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Posts in August 2008

• Russia “may cut off oil flow” to West

  Andy Rowell

  Aug29

  There is something absurdly silly about threatening a country with sanctions if it has something that you are completely dependent on. But that has now happened with Russia and the West over the crisis in Georgia. With the EU threatening Russia with sanctions, the Daily Telegraph reports that “fears are mounting that Russia may restrict…
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• Iraq Signs $3bn Oil Deal With China

  Andy Rowell

  Aug29

  As the Western oil majors squabble with Iraq over technical contracts, they have been out-maneuvered by the Chinese in the greater race to sign the first significant contract with the war-torn country. The first major oil deal Iraq has signed since 2003 is not with BP or Shell but with China’s biggest oil company, state-run…
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• A New Precedent to Tackle Climate Change

  Andy Rowell

  Aug28

  Every now and then you get a small, but significant shift in the battle against climate change and this could be one of those moments. One of the America’s largest builders of coal-fired power plants has been forced to now give investors detailed warnings about the risks that climate change poses to its business.

• A Nodding Donkey in your Back-Yard

  Andy Rowell

  Aug27

  Although the oil price has now dipped significantly from its highs of the summer, its relatively high price is having an effect on both oil consumption and production. Take the UK: The rising cost of running a car has caused traffic on Britain’s major roads to drop for the first time since congestion was measured,…
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• Oz Bans Shale-Oil Mine

  Andy Rowell

  Aug26

  There might be a “mine it flat” mentality in Alberta concerning tar sands, but one provincial government has just adopted a different approach to unconventional oil resources. The only problem is that it is thousands of miles away in Australia. Australia’s Queensland state has banned shale-oil mining for 20 years, blocking a plan for a…
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• The “You’ve Got To Be Kidding” Department

  Andy Rowell

  Aug22

  As news leaks out that the Alberta’s government has launched a C$25 million PR campaign to greenwash oil sands, here is Kenny’s final post from Alberta. Kenny goes behind the spin: “The rest of the world must share that hope. Through no choice of his own, Coutoreille and the First Nations of Fort Chip are…
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• Iraq Oil Law “On Ice”

  Andy Rowell

  Aug22

  Oil giants BP and Shell maintain that they are still negotiating about short-term oil contracts in Iraq, despite comments a few days ago to the contrary (see blog) . However, the controversial oil law, which is seen as the key that will unlock the jewels of Iraq’s oil reserves for the oil majors in now…
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• “I Wouldn’t Dare Do That Now”

  Andy Rowell

  Aug22

  As Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ trip to the oil sands continues to be be spun as positive news for the oil industry, here is Kenny Bruno’s second blog from Alberta that highlights the real story: “North of the tar sands empire, in a vast delta of lakes, seasonal ponds, winding rivers, marshes and small…
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• Welcome to Mordor

  Andy Rowell

  Aug21

  Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are not the only ones who have been touring Alberta’s Oil Sands recently. Oil Change’s Kenny Bruno has just visited the region as part of a delegation of environmental groups. Here is his first dispatch, which is the first of three posts from Kenny.. Kenny writes: “As we approached the…
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• Buffett and Gates Tour Oil Sands

  Andy Rowell

  Aug21

  Two of the world’s richest men visited Alberta’s oil sands earlier this week, leading to speculation that one or both of them was going to invest is this dirty, polluting fuel. Warren Buffett, widely regarded as the world’s richest man and Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, who is hardly short of a bob or…
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