Energy Minister Mel Knight made a speech last week and cleared up some common misconceptions about the Oil sands
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1) incomplete if it starts with the term "tar sands."
- some say this is just about P.R. or spin. Let's be frank: we're producing oil, not tar.
2) incomplete: "ripping up areas the size of Florida."
- Oil sands lay below an area that size.
- 80% developed in situ.
3) incomplete: "destroying the boreal forest."
- Alberta's boreal forest covers more than 147,000 square miles.
- The entire mineable area-less than 1% of the forest. And less than 1/6th of THAT has been disturbed to date.
- Reclamation requirements.
4) incomplete: "depleting fresh water resources to produce oil"
- Up to 90% of water is recycled; saline/non-potable water used whenever possible
- Strict limits on water withdrawals from the river.
5) incomplete: "development is contaminating rivers putting people and the habitat at risk"
- Athabasca River probably one of the most tested water bodies in the world.
- Testing has shown rivers adjacent to oil sands projects have lower contaminant levels than other rivers in the region with no industrial oil sands activity near them.
- River "cuts through" the oil sands area. Bitumen naturally present on banks and in the river.
6) incomplete: oil sands 3-5 times more carbon intensive than conventional oil.
- Only looking at the production side.
- "wells-to-wheels"- less carbon intensive than Venezuelan and comparable to oil that is shipped over from the Middle East. Stack up to California Heavy Oil.
- Important that a low-carbon fuel standard consider this full cycle-don't want special treatment; just a level playing field.
- Oil sands not even the largest source of CO2 emissions in Alberta (coal-fired electricity). - Perspective: entire country of Canada is 2% of world emissions; oil sands less than 5% of that (so oil sands 1/10 of 1% of world emissions).
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