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Canadian Boom, Environmental Bust: the Tar Sands of Alberta

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Canadian Boom, Environmental Bust: the Tar Sands of Alberta University of Hawai‘i at Hilo · Hawai‘i Community College HOHONU 2012 Vol. 10 production from this area is about 1.3 mb/d and is Canadian Boom, Environmental projected to reach 3 mb/d by 2018 (Timoney & Ronconi, Bust: The Tar Sands of Alberta 2010, p. 569; Schindler, 2010, p. 500). Christina Blakey, [email protected] To depths of up to 75m, strip mining takes Political Science 335, Fall 2011, UHH place. First the forest must be cut, muskeg drained and overburden removed to reveal the oil sands, and “Resources are not, they become.” then the ground is excavated (Ruby, 2010, p. 28). The – Erich Zimmermann clumps of tar sands are then brought by massive trucks to a crusher where it is combined with warm water, The high price of oil has made the tar sands (also chemicals and turbulence to release the bitumen which known as “oil sands”) of Alberta a viable, and profitable, is then separated from the tailings (Gray et al., 2009, p. source of petroleum for Canada. There is a consensus 32). At depths beyond 75m, steam-injection wells are that the days of “easy oil” are over; this, coupled with the drilled which heats the bitumen to 250 °C to lower the rising global demand for fossil fuels, has paved the way viscosity enough to pump the oil to the surface; the for Canada to capitalize on their resource – one that was heating process can take several days (Gray et al., p. once thought too costly to extract on a large scale. This 34-35). Both of these techniques pose unique problems. turn of events is an economic windfall for Canada, and The strip-mining and extraction process requires about the U.S., with its voracious appetite, is poised to benefit 3 barrels of water for every barrel of bitumen produced from the friendly influx of oil. However, there are many (Schindler, 2010, p. 500), which results in a toxic sludge. in America who would stand in the way of this (and the Some of this water can be recycled, but for the most part proposed Keystone XL pipeline), and there are many it ends up in the tailing ponds, and Natural Resources more who vehemently oppose the tar sand extraction Canada admits that the projected production of 3.3 mb/d process as a whole due to serious environmental by 2020 will require an amount of water “that would concerns. These concerns, which include pollution, not be sustainable because the Athabasca River does health issues (including cancer) of local people, water not have sufficient flows” (as cited in Nikiforuk, 2008). and energy usage in the extraction process, greenhouse The steam-injection, or in situ, extraction process uses gas emissions, deforestation, habitat loss, and wildlife far less water, but the energy required to heat the oil is mortality, have been a source of contentious debate. significant. Natural gas is the current fuel of choice for Despite these protestations, the infrastructure is in place, this process, which Nikiforuk likens to “burning a Picasso billions have been invested, and billions more stand for heat” (as cited in Ruby, 2010, p. 28). Regardless, there to be made from Alberta’s oil sands. Canada will sell are plans to build a pipeline from hundreds of kilometers to whoever will buy – if the U.S. does not approve the away to transport the gas to the site. While this may Keystone XL pipeline then TransCanada will build one seem unreasonable, the other options are far worse – west through British Columbia and sell to China. In coal would produce far more greenhouse gases, and the lieu of a cleaner, cheaper (or actually, more profitable) possibility of using nuclear energy to create heat would alternative, the U.S. looks for ways to secure her energy create even more problems with waste. Despite this future and it seems importing Alberta’s oil sands is an fact, some politicians in Alberta are strong proponents inevitable fate. of expanding into nuclear power to fuel the tar sands Between 50 and 100 million years ago, underneath operations (Pasqualetti, 2009, p. 258). As it stands now the Rocky Mountains, crude oil from shale was released the current extraction processes of bitumen leaves a and found its way east and north into sedimentary sand heavy carbon footprint. Farrell and Brandt published deposits, and thus, these Alberta tar sands were formed in 2007 that “the extraction and refining of oil sands (Gray, Xu & Masliyah, 2009, p. 32). Centuries before produces 30-70% more greenhouse gas emissions than European contact, aboriginal peoples of northeastern conventional oil production” (as cited in Tenenbaum, Alberta were aware of, and utilized, the area’s tar sands 2009, p. 155). In 2020 it is predicted that production of for such tasks as repairing canoes (Weinhold, 2011, bitumen from the oil sands will be more than 