"Beginning in 2006, the concept of a “Tar Sands Campaign” emerged that was specifically targeted against the oil sands of Northern Alberta. " - Public Inquiry
"Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns was a $3.5 million inquiry led by Steve Allan, commissioned on July 4, 2019 by newly elected Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and tasked with investigating foreign-funded efforts to undermine the oil and gas industry." - Wikipedia
"“They don’t want the public to realize they have been receiving massive amounts of money from foreign sources to shut down the largest job-creating industry in Canada,” Kenney said on July 22." -GlobalNews
Example-- 2017 article https://www.nrdc.org/stories/why-we-must-stop-flow-tar-sands-oil
"It was during the summer of 2006 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C.,
Alberta’s exhibit on the National Mall included a giant 180-tonne dump truck – similar to those
used in the oil sands, which was commented upon by the NRDC’s head of its Canadian
Campaign:
"It was a pivotal moment. When you bring a tar sands dump truck to the National Mall
in Washington DC, it was like bringing the tar sands into our [own] back yard. For the
environmental groups [in D.C.], it was a moment of it sort of being, “They’ve brought
this fight to us.”
"Foundational documents for the Tar Sands campaign from 2008 outline various aspects of the
contemplated campaign, including its structure, its tactics, its funding, and references to the larger
movement of which the Tar Sands Campaign would form a part."
"Documents contemplating the Tar Sands Campaign describe a number of tactics to advance the
contemplated campaign, including grassroots campaigns, the development of documentaries and
research papers, divestment campaigns, direct action and citizen engagement, land conservation
initiatives, litigation and political activism, and achieving legal precedents based on the rights of
First Nations people. I considered these types of tactics, as well as a number of other tactics that
could be used to directly or indirectly delay or frustrate the development of Alberta’s oil and gas
resources," - Public Inquiry
"Stop/Limit Pipelines and Refinery Expansions" --Tar Sands PDF
"Dirty Tar Sands Network- a collaboration of a number of ENGOs for the
purpose of disseminating information advocating for a halt to the expansion of
the “tar sands”, resisting the construction of pipelines and refineries, and
encouraging corporate consumers to refuse the purchase of “tar sands” oil."
"Tar Sands Solutions Network- is made up of numerous organizations
(members), including many I have found to be Participants, as well as First
Nations groups collaborating to stop the expansion of the ‘tar sands’, resist the
construction of pipelines and refineries, employ land use tactics to block Alberta
oil from accessing markets, and advance divestment tactics focused on financial
institutions and insurance companies.
How the media is used by foreign interests to kill Alberta oil and gas
For example, here is a non-comprehensive list of articles from mainstream news outlets demonizing Alberta oil which emerged between 2010 to 2015:
Tar sands need solid science — published by Nature, 2010
How much of an environmental bad guy are the Alberta oilsands? — published by the CBC, 2012
Pay Dirt: How to Turn Tar Sands into Oil — published by Scientific American, 2012
Don’t call them ‘tar sands’: The industry-approved lingo for Alberta’s hydrocarbon gunk is ‘oil sands’ — published by Maclean’s, 2012
Opinion: The Tar Sands Disaster — published by The New York Times, 2013
Alberta’s financial health depends on tar sands — published by Toronto Star, 2014
The Alberta Tar Sands — published by The Atlantic, 2014
Canada’s tar sands landscape from the air in pictures — published by The Guardian, 2015
And the list goes on.
"I initially discuss five entities that are headquartered in the U.S. In some cases I have identified specific grants they received to fund their campaigns but overall I find that their physical location, their mind and management, their operations and their general funding support the fact that these entities were involved in anti-Alberta energy campaigns." - Public Inquiry
Corporate Ethics International, now named CorpEthics, is a 501(c)(3) corporation headquartered
in San Francisco and founded by Michael Marx, Ph. D., in 2003.
"I also note CorpEthics’s involvement in the documentary entitled “Tipping Point: The Age of the
Oil Sands”, which I have reviewed and found to generally cast a negative impression on the oil
sands.
Additionally, CorpEthics’ was a signatory to the ENGO Open Letter.
I further find that CorpEthics was an author or co-author of the following reports:"
Comments to the White House regarding the EISA Section - December, 2009
933 Energy Security Report to Congress (wayback page deleted)
"The tar sands industry is clearly betting on high oil prices in order produce much of the as
yet undeveloped resource. However, there is a raft of economic analysis including that from
the IEAvii and othersviii that shows that high oil prices hinder economic growth and are
therefore unsustainable. CERI and the tar sands industry are counting on a situation that
would be devastating for the U.S. economy. If oil prices ever did reach $200/bbl, gasoline
prices would probably be above $7 per gallon." - Tar Sands Oil Means High Gas Prices - May, 2010
Re: " The paper entitled “Tar Sands Oil Means High Gas Prices” suggests that the “tar sands” are the most expensive production in the world. The report says that Keystone will result in over capacity for tar sands crude and suggests that the IEA has labelled tar sands production as the most marginal barrel in the world. Tar sands production, suggests the report, will also lead to greater North American market demand and thus increased costs for cement, steel, engineering, labour etc. "
-- Public Inquiry
- Tar Sands Invasion - How dirty and expensive oil from Canada threatens America’s New Energy Economy - May, 2010
"Tar sands oil currently accounts for only about four percent of overall U.S. oil use; however, if industry has its way, that portion is slated to rise to ten or 15 percent. The United States could easily do without tar sands oil, and the proposed rapid expansion of tar sands facilities in the United States threatens communities in several ways"
"America desperately needs to break its addiction to oil. Importing tar sands oil from Canada continues dependence on oil and leaves the country vulnerable to skyrocketing fuel costs, national security threats, pollution, and environmental destruction."
"The paper entitled “Tar Sands Invasion - How dirty and expensive oil from Canada threatens America’s New Energy Economy”, suggests that the “tar sands” are undergoing “reckless expansion” of what is arguably the most destructive project on earth. The report is critical of tar sands expansion, which plans to triple the export of “dirty and expensive tar sands oil” to the U.S. despite North America being on the verge of a cleaner, more energy independent future. The report says the project entails the destruction of pristine forests and bird habitat and will create a wasteland of an area that is the size of Florida. It advises that pipelines and refineries will crisscross the Northern Plains and the Midwest that will affect farmers, ranchers Native Americans and the residents of industrial areas." - Public Inquiry
"Conclusion on Participation in an anti-Alberta Energy Campaign
"In my review of the foregoing I specifically noted the following in respect of CorpEthics: (a) its direct involvement in the development of both Background Documents, including authorship of the Corporate Ethics Document and contribution to the RBF Document; (b) its direct advocacy against the development of Alberta’s oil sands in a number of its webpages; and (c) specific discussion of objecting to the expansion of the “tar sands” and related items in its 990 tax filings, which I find to be evidence tending to establish broad and general objections to the development of Alberta’s oil and gas resources." "On the basis of the totality of this evidence, I find that CorpEthics has engaged in opposition to the development of Alberta’s oil and gas industry in a broad and general sense, and therefore has participated in an anti-Alberta energy campaign."