson, in important government roles in Western Canada and are now using taxpayer dollars, in addition to their considerable private funding, to drag the Canadian energy industry through the mud in front of the world.       Ironically, at the same time, Canada's oil and gas industry continues to lead the world in responsible and ethical production.

National Suicide

By: Darrell Stonehouse, Editor Published: Oilweek - JWNENERGY              T he election of Donald Trump as the U.S. president has a lot of Canadians smugly looking down on our neighbours to the south, believing they have made a grave error in judgment.       But rather than wallowing in arrogant condescension, Canadians should be taking a sober look at what Trump's election means for Canada's economy because if the new president carries through on his stated plans, we could be in big trouble.       The Canadian economy is already uncompetitive versus the U.S. Labour productivity statistics bear this out. For every hour of work in 2012, the U.S. produced $52 of value, compared with $42 of value for Canada.       Trump, if he walks the walk and isn't just another politician, is set to further roll back the regulatory state and taxation rates that act as a brake on productivity growth. He is set to cut federal corporate tax rates from 35 per cent to 15 per cent, free

Here Comes Trudeau's Carbon Cops

By: Jordan Bateman Taxpayes Federation Published: Fort Nelson News            Justin Trudeau's climate change plan just keeps getting worse for Canadians.     It's bad enough that he is forcing British Columbia to hike its carbon tax by 60 percent, while the rest of the world rejects the idea. Reliably Democrat-loving Washington State voted down a carbon tax last month and US president-elect Donald Trump has already ruled out a national tax. Australia and France have scrapped their carbon taxes. We're boldly going where no one else is bothering -- all to address our miniscule, 1.65 percent share of global carbon emissions.     Now Trudeau is bragging about the bureaucracy his plan will beget. The government plans to unleash thousands of carbon cops across Canada. Buried in a 209-page document of environmental red tape to be discussed by Trudeau and the provincial premiers this weekend are a dozen words that will cost taxpayers millions: "Compliance and enforceme

“HUBRIS” A Hard Look At Climate Change

Preface Imagine a movement so bent on achieving its political objectives that it is willing to corrupt science to meet them. Imagine governments around the globe, first adopting and then promoting this official science for more than two generations. Imagine that they are willing to use their regulatory power to implement a massive program of social engineering in order to “save” the planet. Imagine the United Nations leading this movement and insisting that a global effort is required. Imagine the movement’s leaders believing that people around the globe must change their eating, heating, cooling, lighting, toilet, transportation, manufacturing, entertainment, even housing habits and reject values that are critical to their prosperity, happiness, and welfare, confident that humans can adapt and revert to simpler, more primitive, more local lifestyles, have fewer children, and embrace lives presumed to be more in harmony with nature. Imagine thousands of scientists engaged at

Mayor's Letter to BC Citizens

"USA stops importing Canadian oil and gas" Dear British Columbia Citizens, That is not a current headline but it could be. What would happen to our economy if it was? I would like to talk to you about energy, pipelines and our natural resources. I am a mum and a grandma and I have lived in the north all my life. I am also the Mayor of Fort St. John --- right smack in the middle of one of the world's largest supplies of oil and gas. I live in a region surrounded by pipelines, wells, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) sites and canola and wheat fields. I have eaten the food we grow here and I drink our water. I understand what it takes to extract our natural resources and what it takes to protect our environment. I live it. I don't want to try to convince you of anything but I would like to share with you what I know to be true. I strongly encourage you to do some of your own research. Learn more than what you read in a tweet or a Facebook post. I have added some

Fewer Seismic Firms Could Taint Recovery: Executives

By: James Mahony Published: Daily Oil Bulletin While raising few problems in the current downturn, a dwindling stable of Alberta seismic firms could pose problems later, when a recovery starts to take shape, seismic industry leaders said recently. For seismic acquisition firms in particular, activity in Western Canada has been at a low ebb for the past two years, three, according to some executives. When oil and gas producers once again turn to exploration, as they likely will, the fear is that the ensuing rush will overwhelm the few surviving firms, leaving many producers hanging. “Our initial [concern] is that there won’t be enough [acquisition contractors] left to put out the number of crews that could be required,” said Mike Doyle , head of the Canadian Association of Geophysical Contractors (CAGC). While the market will eventually catch up, a key question is just how long that will take, he said. Doyle estimated that in 2002, Alberta had about 20 seismic acquisition comp

