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Carleton University Transformism in Alberta: The Environmental Political Economy of the Bituminous Sands A thesis submitted to The Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts Institute of Political Economy by Ryan Katz-Rosene, B.A. (Hons.] Ottawa, Ontario August 2010 ©2010, Ryan Katz-Rosene Library and Archives Bibliothèque et ?F? Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-71691-5 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-71691-5 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada ABSTRACT This thesis attempts to help establish environmental political economy as a viable academic field while providing an example of work in the discipline. It offers an analysis of societal processes resulting in the co-optation and/or neutralization of critical environmentalist ideas. Using Alberta's bituminous sands as a case study, and a Gramsci-influenced eco-Marxist theory as a foundation, the thesis argues that the term 'environmental transformism' (inspired by the Gramscian term trasformismo) is helpful in describing and framing such processes. Accordingly, the ensuing chapters provide an analysis of why environmental transformism is happening in Alberta, and demonstrate how this mechanism works at protecting the status quo from threatening ideologies, thereby consolidating neoliberal capitalism. A concluding argument discusses the inherent dangers posed to society by the transformism of certain environmental subjectivities. The thesis begins by introducing the contentious social and environmental issues surrounding the development of the bituminous sands. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The germinal moment of this project is not easily recalled - did it begin when Feyzi Baban and Mark Neufeld encouraged me to complete a Master's degree, when Gordon Laxer and Paul Tsounis asked me to learn about the bituminous sands, or even earlier when my parents fostered in me an inquisitive thirst for knowledge? A myriad of moments come to mind, and thus a myriad of people are due my thanks. In particular, thanks are due to my fellow classmates and comrades at the Institute of Political Economy, an incredible group of bright scholars who have made a community out of a few small and overheated rooms on the eighth floor of the Loeb Building; to former Director Rianne Mahon, a driving force of wisdom and support; to Donna Coghill, the cornerstone of the Institute; and to incoming Director Janet Siltanen. Thanks also go to Peter Andrée and Justin Paulson for their exceptional mentorship and scholarly advice. Yet more thanks are in order: Daniel Iseli-Otto visited the bituminous sands with me; the Katz-Rosene family, the entire Krekoski gang, and Adam Gibbard all lent me their ears when I spoke ad nauseam about Alberta's environmental political economy; all of my interview subjects (who shall remain anonymous) kindly shared their views; and Erin Krekoski not only offered her support and companionship, but also doubled as the finest editor and constructive critic out there! Finally, my ability to conduct research was made possible by scholarships from the Ontario Government, the Federal Government, and Carleton University. Such grants and bursaries are fundamental to ensuring that aspiring scholars can make a living while researching, writing, and solving the defining issues of today. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table ofContents iv List ofAbbreviations vi List of Tables vii List ofIllustrations viii List ofAppendices ix Prologue: The Many Sands 1 Chapter One, Part I: Thesis Introduction 10 Scholarly Contribution and Social Value 13 Theoretical and Methodological Foundations 15 Thesis Organization and Chapter Outline 22 Chapter One, Part II: Introducing the Megaproject 25 Environmental Impacts 27 Conclusion 36 Chapter Two: Theoretical Interventions in Environmental Political Economy 37 A Gramsci-Influenced Eco-Marxism 37 The Neoliberal Hegemony 46 Market Ecology 51 Neoliberal Capitalism and Ecological Destruction 53 Environmental Transformism 61 Chapter Three: Neoliberalism in Alberta 65 The Historical Development of Capitalism and Oil in Alberta 65 The Bitumen Boom and the Neoliberal Hegemony in Alberta 83 Neoliberal Consequences 84 Chapter Four: Common Sense Environmentalism and the Bituminous Sands 87 'Tar Sands' and 'Oil Sands': The Propagation of Different Narratives 88 The Construction of Common Sense Environmentalism 98 Conclusion 119 Chapter Five, Part I: Environmental Transformism in Alberta 121 Cases of Environmental Transformism 122 The Project of Hegemonic Authorities 141 IV Chapter Five, Part II: The Repercussions of Environmental Transformism 142 Interpreting Environmental Transformism 142 Identifying Good Sense Environmentalism 145 Lessons for EPE: A Normative Call for Good Sense Environmentalism 147 Appendix A 151 References 152 Press Comment, News Articles, Speeches, Reference and Web Sources 152 Books, Book Chapters, Reports, and Journal Articles 160 Audiovisual, Interactive Sources, Correspondence and Interviews 168 ? LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AEC Alberta Energy Company AERI Alberta Energy Research Institute AIH Alberta Industrial Heartland BP British Petroleum Bpd Barrels per day CAPP Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CCS Carbon Capture and Storage CEAA Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency CEMA Cumulative Environmental Management Association CERA Cambridge Energy Research Associates CERI Canadian Energy Research Institute CSS Cyclic Steam Stimulation EPE Environmental Political Economy ERCB Energy Resources Conservation Board G8 Group of Eight G20 Group of Twenty GCOS Great Canadian Oil Sands GHG Greenhouse Gas GPP Gross Provincial Product GSC Geological Survey of Canada HBC Hudson's Bay Company IEA International Energy Agency IMF International Monetary Fund IPE International Political Economy MOC Multinational Oil Companies NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement NEB National Energy Board NOSTF National Oil Sands Task Force OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries OSDG Oil Sands Developers Group PAH Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons PR Public Relations RAMP Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program SAGD Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage SCO Synthetic Crude Oil SPP Security and Prosperity Partnership THAI Toe-to-Heel Air Injection ToP Treadmill of Production TRO Tailings Reduction Operations WBEA Wood Buffalo Environmental Association WTO World Trade Organization WWF World Wildlife Fund Vl LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Two Sandy Images 89 Table 2: Major Oil Companies 101 Table 3: Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations 102 Table 4: Banks and Financial Institutions 105 Table 5: Lobbyists and Lobby Groups 107 Table 6: Public Policy Organizations, Think Tanks & Research Institutes 110 Table 7: First Nations 112 Table 8: Labour Organizations and Unions 113 Table 9: Media Journalists, Columnists, and Reporters 114 Table 10: Recognized Analysts, Experts, and Intellectuals 115 Table 11: Political Society 117 VIl LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1: Map of Alberta's Bituminous Deposits ? Figure 2: Location of Surface Mining and In Situ Projects 24 Vili LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A: Sample Interview Questions 151 IX Figure 1: Map ofAlberta's Bituminous Deposits «¦Vc# t 1\ rs t*bï Reprinted with permission (Energy Resources Conservation Board 2009, 2-1]. ? PROLOGUE The Many Sands These enviro scribblers carefully use the word 'tar' and scornfully demonize it as 'dirty oil/ as if it were some kind of devil's brew and not that sweet golden syrup coming from the Middle East that we lovingly refine and pump into our Priuses. - Writer Alistair Sweeny (Sweeny 2010a). Three massive deposits of bitumen have been identified in Northern Alberta. Each of these reserves lies underneath a large swath