BOE Report

Harper, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe talk shale gas in Ottawa

OTTAWA - Japan's visiting prime minister is keen to talk to Prime Minister Stephen Harper about exporting Canadian shale gas to his energy-hungry country.Shinzo Abe is in Ottawa for a brief visit before heading to the United Nations General Assembly this week.Harper will also be in New York, but unlike Abe he won't be addressing the assembly — a decision seen by some analysts as part of an ongoing snub of the UN.Harper welcomed Abe to his Parliament Hill office, where Japanese officials say [Read more]

Russia to file piracy charges against Greenpeace

MURMANSK, Russia - Russian investigators said Tuesday that they will file piracy charges against Greenpeace activists who tried to climb onto an offshore drilling platform in the Arctic owned by the state-controlled gas company Gazprom.The activists are on a Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, that was seized last week by the Russian Coast Guard and towed Tuesday into a port near Murmansk.It was unclear how many of the 30 activists from 18 countries face piracy charges, which carry a potential [Read more]

Shots fired at pipe at Alberta oilfield site

FOX CREEK, Alta. - Mounties say they are looking for those responsible for shooting an above-ground pipe at an oilfield site in northwestern Alberta.RCMP say they got a complaint Sunday night about shots fired at a remote oilfield site north of Fox Creek, about 260 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.Police say workers reported hearing about five shots, and shortly after, they found a pipe used to transport water was severely damaged and spraying water.Police say two people were seen in the area [Read more]

Alberta securities watchdog accuses Poseidon Concepts of obstruction of justice

CALGARY - The Alberta Securities Commission is accusing Poseidon Concepts Corp. of obstruction of justice, alleging that the troubled Calgary-based firm altered the minutes of board of director and audit committee meetings before handing them to the watchdog.In March, Poseidon was ordered to provide the signed minutes of meetings held between Nov. 1, 2011 and Feb. 28, 2013. A month later, the company sent over electronic copies of the documents."The minutes provided to staff were altered from [Read more]

BC offers $116 million LNG royalty credits

VICTORIA - The B.C. government is offering royalty credits of almost $116 million to help companies build roads and pipelines for the natural gas industry in the province's northeast.The announcement comes on the same day as the release of a major environmental report urging the government to stick to its pledge to build the cleanest liquefied natural gas industry in the world.The Tides Canada report says the current plans by the LNG industry would will emit three-times more carbon into the [Read more]

Oil falls toward $104 a barrel as Syria risk fades

The price of oil slipped closer to $104 a barrel Monday despite positive economic news out of China and Europe, as the risk premium associated with the Syrian crisis diminished. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for November delivery was down 34 cents to $104.41 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Friday, the now expired contract for October delivery dropped $1.72 to close at $104.67. Analysts said the apparent progress being made in the elimination of [Read more]

Keystone foes celebrate barn in project’s path

YORK, Neb. — Opponents of the Keystone XL oil pipeline celebrated the completion of a barn built in the project’s expected path on Sunday while U.S. officials continue to weigh whether to approve the pipeline. Pipeline opponents planned several events to thank volunteers and mark the completion of the solar- and wind-powered barn. Billionaire investor and philanthropist Tom Steyer was scheduled to speak at Sunday’s dedication ceremony. Steyer has spent more than $2 million fighting the [Read more]

CN, feds eyeing oil by rail to Prince Rupert, B.C., in same quantity as Gateway

OTTAWA - CN Rail, at the urging of Chinese-owned Nexen Inc., is considering shipping Alberta bitumen to Prince Rupert, B.C., by rail in quantities matching the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline, documents show.Internal memos obtained by Greenpeace under the Access to Information Act show the rail carrier raised the proposal last March with Natural Resources Canada."Nexen Inc. is reportedly working with CN to examine the transportation of crude oil on CN's railway to Prince Rupert, B.C., to [Read more]

Debate over fracking heats up on Newfoundland west coast

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Alberta resident Jessica Ernst is warning Newfoundland about the risks of hydraulic fracturing, saying she blames the contentious fracking process for making her well water flammable."It does ignite like a blow torch," she said from her rural home near Rosebud, Alta. "It's too dangerous to even use to flush toilets. One spark could cause the gas to ignite and cause a serious explosion."Ernst will visit Stephenville, N.L., on Sunday to convey what she says is a cautionary tale [Read more]

Power dip forces Edmonton refineries to flare gas, smoke prompts air quality advisory

EDMONTON - Health officials in northern Alberta have issued an air quality advisory after a power failure forced refineries in the Edmonton area to flare off extra gas, creating clouds of thick black smoke.Alberta Health Services says the advisory is precautionary, and applies to people with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, or heart conditions.Good, clean #Edmonton refinery air blowing straight into Sherwood Park. #yeg #shpk #oilsands #oilandgas [Read more]