The Tar Sands are one of the dirtiest & most energy intensive sources of oil today. Extraction leads to destruction of Boreal forest, environmental injustice, water scarcity, & global warming instability and more (see more details below)! With proven reserves of 175 billion barrels, the tar sands are second only to Saudi Arabia in available oil supply. They will play a major role in North America’s Energy future if we don’t speak up and call for development to stop.
“For every barrel of oil they extract there, they have to use enough natural gas to heat a family’s home for four days. And they have to tear up four tons of landscape, all for one barrel of oil. It is truly nuts.” –Al Gore on the tar sands
The time to set a new vision for Alberta’s energy policy is now! Join the Sierra Club of Canada in our call for a moratorium on new developments in Alberta’s tar sands, and demand that the government of Alberta create and safe energy future that we can all live with!
Read on for more on the Tar Sands and how to take action
The Tar Sands have been a major factor in the push for the development of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. The pipeline will impact 3500 kilometres of pristine arctic land in order to get relatively clean-burning natural gas down from the arctic to fuel the tar sands’ rapid pace of development. It is also rumoured that government is considering the use of nuclear energy to fuel tar sands production.
view pics of the destruction here
Tar Sands development means…
Boreal forest destruction
When all the tar sands are developed, they will destroy an area of northern Alberta the size of Florida. In over 40 years of production, not a single piece of land has been reclaimed or restored to government standards by tar sands companies.
Global warming acceleration
As one of the dirtiest oil projects in the world, the tar sands are the single largest contributor to Canada’s growing global warming pollution and are one of the main reasons the Canadian government refuses to meet its international obligations to fight the climate crisis.
Environmental injustice
Indigenous and Northern communities downstream are being poisoned by toxic water and fumes.
Water scarcity
Mining of the tar sands takes valuable water resources permanently out of the hydrological cycle and creates toxic wastewater, which is stored in massive tailings ponds. If combined, the volume of water in these “ponds” would be the third-largest dammed body of water in the world.
Community instability
Surrounding communities are being hit by social issues like escalating housing costs, increased rates of drug and alcohol abuse, highest rates of suicide in young man in Canada, and labour shortages in critical employment areas like health care, and education.
Energy exports
Seventy percent of the crude oil being extracted from the tar sands is sent straight south to the USA.
Tar sands development impacts us all! Speak out!
The time to set a new vision for Alberta’s energy policy is now! Join the Sierra Club of Canada in our call for a moratorium on new developments in Alberta’s tar sands, and demand that the government of Alberta create and safe energy future that we can all live with!
All YOU need to do is…
1. Send an email to the Alberta Government.
The Alberta government is wrapping up the final rounds of public hearings to determine the future of the Alberta tar sands. Let them know that the world is watching and send them your thoughts. Tell them to declare a MORATORIUM on the tar sands now!
There is a draft email below with some of the demands we have made. Please make edits and add your thoughts. For more info on the hearings, and other options being considered – visit the consultations website at www.oilsandsconsultations.gov.ab.ca and download the proposed options paper (on the right hand tool bar).
Send your email to oilsandsconsultations@gov.ab.ca and send a copy to Premier Ed Stelmach at premier@gov.ab.ca
2. Call the Premier
Call Premier Ed Stelmach and let him know you want a tar sands time out! He’d love to hear from you!
Call him at (780) 427-2251 in Edmonton or toll-free from anywhere in Alberta by dialing
310-0000 followed by (780) 427-2251!
The Honourable Ed Stelmach
Premier of Alberta
Email: premier@gov.ab.ca
Fax: (780) 427-1349
Phone: (780)427-2251
Oil Sands Strategy – Multi-stakeholder Committee
Vance MacNichol – Committee Chair
Email: oilsandsconsultations@gov.ab.ca
Alberta’s tar sands are one of the biggest social and ecological challenges in North America, fueling climate change, destroying the northern boreal forest, and drying up our mighty rivers. As development continues at an alarming rate, concerns are growing over the impacts on communities and the environment.
Climate change is global issue and it is imperative that Alberta recognizes its obligation to meet internationally agreed standards for green house gas emission reductions. I recommend that government immediately legislate greenhouse reduction targets to reduce emissions from the tar sands to 6% lower than 1990 levels by 2012 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020.
The First Nations of Alberta have called for an regional cumulative effects study to be completed on their lands. These are the communities that are most impacted by development, and their traditional rights must be respected. I recommend that this study be done immediately and that a moratorium on future approvals be enacted until:
a) The study is complete;
b) Precautionary limits that will protect human and ecosystem health are identified;
c) Legislation based on the finding is in place to ensure that any development protects ecosystem and social sustainability.
Areas of significant impact must be included in this study to make it meaningful and comprehensive. The intended upgrader expansion in the greater Edmonton area and proposed pipelines and power export lines to the US must be considered.
Alberta has an opportunity to help ensure a safe and just energy future. Listen to the people here and around the world and stop new development until there is a plan in place to protect our future.
I expect a response to my concerns.
Yours truly
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here’s a comment from a citizen in Florida:
I read your post on tar sands, but it would not allow comments. I was
going to comment that the Alberta Tar Sands issue sounds a lot like the oil
shale issue in the US: lots of oil, but do we want to tear up several
states (CO, WY, UT, etc) to get it? Of course the fact that they are
extracting at all indicates higher oil prices in the long term and greater
opportunities for alternatives.
It is a very informative website. Best wishes to the group in reducing
carbon.
Sincerely,
Robert S. Margolis, PE
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
(561) 632-9170
I too have been writing about and researching the shameful display of greed and ignorance by the Canadian Government and their (oil) or tar sands project.
I totally encourage and support a moratorium on any further development of the tar-sands in Alberta.
One note I would like to clarify a point you made regarding the flow of the river, it does not flow south. The Athabaska River which is being contaminated on a daily basis runs north-ward up towards the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic. It is the indigenous peoples living north of the tar-sands along the Athabaska River which will be paying the price if we do not put a stop to this madness.
I like what you have to say and totally agree with your premise, I will be adding you to my blogroll.
Keep the faith!
We can fight this if we all take a stand!