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Not building Keystone XL will likely leave a billion barrels of bitumen in the ground

Maximilian Auffhammer, professor, international sustainable development | March 25, 2014

I am not a fan of blanket statements. Whenever oil sands come up in casual conversation, many of my economist friends argue that “the stuff will come out of the ground whether we like it or not”. When the discussion turns to Keystone XL, the general attitude is that “it simply doesn’t matter. The Canadians … Continue reading »

Alberta’s tar sands a slow-motion equivalent of the Gulf disaster

Steven Weissman, associate director, Center for Law, Energy and the Environment | June 24, 2010

If you were President Obama, what would you do about the tar sands fields in Alberta?  He is being asked to approve or reject a pipeline extension that would carry 900,000 barrels per day of Canadian crude deep into the United States.  It has to be exceedingly tempting to just say “yes”.  After all, Canada … Continue reading »