CHRIS HANNAY:  The cleanup continues at the oil spill from the burst Enbridge pipeline in Michigan.
The pipeline was turned off shortly after the leak was detected on July 26th, but the Canadian energy company is still cleaning up the estimated 3.7 million litres of crude oil that leaked.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has now approved most parts of Enbridge’s cleanup plan, after dismissing the initial plan last week for lack of detail.
Meanwhile, the U.S. representative for the area, Democrat Mark Schauer, has come out swinging against Enbridge.
As it happens, Schauer is a member of the federal Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
He’s announced they will conduct a formal investigation into the spill.
Schauer has also said he disputes Enbridge’s timeline of events, saying they were slow to respond and alert authorities, and that the spill may have started more than 12 hours earlier than announced.
Enbridge has also opened claims centres in affected communities in Michigan, and this week announced it would buy homes from residents who wanted to leave the area as a result of the spill.
CEO Patrick Daniel told a news conference on Tuesday that: “Enbridge does not want people in that directly affected area to be financially disadvantaged by the spill.”
 [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE:  Prince Edward Island’s largest power company is scaling back its proposals for green energy
development, citing a lack of market interest. Maritime Electric had sought to develop new green energy projects amounting to 130 megawatts of power. After reviewing proposals from developers, it deemed the majority of the projects too costly and believed the current energy market did not justify all 130MW. In the end, the company approved two projects, which will develop 30MW of power from wind energy.
Pending approval, the wind farms should be completed by the end of 2012. [ index ]

CHRIS HANNAY:  Fires are consuming British Columbia forests parched from one of the hottest and driest summers on record.
After a relatively docile season for forest fires, the province currently faces about 400 actively burning wildfires, forcing people – and animals – from their homes.
The three largest fires alone cover a combined area of about 500 square kilometres.
On Thursday, the CBC reported that some fishermen along the Bridge River in the B.C. Interior are noticing their water turning black.
The fishermen believe it’s from flame retardant used on the fires, but the government says its from a mudslide upriver.
The B.C. government has already spent more than $56-million dousing forest fires in the province, which is more than its more than its fire-fighting budget for the year.
Most of these wildfires were caused by lightning strikes, but the weather may finally lend a helping hand this weekend.
Rain and cooler, cloudier conditions are expected to move into the province this weekend.
 [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE:  A Greenpeace protest struck the Calgary Tower Tuesday, when activists rapelled from the top of the tower with climbing rope to unfurl a giant banner reading “Separate Oil and State.” The banner was visible to downtown Calgary for 30 minutes before being taken down. The message was in protest of what Greenpeace believes to be the cozy relationship between oil companies and the provincial and federal governments. Greenpeace argues that there has not been a proper assessment of the damage done to health and the environment from the development of the oil sands, and that government is catering to the industry. Eight protesters were arrested in the incident, including three people who rapelled from the tower, and five others who provided help in the protest. [ index ]

CHRIS HANNAY:  The City of Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan has been slapped with a $55,000 fine from Environment Canada for dumping untreated sewage.
The city pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one offence under the federal Fisheries Act.
The fine stems from an incident in the summer of 2007, when a power failure caused about 431,000 litres of untreated sewage to be dumped into the Moose Jaw River.
According to Environment Canada, the sewage spill wasn’t detected “for an extended period of time.”
$50,000 of the fine will go to the Environmental Damages Fund, which will then be routed into programs to support conservation in the area around the Moose Jaw River.
 [ index ]

BRYANT BOULIANNE:  A proposed cull of some of the many rabbits that inhabit the University of Victoria campus has been blocked by the B.C. Supreme Court. The University of Victoria campus is home to hundreds of feral rabbits. Though cute, the animals are somewhat of a pest as they cover grounds with feces and dig holes in sports fields, posing an injury threat to athletes. The University had begun a program to capture and euthanize rabbits to reduce their numbers, but this program was blocked this week by court injuction. The injuction is in response to a petition to find homes for the rabbits by distributing them to animal sanctuaries. The cull will be suspended while petition is heard.
 [ index ]

JESSE ROGERSON:  Over 650 square miles of the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador is now protected indefinitely due to a new trust fund brokered by the Government of Ecuador and the United Nations. The area, known as Yasuni National Park, is home to some of the worlds highest biodiversity and an estimated 20% of the country’s crude oil deposits. In exchange for not mining the one billion barrels of crude oil and not logging the timber in the region, Ecuador has asked the world for $3.6 billion in trust. This is considered a steal on the oil market as the estimated amount of crude oil alone in the region would surpass $5 billion at current prices. Any money donated to the trust fund will be administered by the UN for green initiatives throughout the country. The protection also envelops many indigenous tribes in the area, preventing destruction of their livelihoods.
Skeptics are quick to point out, however, that this deal, while ground breaking, only protects a portion of the park. Some worry that the deal is simply smoke and mirrors to distract from larger projects happening elsewhere in the country. [ index ]

JESSE ROGERSON:  The International Energy Agency is reporting that China has officially surpassed the United States as the leading energy consumer in the world. The rise to the top is not surprising since China’s energy consumption has doubled over the last decade. The energy use per capita, however, is only one quarter of the US. Currently, China’s primary source of energy is burning coal, much of which is imported from Australia. As a result, China is currently the largest green house gas emitter in the world.

With forecasts showing the energy consumption continuing to rise, the Chinese government will be building many new power plants in the next decade, with emphasis on creating more nuclear and natural gas plants. China has also recognized the need for renewable resources and is now one of the world leaders in development, design, and implementation of renewable energy systems such as wind, solar power, and geo-thermal energy.

The world wide effects of the growth of China’s energy consumption will be a topic of the IEA’s yearly World Energy Outlook, set to be released in November of this year. [ index ]

JESSE ROGERSON:  According to a panel of US government scientists, 74% of all leaked oil in the Gulf of Mexico has been either captured, burned, dispersed with chemicals, evaporated, or otherwise contained. This research was released soon after the ‘static kill’ operation had finally capped the well on July 15, which had continuously leaked since April 20. The remaining 26% of oil not captured is measured at approximately 1.3 million barrels, still topping the Exxon Valdez spill of over 20 years ago.

The ‘static kill’ uses mud as a plug, forcing it down the gushing well until the flow of oil slows down at which point heavier cement is used to cap off the plug. A similar tactic was used in May but was unsuccessful. While leaking has stopped, the US government will not consider it blocked until a ‘bottom kill’ procedure is successful. This is where mud and cement is pumped into the well 2 miles below the sea floor.

The long awaited relief wells are the pivotal step in confirming a permanently blocked well, as they will relieve the rising pressure on the ‘static kill’ mud and cement. [ index ]