What is a benefit of obtaining tar sands from Canada?
What is a benefit of obtaining tar sands from Canada?
It provides a localized economic benefit. This has helped the US become less dependent on OPEC products, provided an economic boon for Canada, and provided communities in Alberta with numerous jobs that wouldn’t be present if the tar sands were not being harvested.
How do tar sands affect the government?
Bitumen can be extracted using two methods, depending on how deep the deposits are below the surface. About 20 percent of the oil sands resource is within 75 metres (250 feet) of the surface and can be accessed through conventional mining.
What are the pros and cons of tar sand?
- Very large supply. Second largest oil field in the world.
- Economically recoverable at today’s oil prices.
- Will help keep oil prices relatively low.
- Enormous growth potential.
- Big economic driver in Alberta.
- Stable source country (a rarity for oil)
- GHG emissions could potentially be minimized through CCS.
What are tar sands in Canada?
Canada’s oil sands are the largest deposit of crude oil on the planet. The oil sands (or tar sands as they are sometimes inaccurately referred to), are a mixture of sand, water, clay and a type of oil called bitumen.
How good are oilsands?
The responsible development of oil sands is a key driver of Alberta’s and Canada’s economy. It creates jobs and tax revenue for government which support the social programs and capital infrastructure projects we rely on.
Where are the Canadian tar sands located?
northeastern Alberta
The Athabasca oil sands, also known as the Athabasca tar sands, are large deposits of bitumen or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern Alberta, Canada – roughly centred on the boomtown of Fort McMurray.
Is the oil industry right about the tar sands?
And the fact is, the oil industry and Harper government, though late out of the gate, have been highly effective at marginalizing the term “tar sands” and those who use it as left-wing nuts and out-of-touch tree-huggers. I’m not saying they’re objectively right about this.
How dependent will the world be on tar sands?
Dependence on tar sands may just prolong the inevitable. At current oil consumption rates, the reserves that are found in the global supply of tar sands will last for about 2 more generations.
How much does it cost to extract petroleum from tar sands?
The extraction and refining processes related to tar sands cost companies mining tar sands in Canada approximately $27 per barrel. However, despite the extraction costs of oil from tar sands, in today’s current market, with the purchase price of oil at $80 per barrel, the production of petroleum from tar sands is…
How much toxic waste is in Alberta’s tar sands?
For every barrel of tar sands oil extracted from the boreal, 1.5 barrels of liquid waste containing lead, mercury, arsenic, and other chemicals are added to northern Alberta’s open tailings ponds. Today these unlined ponds — roughly 20 of them —hold more than 300 billion gallons of toxic waste in an area the size of Manhattan and Boston combined.
