[en] This report was presented by the Standing Committee on Natural Resources to the House of Commons, and discussed issues related to the future of oil sands developments in Canada. An overview of the oil sands industry was provided, with reference to both the economic and geo-political contexts of the industry. Oil sands resources were assessed and Canada's role in the international energy market was discussed. The impact of oil sands on Canada's gross domestic product was evaluated, and recent investment trends in oil sands were reviewed. Issues related to government revenues were also discussed along with challenges to the development and growth of the oil sands industry, such as manpower shortages, high capital costs, and increases in the consumption of natural gas. The environmental impacts of oil sands developments were also examined. The report was divided into 5 chapters, namely: (1) the oil sands; (2) Canada an energy superpower; (3) role of governments; (4) the economic benefits of oil sands; and (5) challenges. A list of policy recommendations was included

[en] The objective of this project is to provide the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with information to confirm or establish spent fuel dry storage licensing positions relative to: (1) the long-term, low-temperature (less than 250₀C) behavior of spent fuel rods in dry storage; and (2) the radioactive contamination potential of crud from cladding in dry storage. The basic need for this data is to: confirm long-term, low temperature (less than 250₀C) spent fuel dry storage performance predictions based on theoretical analyses and on results from high-temperature, short-term laboratory tests; determine the nature and behavior of crud layers as a function of dry storage time; and determine the potential radioactive crud contamination (e.g., spalling characteristics) for dry storage. An eight-rod test matrix of PWR and BWR rods was chosen which consisted of all combinations of intact or breached cladding in an oxidizing or inert atmosphere. The PWR rods (30.5 GWD/MTU) were discharged from H.B. Robinson in May 1974, and the BWR rods (12.9 GWD/MTU) were discharged from Peach Bottom in March 1976. The eight test rods were visually inspected for crud and defects with the results recorded on video tape. Cladding penetration was confirmed. All the rods were put in test capsules with the appropriate atmosphere and leak checked. The test capsules were loaded into a test train and the train was placed in the furnace cavity. The test was started on September 15, 1982 and is presently at 230₀C. After the first 10-month run is completed, an interim examination, consisting of visual inspection, gamma scanning, and crud sampling, will be conducted

[en] The McArthur River underground uranium mine is the world's largest high-grade uranium deposit. This mine, which is located in northern Saskatchewan and began operations in 1999, is jointly owned by Cameco Corporation (70%) and by the Areva subsidiary COGEMA Resources Inc. (30%). Early in the planning and environmental assessment stages for this project, the need for a well-articulated waste rock management plan was identified. Waste rock can prove to be one of, if not the largest long-term potential liability of any mine. Mine site decommissioning costs can be a significant part of the total liability if not properly managed. Proper management of waste rock is instrumental in developing and operating a mine using sustainable development principles. The McArthur River plan required that a process be developed to classify the various categories of waste rock with reasonable precision and that, where possible, waste rock be used for valued added purposes. The plan also requires that waste rock storage areas be designed to minimize environmental impacts. This paper summarizes the McArthur River waste rock management plan along with the benefits that have been derived from its use. (author)

[en] The paper summarises SEPA's current programme of water quality and biological effects monitoring and, using recent examples, discusses the current environmental issues affecting the condition of our coastal waters. (author)

[en] Multiple economic and geologic factors are driving fundamental changes in the nation’s energy system, weakening coal’s dominance as a fuel for electricity generation, with significant implications for places like West Virginia that are heavily dependent on coal for economic activity. Some of these factors include low natural gas prices, rising labor costs and declining productivity, economic competition with other coal mining regions, environmental regulations to reduce pollution and safeguard public health, state energy efficiency and renewable electricity standards, falling costs of renewable energy resources like wind and solar, and the likely prospect of future limits on greenhouse gas emissions. This analysis uses an input–output model to examine the effects on West Virginia’s economy from these multiple factors by exploring a range of scenarios for coal production through 2020. In addition to changes in the coal industry, hypothetical investments in additional sectors of the economy are considered as a way to gauge potential alternative economic opportunities. This paper offers recommendations to policymakers for alternative economic development strategies needed to create new jobs and diversify the state’s economy, and highlights the importance of transition assistance at the federal level. (paper)

[en] Coherent, subsurface, mesoscale vortices called meddies are occasionally formed as salty water flows out from the mediterranean Sea into the North Atlantic. The life history of meddies is of interest to oceanographers for at least two different reasons. The first is to observe and assess their role in the lateral dispersion of heat and salt. A second reason for studying meddy is that it may be viewed as an isolated deep water laboratory with its own dynamics, whose mixing behaviour over an extended period of time may be compared with the estimated changes from smaller scale processes