Alberta’s tar sands industry had problems before the pandemic, they’re now magnified

Gas prices have been dropping at the pump, but in stunning news crude oil prices fell into red figures for the first time ever on Monday, the CBC reported. The May future’s price for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude hit -$37 a barrel, the result of the coronavirus and international politics.

Alberta’s tar sands crude comes with higher transportation and refining costs, so it typically sells for less than the WTI benchmark. It, too, was effectively in negative numbers.

MN Dept. of Commerce Reaffirms Line 3 Tar Sands Pipeline is not Needed

Enbridge has not made a case that its proposed expansion and reroute of the Line 3 tar sands crude oil pipeline is needed, the Minnesota Department of Commerce reconfirmed in testimony filed Monday. The state’s refineries are operating at high levels and couldn’t handle an increase in volume. The regional  demand for gas is not projected to increase.

Ipso facto: No need for an expanded Line 3.

U.S. State Department an Embarrassment at Tar Sands Meeting; Other News Updates

The U.S. State Department hosted a public meeting in Bemidji Tuesday to get public comments on a permit to increase the amount of tar sands oil piped through northern Minnesota. Instead of putting its best foot forward, the State Department offered a deadly mix of fear and indifference to Native voices and those from the environmental community.

Reflecting a state of fear and mistrust, the State Department used a security screening process that forced people to stand outside in the cold too long before they could get into the meeting. In a show of indifference, its public meeting process failed to effectively engage the public in conversation or include key federal decision makers.

I traveled with a busload of people from the Twin Cities to Bemidji for the meeting. Here is a link to a blog I wrote for the Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter: U.S. State Department Complete Embarrassment at Tar Sands Public Meeting.

Lawsuits Being Readied Against North Dakota Law Enforcement, and More Stories from Indian Country Today

I spun through Indian Country Today’s news page for the past few days — so many good stories. They include articles on:

• Lawsuits that will be pressed against law enforcement for the excessive force used against the water protectors near Standing Rock.
• How a Native American water protector got an electoral vote for U.S. President.
• Canada’s efforts to take action on its Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and
• How stopping one oil pipeline is winning a battle, not the war.

Below is a quick summary of each article and links to the full text. (And consider bookmarking Indian Country Today on your browser.)