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Showing posts from October, 2016

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

Alberta Government Rubbing Salt in the Wound

By: Paige MacPherson Published: Business in Calgary - September Issue           The Alberta government does not control the price of oil. If it's been said once, it's been said a million times. It's the main line of defense from the government when facing its fiscal critics. The Alberta government does not control the price of oil, however, the Alberta government does control its policy reaction to the price of oil; and right now, that reaction is to grab a handful of salt and rub it right where it hurts. For the first time since Statistics Canada began collecting data in the 1970s, Alberta's unemployment rate has surpassed that of Nova Scotia. For decades, Nova Scotians have migrated to Alberta in droves to find work. East Coasters are a dime a dozen in Edmonton and beyond, but now, alongside other Albertans, many find themselves struggling with the same lack of jobs they faced back east. Alberta's unemployment rate was spiked recently by a large number of

Why Pipeline Protesters Are THE WORST CANADIANS EVER

Published: Oilfield PULSE magazine By: Chris Grabill     Pipeline protesters are worse than people who steal poppy collection money, worse than Alberta NDP caucus members, and worse, even still, then people who say, "Working hard or hardly working?" Simply put, the motley crew protesting the Energy East, Trans-Mountain, and Northern Gateway pipeline projects are the worst Canadians ... ever.     WHY?       THEY FIND MATH TOO HARD            As much as they would love to live in a world where oil and gas are not needed, the fact remains the global demand for our product is growing daily. In the foreseeable future, the elimination of fossil fuels will not occur. I hate to burst their bubble. So, why do they insist we change to an 'alternate economy' or do something the market is not demanding? Furthermore, any stats on pipeline safety show it is the most effective and safest way to transport oil. The main competitor would be rail, and i am sure there are many in

Carbon Corner! Don't be Fooled!

Published: Oilfield Pulse magazine By: Kevin Turko        It started out as global warming, then it morphed into climate change and now the politicians and eco-activists have latched on Carbon Pricing as the latest boogeyman in their quest to save us and our planet. Each of these movements have conjured up countless predictions of our impending doom, many of which were based on far reaching hypotheses rather than proven science. We still have our polar ice caps, Canada hasn't turned into a barren desert wasteland, nor have we experienced the next great Canadian Ice Shield.     (In upcoming issues of Oilfield PULSE, Carbon Corner will include a series of informative articles on the real impact of carbon on our fair planet and how our opportunistic governments intend to capitalize on this new found revenue stream. We hope to bring you thought leaders on this topic from within the oil and gas industry and to also reach out to experts in this field to debunk the myths and innuendo