ACTION ALERT: Obama, the tar sands don’t fit into a clean energy economy

September 11, 2009

We need you to take action and let President Barack Obama know that Canadians don’t want the U.S. to continue relying on oil from the tar sands. On September 16th, Prime Minister Harper will be heading to Washington to visit President Barack Obama.  Climate change and energy are on the agenda.  While the Obama government has shown leadership in investing in clean energy jobs, the Canadian government has consistently demonstrated support for ongoing development in the tar sands and refuses to seriously tackle the climate crisis.

Recent reports indicate that federal climate policies will let the tar sands, the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, off the hook. Oil and gas will be required to meet less stringent intensity based targets which allow overall emissions to grow, while other polluting industries will be subject to hard caps on emissions.

TAKE ACTION: Use this action alert to send an email to President Obama urging him to refuse any special treatment for the tar sands in a bi-national climate change plan recognizing that the tar sands do not fit into a clean energy economy.

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SEND YOUR LETTER:

Subject
Recipients	obama@dirtyoilsands.org
Compose your letter in the box below.
Dear President Barack Obama, As you prepare for your upcoming visit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, I hope you will recognize the very serious consequences of continued reliance on tar sands oil and the obstacle this presents in moving towards a clean energy economy in both Canada and the U.S. While Canada’s prime minister may try to convince you that the impacts of the tar sands can be addressed and that they are important to your country's energy security, as a Canadian, I ask you to refuse to lock your country into relying on the tar sands. Tar sands operations are having serious social and environmental impacts. Alberta's tar sands are the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada. Nearby First Nations communities have raised concerns over unusually high rates of cancers and the lack of recognition of aboriginal title and treaty rights. The mining requires large tracts of boreal forest, often referred to as the lungs of our planet, to be destroyed. On average, two to five barrels of water are needed to produce one barrel of oil and large amounts of toxic water are stored in massive tailings ponds which are leaking into nearby ground and water. Canada is already the largest supplier of oil to the U.S., thanks in large part to crude from the tar sands. Recent reports indicate that Canadian climate policies will let the tar sands, the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, off the hook with intensity based emission reduction targets. I urge you to reject any proposals for binational climate change action that allows special treatment for the tar sands. While energy security for both Canadians and Americans is essential, we need swift and decisive action on climate change. Uncontrolled development in the tar sands and real action on climate change are mutually exclusive. Further, costly and unproven technological ‘fixes’ such as carbon capture and storage do not provide ‘silver bullet’ solutions to addressing emissions from the tar sands. Canada and the U.S. must work together to get off of our addiction to oil and build a green and just energy future. Sincerely,
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