What should Canada’s position be on the EU and oilsands?
The upcoming vote in the EU on implementing the Fuel Quality Directive, expected next month, has generated a great deal of press in Canada because the directive targets Canada’s oilsands by assigning a default value of emissions which is higher than that applied to conventional fuels. The EU’s policy is aimed in the right direction […]
Math Lesson #2: Life Cycle Assessments and Oilsands: don’t just say dirty oil, know what it means.
The only thing more delayed than the EU’s decision on oilsands and their fuel quality directive is my blog post on the EU’s fuel quality directive and oilsands. This isn’t it…but it’s a start. For now, you get more math, mostly for my future reference, but some of you may find it useful as well. […]
Keystone XL and US Energy Security – You can’t have it both ways.
Energy security has been one of the key issues in the discussion over the Keystone XL pipeline approval in the US – if you’ve not been following this, here’s a great primer from CFR’s Michael Levi. Some fuel was added to this fire with an article this morning in The Hill in which Steven M. […]
Are you smarter than an energy 101 student at U of A?
I often get asked, “what do you teach?” I thought that a good way to answer this question might be to let you have a look at the midterm questions I asked my Energy 101 class yesterday here at the Alberta School of Business. This is a new course, created last year, which aims to […]
Math lesson
Among the most intimidating aspects of working on oilsands, or any energy question, is unit conversions. It seems that the hidden objective of most any publication is to express all results in the most inaccessible manner possible. One of the biggest surprises for me in writing this blog has been the degree to which I […]
New York Times Editorial on Keystone – Details Matter.
In an editorial today, the New York Times renewed its calls for the State Department to say no to the Keystone XL pipeline. Unfortunately, this editorial is not very careful with respect to language and buys into some of the rhetoric put forward by opponents of the pipeline, while doing a good job at correcting […]