Alberta Tar Sands

Synopsis

Alberta's tar sands contain the world's 2nd largest bitumen deposits in 3 areas. The bitumen must be mined or "cooked" out of the sand, and intensively processed (upgraded) to become usable petroleum products - which results in large greenhouse gas emissions, and water, land and air pollution. First Nations, environmentalists, and other groups advocate cleaning up, ramping down, and even shutting down the tar sands. Industry, and the gov’ts of Alberta and Canada intend to increase production.

Category Energy

Type Energy Group

Prov AB SK

Region Northern

Posted 29Oct09

Updated 02Mar12

Status Active

Includes these hotspots:

Tar Sands - Beaver Lake Cree

Tar Sands - Save the Caribou Lawsuit

Northern Gateway Pipelines

Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion

Contacts

PROVINCIAL
REGIONAL

Greenpeace, www.greenpeace.ca, 800-320-7183
- Mike Hudema, Climate and energy campaigner, 780-504-5601
- Jessica Wilson, Media and public relations officer, 778-228-5404

Pembina Institute's Oil Sands Watch, Simon Dyer, Director, email form, www.oilsandswatch.org, 403-721-3937

GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES

Alberta Energy, email form, www.energy.gov.ab.ca, 780-427-0265

More information

Locations

Alberta Energy oil sands pages

Alberta Geological Survey

A map of tar sands projects

Markets for the tar sands are at present almost completely constrained to the continental United States. Industry, Canadian and Albertan governments would like to expand available markets, particularly to California and Asia, and to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico where ready access to Atlantic markets become available.

Access to Asia via western ports is focussed on two pipeline projects, Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipelines through Kitimat, and Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX) proposals through Vancouver.

Access to the Gulf of Mexico is via expansion and new pipelines proposed by both Enbridge and TransCanada. In particular, TransCanada's Keystone XL has become a flashpoint of resistance in the United States to the tar sands, with the necessary federal government approvals being delayed by the White House so that President Obama can avoid taking sides on Keystone until after the November 2012 election.