3 mb/d; if p. 119; Atkins & MacFayden, 2008, p. 78). As early as true then the output of CO2 will increase from 30 million 1800 Europeans noted the existence of these tar sands, tons (2004) to 95 million tons (2020) (Pasqualetti, 2009, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that a way to extract the p. 257). bitumen was discovered, and this method, using aerated Strip mining and the bitumen extraction process hot water, was commercialized in the 1960s (Gray et al., produce tailings, which is a mixture of water, clay, residual 2009, p. 32). Now that nonconventional sources of oil hydrocarbons, brine, silts and sands (Chalaturnyk, Scott such as tar sands can feasibly be extracted and brought & Ozum, 2002, p. 1025). Also included in the mix are to market, Canada has the world’s second largest proven a number of toxic chemicals and metals, including reserve of oil with over 170 billion barrels recoverable naphthenic acids, benzene, arsenic, lead, chromium (Atkins & MacFayden, 2008, p. 77; Gray et al., 2009, p. and mercury (Weinhold, 2011, p. 129). There is concern 31; Kasoff, 2007, p. 177), all lying underneath 140,000 about seepage into adjacent waterways that lie directly km² of boreal forest (Tenenbaum, 2009, p. 151). Current alongside the mining sites and ponds. Many studies have 14 University of Hawai‘i at Hilo · Hawai‘i Community College HOHONU 2012 Vol. 10 been done that directly contradict one another; David that the actual amount is probably far greater (as cited Schindler, an ecologist with the University of Alberta, in Tenenbaum, 2009, p. 153). Timoney also noted that points out the lack of solid scientific testing and thus Fort Chipewyan is situated in a depositional basin where formed a research group of experts to test the waters toxic chemicals and metals settle and accumulate in the of the Athabasca River. While the industry claims that sediment. According to the study Cancer Incidence in Fort contaminants in the river are naturally occurring due Chipewyan, Alberta, 1995-2006, “the number of cancer to normal bitumen leakage from the surrounding lands, cases overall was higher than expected,” but went on to Schindler’s team found that “industry added substantially note that this could be due to many contributing factors to the natural contaminant loading” (2010, p. 501). and deemed further study was necessary (Alberta Cancer However, industry tests generally show that there is little Board, 2009, p. 10). However, as the people inhabiting to no seepage at all, but readily admit that eventually this area rely on fish as their major source of protein, it the ponds must be reclaimed which has resulted in a should be noted that adult fish caught downstream of “long-term environmental concern” (Ferguson, Rudolph these tar sands operations have been found with lesions, & Barker, 2009, p. 1459). deformities, and cancerous tumors (Schindler, 2010, p. Tailing ponds pose a threat to more than just 500; Tenenbaum, 2009, p. 154). waterways. These large ponds appear no different to migrating birds than any other bodies of water, and despite industry-instituted deterrents such as “floating and beach effigies, propane scare cannons, and sound-producing systems” (Timoney & Ronconi, 2010, p. 569), birds still land in the ponds, become soiled, and many die. As the tar sands industry expands so will the size and number of these ponds which lie along key migration routes. The National Resources Defense Council projected that, with expansion, the cumulative amount of bird deaths will range from 6 to 166 million in the next 30-50 years, with no practical mitigation measures yet known (as cited in Pasqualetti, 2009, p. 258). It should be noted that currently there are 65 square miles of tailing ponds (National Resources Source: HIS CERA, CAPP Defense Council et al., 2011, p. 5). However, migrating waterfowl are not the only wildlife which are potentially The energy company TransCanada proposed disrupted by tailing ponds and the mining operations in 2008 to extend the current Keystone pipeline from as a whole. Deforestation and land degradation can Alberta to the Gulf Coast where there are refineries affect the biodiversity of the entire region by interrupting capable of processing the bitumen into usable fuel. This connectivity between habitats. These disturbances alter addition would increase the amount of oil imported movement of species such as the woodland caribou from Canada from 720 million barrels to nearly a billion (Rangifer tarandus caribou), which in turn affects barrels annually (an estimated increase of 255 million migration, foraging and reproductive behaviors, all of barrels of oil) (Guarino, 2011). There have been protests which may lead to the loss of ecosystem function (Ruby, and many outspoken opponents about this pipeline, 2010, p. 28; Sherrington, 2005, pp. 80-81). focusing on the potential environmental impacts.
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