Banks on Notice: Dump Enbridge!

As Canadians were casting their votes in the Federal Election, another important decision was playing out in the board rooms of Canada’s top banks: what to do with Enbridge, sponsor of the Northern Gateway Pipeline. Over the last several weeks, RAN  teamed up with First Nations of the Yinka Dene Alliance to put senior banking [...]

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Keystone XL Won’t Decrease “Unfriendly” Oil Imports Either

Yesterday, AP reported that the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to Texas won’t decrease gas prices (I broke that story last month, but who’s counting). In fact, a report commissioned by pipeline sponsor TransCanada now shows that connecting tar sands producers with Gulf Coast refiners actually pushes gas prices up for everybody. That same [...]

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RBC Takes Step Away From Tar Sands

It took nearly two years, but today Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) finally adopted environmental and social standards on its financing in the tar sands. Great! So what does that mean? Clearly, it means a significant about-face on tar sands for one of the world’s biggest banks. Before today, RBC trailed its peers on basic [...]

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More Lies on Midwestern Tar Sands Pipeline

With approval of his $7 billion KeystoneXL pipeline uncertain,  TransCanada CEO Russ Girling is now saying the project has nothing to do with Canada’s tar sands. But that’s not the story he’s telling investors. In an interview reported today by Lauren Krugel of the Canadian Press, CEO Russ Girling said: I don’t believe that there’s [...]

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James Cameron Goes To Tar Sands As Tar Sands Come To US

James Cameron, “the most powerful man in Hollywood,” is in Alberta. Canadian TV cut into regular broadcasts this morning to show footage of him climbing into a helicopter for an areal tour of the tar sands. He’s touring with industry reps this morning, then will visit with Indigenous leaders later this afternoon in Ft. Chipewyan. [...]

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Chicago Pushes Back Against Canada’s Tar Sands

Following three significant spills of tar sands oil from aging pipelines in the Midwest, RAN Chicago took action. An afternoon protest was themed around pushing back on Canada’s tar sands and kicking our addiction to oil. Of the various placards on display (stop the serial spiller!), the hypodermic needle filled with oil was my personal [...]

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Pelosi Visits Ottawa as Tar Sands Protests Flare

Speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi is in Ottawa today and tomorrow meeting with both friends and foes of Canada’s tar sands. RAN did our part to greet Madam Speaker on both coasts.  In Ottawa, we teamed up with LUSH Cosmetics and IEN for a bit of theater on the steps of Parliament (pics and [...]

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Royal Bank of Scotland Under Siege This Summer

Check out this great new flick from our friends at Climate Camp UK. This year, they take on Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)- among the world’s top financiers of fossil fuels. The Climate Camp crew doesn’t mess around; previous camps successfully shut down the third runway at Heathrow and Kingsnorth power station in Kent. Visit [...]

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RBC Tables an Offer on Tar Sands

A light at the end of the tunnel?Photo:  . SantiMB . via Flickr The tar sands tide may finally be turning at Canada’s biggest bank. RBC is among the largest financiers of Canada’s Tar Sands but so far lacks policies adopted by other banks that seek to limit harm to Indigenous rights, water quality and [...]

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Canadian Oil Boosters Freak Out, Challenge RAN to Duel

Fearful that the union of environmental activists and cosmetics purveyors spells doom for the tar sands, Canada’s biggest oil boosters totally freaked out about our campaign with LUSH Cosmetics this week. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) were the first to freak out.  A hurried press release boldly asserted that “It’s technology – not [...]

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