2016 State of the Climate Report

By: Marc Morano Publisher: ClimateDepot Introduction : CO2 is not the tail that wags the dog. CO2 is a trace essential gas, but without it life on earth would be impossible. Carbon dioxide fertilizes algae, trees, and crops to provide food for humans and animals. We inhale oxygen and exhale CO2. Slightly higher atmospheric CO2 levels cannot possibly supplant the numerous complex and inter-connected forces that have always determined Earth’s climate.  As University of London professor emeritus Philip Stott has noted: “The fundamental point has always been this. Climate change is governed by hundreds of factors, or variables, and the very idea that we can manage climate change predictably by understanding and manipulating at the margins one politically selected factor (CO2) is as misguided as it gets.” “It’s scientific nonsense,” Stott added.  Even the global warming activists at RealClimate.org acknowledged this in a September 20, 2008, article, stating, “The actual temperatur

Restarting The Conversation And Finding A Balance On Energy And Carbon In Canada

By: Carter Haydu Published: Daily Oil Bulletin Communities are not “particularly exercised” over the climate change impacts of pipelines, gas-fired power plants or natural gas developments so much as they are concerned about the local impacts of these developments. Therefore, says the Canadian Gas Association ’s former president and chief executive officer, industry should address local concerns, providing practical assurances to help “restart the conversation” around energy developments. “The climate activist community that makes such an effective use of Canada’s reputation as a climate shirker has the interest of conflating the risk of local effects with the climate consequences of energy development,” Michael Cleland told last week’s Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) Industry Insights Luncheon “That is why I argue it is in Canada’s interests to shift the narrative by acting more forcibly and visibly on carbon.” He added: “At the same time we need to revisit

WE WILL SURVIVE

By: Steve Chapman M.Sc. - Change Management Specialist/MOYO Inc. Published: Oilfield Pulse     Albertans are resilient. We survive. This is not our first downturn in the market. It's not our first crisis. It's not the first time oil prices have fallen. It's not even the second or third time. I well remember in 2001 as oil plummeted to under $15 a barrel and ALL my clients were oil and gas. I remember the sinking feeling as my monthly consulting revenue fell from $150,000 to less than $40,000 in 45 days,  and suddenly, I was losing $60K a month by staying in business.      It is also not our first time we have seen government spending outside their means by bringing in questionable fiscal practices and mismanaging what seems to be basic business practices. We have seen inexperienced MLAs making poor decisions.      Albertans do not have much experience however with our government seemingly abandoning us in our time of need. Sure, we have history of making sweeping chang

ENEMY OF BUSINESS The Policies of the NDP

By: Holly Nicholas - M.SC. Candidate, GEO.I.T. Petrologist Consultant Published: Oilfield Pulse        It's a rare occurrence to find an Albertan who will admit they voted for Rachel Notley and the NDP these days. When you do stumble across that uncommon entity, their reasoning is usually along the lines of wanting change. At this point, I'd be willing to bet the majority of Albertans would take the previous Progressive Conservative government back in a heartbeat if they had a choice. Out of all the hope and change that was promised, not one single NDP policy has been effective in alleviating any of the pertinent issues the province and Albertans face. Among the worst decisions for business were raising the corporate tax, the promise of a royalty review, and the implementation of the carbon tax coming January 1st, 2017. However you look at it, the NDP strategy is counter intuitive to basic economics.       Oil prices are low, but business investments are not attracted by

MORE CANADA NOT MORE CARBON TAX

By: Mike Binnion - President & CEO Questerre Energy Published: Oilfield Pulse      The 20th century famously was going to belong to Canada, according to Sir Wilfred Laurier. It didn't quite turn out that way. Canada turned out to be the reliable junior partner to Britain, then America and often the international community. Through two world wars and international peace keeping, we showed that Canada can be trusted to punch above our weight and do the right thing. Canadians have a lot to be proud of and deserve our amiable international reputation.      We can afford to be generous. Canada is blessed to be the second largest country in the world with a relatively small population. We have more resources that the world's largest economies need, than we could ever hope to use ourselves. Even better, we have the enormous geopolitical advantage of both, having the shortest trade routes to the world's largest economies and being one tof the world's most trusted partne

