Canada Desperately Trying to Unload Tar Sands Oil
Imagine being a car dealer and you’re stuck with a huge lot full of 2-ton gas guzzlers that get 4.2 miles per gallon. Or: you’ve wasted an entire night hanging out in a singles bar, it’s 1:45 a.m. and nobody you’ve talked to likes the cut of your jib.
Canada is desperate. “Please buy what I’m selling.” “Please go home with me.”
Canada can’t even get the U.S. to ship Alberta’s tar sands oil to Texas refineries. And now the European Union might designate Alberta’s tar sands oil as “highly polluting.” Canada doesn’t currently export oil to Europe, but the Canadian oil industry is worried that the “highly polluting” label will jeopardize future sales to other markets besides Europe.
Canada might file a complaint with the World Trade Organization against the European Union if the EU goes ahead with the “highly polluting” designation. The EU will be voting on this issue later in the week.
Canada is even threatening a trade war with the European Union over this issue.
Then again, the Canadian oil industry could always go back and relearn what they (supposedly) learned in Business 101: In order to make a sale, you have to be selling something that somebody somewhere might want to buy.
Labels: Canada World Trade Center, European Union tar sands, tar sands highly polluting
posted by Tom Harper @ 6:07 PM
10 Comments:
Harper is Canada's version of Chimpy, so don't expect a whole lot of movement in an intelligent direction. And besides, the Rushpubliscums here are going to make Americans buy that stuff, one way or another.
Well the Canadian salesmen in plaid jackets and striped pants managed to sell it to the Republicans without even having to wax it, roll back the odometer, let them check under the hood, kick the tires, nor go for a test drive.
Erik
Okay, fine, but you better throw in a case of Molson and first round picks in the next three entry drafts. America could really use the next Malkin.
Best news I've heard all day. Highly polluting tar-sands oil being called out. I wonder what they mean by polluting? The oil or the extraction of same? Either way good news. Now if we could get the EU to ban the fricking frackers.
No problem there. That massive pipeline will just be diverted to the BC coast and shipped to China. The Chinese will buy anything. They take all of our dead electronic gear don't they?
Sadly, I agree with Jolly Roger on this.
JR: I hope they don't succeed in forcing Keystone through the country, but they're gonna try every sleazy gimmick they can think of.
Erik: Republican politicians are easy sales marks, especially when there's a huge bribe included in the sales pitch.
Randal: Uh oh, forgot about Molson. Labatt's too.
Mr. C: Tar sands oil itself is extremely polluting, plus the extraction process is polluting and actually uses more energy than the energy contained in the oil. I say good riddance.
Demeur: From what I understand, most of our oil -- whether it's tar sands, whether it's from Alaska or the lower 48 -- is being exported anyway. The oil companies can get more money by exporting it than by selling it to us peons here at home.
Dusty: It'll be a volatile campaign issue in any case. We'll have to hope the Democrats can win the message war.
As a treehugging, latte sipping limousine liberal I can't say I am not displeased about this turn of events. One of the many environmental mags I read, had an article explaining how using this crap to fill up even the most environmentally sound Prius, would be the same as driving my hubby's old Escalade around. That it failed because pugs wanted it built yesterday, forgetting all the states concerns it would have to go through, adds more delight to me.
Jess: I agree, good riddance to that shit. I hope Canada gets stuck with it and can't get rid of it.
Democrats just might win the message war if the can stop smoking medical marijuana in gay bars long enough to have a cohesive thought.
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