This report highlights the environmental risks associated with the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, which would carry more than half a million barrels of raw oilsands crude oil (known as bitumen) daily across important salmon-bearing rivers, coastal rainforests, and sensitive marine waters in British Columbia.

Filling the proposed KXL pipeline with oilsands will result in nearly a 50 per cent increase in oilsands production. Until environmental management of the oilsands is improved, KXL will cause significant environmental harm due to increased oilsands production.

These briefing materials provide a summary on the impact of oilsands development on land, species at risk, First Nations, water and tailings and greenhouse gases.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the pipeline issued by the U.S. Department of State overlooked key information and context on greenhouse gas emission management in Canada. In fact, a close inspection of Canada's climate record illustrates key weaknesses at the federal level as well as in Alberta.

This fact sheet and briefing note aim to supplement the dialogue by providing key information on oilsands emissions growth, future oilsands intensity improvements, and the climate policies in effect in Canada at the provincial and federal levels.

The Oilsands Performance Metrics Summary Report summarizes input on audiences and design principles from 60 thought leaders who attended the Oilsands Metrics Thought Leader Forum on May 3, 2011 in Calgary, Alberta.

Canada's oilsands contain the world's largest remaining deposit of oil that is still open to investment by western oil companies. As such, the oilsands are crucial to the long-term financial future of many of the world's leading oil companies. Yet the economics of oilsands extraction, even at today's relatively high prices, are fairly marginal, and a lack of disclosure by companies may be making the financial picture look better than it actually is.

Pembina Institute's feedback on the draft Lower Athabasca Integrated Regional Plan.

Solving the puzzle: environmental responsibility in oilsands development outlines 19 specific solutions available to help the Alberta government adequately address the environmental impacts of oilsands operations.

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would connect the Canadian oilsands to the U.S. Gulf Coast market. Given the size, scope and market potential of the Keystone project, it would likely result in increased oilsands production.

This document outlines the core elements of a strong climate change and energy electoral platform. Throughout the federal campaign, the Pembina Institute will be assessing parties' climate change and energy commitments using the criteria outlined in this document, which are drawn from our research and analysis on these topics.

Submission to the advisory panel charged with developing a world-class monitoring system for the oilsands in Alberta.

This briefing note draws from a recent Pembina Institute analysis of the likelihood of near term opportunities for oilsands exports from Canada to Asia via the West Coast. 

This backgrounder provides a general overview of life cycle assessment and examines the various analyses of oilsands greenhouse gas emissions conducted to date, and concludes with a recommended checklist for performing a robust life cycle assessment of oilsands greenhouse gas emissions to inform public policy decisions. 

This slideshow presents highlights of the report Pipeline to Nowhere?, which addresses several unanswered questions about the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.

This report addresses several unanswered questions about the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. 

The Pembina Institute submitted an Access to Information request to Environment Canada, requesting correspondence on the subect of the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard.

The Pembina Institute submitted an Access to Information request to the Foreign Affairs department, requesting correspondence on the subject of Section 526 of the 2007 U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act — a little known U.S. law, which is intended to reduce the U.S. federal government's reliance on high-carbon fuels.

Existing legislation, ranging from the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to the Species at Risk Act, assigns a clear role to the federal government to ensure industrial development respects environmental limits — regardless of the region in which it takes place.

Duty Calls: Federal responsibility in Canada's oilsands outlines the laws mandating federal involvement in environmental management of the oilsands, and explores what's at stake if Ottawa continues to neglect this responsibility.

Pembina backgrounder on oilsands reclamation to accompany Pembina's reaction to Suncor's announcement that they have converted a tailings lake (Pond 1) into a surface solid enough the be actively revegetated and reclaimed.

Aboriginal communities have been raising concerns about the impacts of oilsands development on their communities and their legal rights for a number of years. Increasingly, these concerns are manifesting themselves as formal resolutions and legal challenges. This briefing note outlines their key concerns, shares their commentary and provides an overview of resolutions and legal issues. 

The pace and scale of oilsands mining continues to increase in Alberta despite a poor understanding of the environmental liabilities: reclamation costs associated with cleaning up the environmental impacts created from mining. In Toxic Liability, the Pembina Institute has compiled the first public estimate of these liabilities, and it looks like Albertans could be left on the hook for the lion's share ($10 to $15 billion) of the cleanup bill.