Stop protesting and be thankful

Stop protesting and be thankful: cheap energy has brought us pretty much everything, including the capacity for green energy By: Terry Etam Published: Fort Nelson News It's Thanksgiving season in Canada, and soon in the US, and it's time to show some gratitude. It's time to reflect on how we live, all the things we are able to do, and how that all happens. This isn't just about energy, it's about effort and building and creating. And it's about recognizing that we owe respect to those that provide so much of what we take for granted.      Examples are not hard to find, both economic and not. Someone somewhere spends his time writing a song that may lift the mood of millions, but no one says hey thanks for doing that. Some lonely farmer pounds around the field and produces enough grain to feed a small town, but no one says thanks when they buy the lentils. Some solitary operator does his rounds checking on gas wells to make sure they are running, and indir

We need to rework a timeless proverb

By: Bill Whitelaw // President and CEO at JuneWarren-Nickle's Energy Group. Troy Media Published: Fort Nelson News To bring the devastation in Canada's oil and gas sector into sharp focus Calgary - An old proverb makes connections where they seemingly don't exist to show that all actions have consequences, often unintended.          It starts with the loss of a single nail that affixed an iron shoe to a horse's hoof. The linking narrative builds from there.          Most often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the proverb offers simple homespun logic, building to a powerful conclusion.              For want of a nail the shoe was lost              For want of a shoe the horse was lost              For want of a horse the rider was lost              For want of a rider the message was lost              For want of a message the battle was lost              For want of a battle the kingdom was lost              And all for the want of a horsesho

The 'social licence' myth

By: Goldy Hyder Published: National Post What we are actually talking about is social acceptance a far more ambiguous concept. The term "social licence" is fast becoming one of those ubiquitous expressions that everyone uses, but nobody understands. To some, social licence is a shield used to defend the public interest. To others, it is a sword used to strike down specific infrastructure projects or other industrial developments. The federal government recently added its own definition to the mix: "Social licence is about ensuring public confidence in the decision-making for major resource projects." Having considered the matter for some time, I have come to believe that the confusion stems from the fact that social licence is actually a myth or, at the very least, a gross misnomer. Using the word "licence" in relation to projects requiring government approval falsely suggests that there exists some type of formal certificate or other legally bindin

An argument for clean fossil fuel investment

By: Darrell Stonehouse/Editor Published: Oilweek- October Issue        R eplace fossil fuels with renewables like wind and solar. Almost years after the Kyoto Protocal first attempted to tie countries around the world to greenhouse gas reductions, this argument remains the only scenario that global green groups can come up with to stem the flow of emissions into the atmosphere.         Yet despite almost a quarter century of hyperbolic alarmism, warnings of catastrophe and trillions of dollars in renewable investment, those emissions just keep on rising.          In developing economies, coal-fired power plants continue popping up like weeds and cars continue populating the landscape like ants as global poverty slowly recedes and more and more people get a taste of the better life.          And oil and gas and coal supplies keep climbing to meet this demand.          Maybe it's time for a different strategy, one that accepts the world is going to be using fossil fuels for

Is Canada's Public Service Infected By Unicorns and Fairy Dust?

By: Heather Douglas Published: The Roughneck - September Issue          "Lovers and madmen have such seething brains            Such shaping fantasies, that apprehend            More than cool reason ever comprehends."                         William Shakespeare (1564-1616), A Midsummer Night's Dream       The eggheads in Policy Canada (Horizons), a think tank housed within the Public Service of Canada, recently pontificated that renewable energy will soon be so cheap it will be the norm. Perhaps the civil service has fallen so deeply in love with the notion that "dirty oil" is ruining the planet their brains have developed a form of temporary absurdity.       In June, 2016, Policy Canada published a report entitled, Canada in a Changing Global Energy Landscape, where they gleefully preach the notion that renewable energy - solar and wind - will soon replace fossils fuels. The federal government's policy wonks, who were always presumed to evalu