Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Can we truly 'decarbonize' oil? Is it about saving the planet? Or is it just a shell game that makes carbon traders rich, and you?...poor. Any industrial carbon taxes are always passed on to the consumer. Not only do you pay that way, but you also pay in subsidies and lost tax revenues as tax credits are gifted to major corporations engaged in multi-billion dollar projects. Is 'decarbonized' oil so tantalizing to the government because of its potential carbon trading value? Goldman Sachs projects a price on carbon for Carbon Capture and Storage projects of $7,000/tonne by 2050. Far from saving the planet, there are also safety risks. This video offers a brief overview, but here's the background.
The Province of Alberta signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government for the building of a potential new oil pipeline, but one of factors is that the two parties must agree on a new industrial price on carbon by April 1, 2026. It is proposed that the effective minimum price would be $130/tonne. And along with that, the federal government is interested in 'decarbonized' oil - meaning that the carbon dioxide emissions from the processing are permanently removed from the air. Prime Minister Carney and Minister Tim Hodgson (Energy and Natural Resources) are enthusiastic about the Oil Sands Alliance going ahead with a massive $16.5 billion Pathways Carbon Capture and Storage project (CCS, aka CCUS). This project would remove carbon dioxide from oil sands emissions and turn it into a dense fluid phase for pumping via pipeline to a distant underground permanent storage facility. Though the technology for CCS exists, this would be the biggest such project in the world. There are significant concerns for taxpayers - cost and safety. From the cost perspective, the Oil Sands Alliance has made it clear that the Pathways project is not economic and they need tax subsidies in the billions of dollars and tax concessions. Alberta has promised to cover some 62% of the project costs. The federal government will offer a 50% refundable tax credit for eligible CCUS projects, and may provide Contracts for Difference (CCFDs), to lock in a guaranteed, high carbon price, for long-term revenue certainty for the project. From a safety perspective, many people have concerns about a potential leak from the pipeline. In the United States, a large CO2 pipeline leak affected hundreds of people, causing deaths and long-term health problems, because the dense fluid form of carbon dioxide is much heavier than air, and rests, like a spreading cloud, on the ground, suffocating everything in its path. Though the carbon dioxide returns to its gaseous form and dissipates, that initial super high concentration from the pipeline is deadly and virtually inescapable. The US experience is told in the documentary by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. called, "The Pipeline Deception." youtu.be/llcvrKDJRo0 Learn more! Friends of Science Society has two reports on our blog on these topics, "The Invisible Industrial Carbon Tax" and "The Carbon Capture and Storage Trap for Taxpayers." Visit our blog at: blog.friendsofscience.org Join us in the Race FROM Net Zero! This video uses AI narration.
Can we truly 'decarbonize' oil? Is it about saving the planet? Or is it just a shell game that makes carbon traders rich, and you?...poor. Any industrial carbon taxes are always passed on to the consumer. Not only do you pay that way, but you also pay in subsidies and lost tax revenues as tax credits are gifted to major corporations engaged in multi-billion dollar projects. Is 'decarbonized' oil so tantalizing to the government because of its potential carbon trading value? Goldman Sachs projects a price on carbon for Carbon Capture and Storage projects of $7,000/tonne by 2050. Far from saving the planet, there are also safety risks. This video offers a brief overview, but here's the background.
The Province of Alberta signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government for the building of a potential new oil pipeline, but one of factors is that the two parties must agree on a new industrial price on carbon by April 1, 2026. It is proposed that the effective minimum price would be $130/tonne. And along with that, the federal government is interested in 'decarbonized' oil - meaning that the carbon dioxide emissions from the processing are permanently removed from the air. Prime Minister Carney and Minister Tim Hodgson (Energy and Natural Resources) are enthusiastic about the Oil Sands Alliance going ahead with a massive $16.5 billion Pathways Carbon Capture and Storage project (CCS, aka CCUS). This project would remove carbon dioxide from oil sands emissions and turn it into a dense fluid phase for pumping via pipeline to a distant underground permanent storage facility. Though the technology for CCS exists, this would be the biggest such project in the world. There are significant concerns for taxpayers - cost and safety. From the cost perspective, the Oil Sands Alliance has made it clear that the Pathways project is not economic and they need tax subsidies in the billions of dollars and tax concessions. Alberta has promised to cover some 62% of the project costs. The federal government will offer a 50% refundable tax credit for eligible CCUS projects, and may provide Contracts for Difference (CCFDs), to lock in a guaranteed, high carbon price, for long-term revenue certainty for the project. From a safety perspective, many people have concerns about a potential leak from the pipeline. In the United States, a large CO2 pipeline leak affected hundreds of people, causing deaths and long-term health problems, because the dense fluid form of carbon dioxide is much heavier than air, and rests, like a spreading cloud, on the ground, suffocating everything in its path. Though the carbon dioxide returns to its gaseous form and dissipates, that initial super high concentration from the pipeline is deadly and virtually inescapable. The US experience is told in the documentary by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. called, "The Pipeline Deception." youtu.be/llcvrKDJRo0 Learn more! Friends of Science Society has two reports on our blog on these topics, "The Invisible Industrial Carbon Tax" and "The Carbon Capture and Storage Trap for Taxpayers." Visit our blog at: blog.friendsofscience.org Join us in the Race FROM Net Zero! This video uses AI narration.
