TAR SANDS

Introduction
Energy is everything. Form the microscopic phytoplankton off to coast of Brazil feeding on cold nutrients and sunlight to the fuel propelling NASAs Aqua satellite which monitors the planktons expansion. Contemplating our local settings, we see this need for energy in our mechanical creations. This necessity for power has created a global network of energy transfer. Like the hungry phytoplankton, we have used this energy (albeit often not solar) as quickly as we can suck it out of the ground or push it through turbines. In our frenzy we have overstretched our capacity to provide for generations to come. Therefore we are in a constant search for alternatives, some quite inspired, others merely desperate. This paper explores one of these alternatives in an effort to determine whether it is one of the genius developments of the century or the frantic attempt to fuel an ever growing population.

The Basics

Here you can see the dark strip of tar sand, which is undoubtedly going to be exploited by the tar sands processing facility seen on the left edge of the photo. This is Asphalt Ridge located near Vernal, Utah.

Millions upon millions of years ago the Earth was as nice and toasty as climate scientist project it to become in the next two centuries. Phytoplankton, algae, and other abundant varieties of plants blanketed the planet. Fast forward to the present day and all of that green has been compressed under high temperatures and folded miles beneath the surface. We call that oil and coal. Weve been using this powerful soup of decayed plant matter quite rapidly, and people are beginning to fear that we are running out as well as roasting the planet while were at it. Ill get to that side a little later, but the point here is that if we plan to continue living as we have for the past sixty years we need to produce more of this type of energy. Tar sands could provide a portion of that. The EPA defines tar sands as a "swamp-like deposit of a mixture of fine clay, sand, water, and variable amounts of tar-like heavy oil known as bitumen. Bitumen can be extracted from tar sand by heating. It can then be purified and upgraded to synthetic crude oil. And while tar sands is found in bogs, it is also found layered between the very dry and crumbly rocks of Eastern Utah. Utahs tar sands are called oil-wet, meaning only oil is found in the pores of rocks, unlike water-wet, which contains both water and oil. (Oil Sands Technology)

According to MCW Energy Group and U.S. Oil Sands, the process of obtaining this unconventional black gold can be accomplished in two ways. If the sands are located near enough to the surface companies often employ the processes of open-pit mining, which basically means stripping layer upon layer of earth away (formally known as overburden) until the sands are reached. The bitumen is removed and hopefully the area is restored.

The locations of tar sands locations within Utah (in orange). Tar sands are also found in Wyoming and Colorado.

The other process, in situ steam injection, is used to access tar sands too deep to dig up. Simplified, this process pushes hot steam and chemicals into the rock layer containing the bitumen and then sucks out the subsequently melted tar. The final step sends the gooey sands through a process of refining, wherein the sands are crushed and heated in water. The desirable oil floats to the top where it is removed and processed into crude oil. The slimy black fluids might even end up in your gas tank. The residual from the waste is either hazardous and must be stored indefinitely in tailing ponds, or it is treated and recycled or returned to the land.

The Land of Moving Earth

Nowhere on Earth is more earth being Utahs Green River Formation, itd be the pocket of water-wet tar sands moved these days pancaked under the boreal forests of Mid-West Canada and plains of than in the Northern Montana and North Dakota. The oil sands and oil shale industry Athabasca Valley
If you were an oil sands company your first choice wouldnt be has boomed in both Alberta and North Dakota, and National Geographics Scraping Bottom writes that Canadian oil reserves are second only to Saudi Arabia. The oil is so ample that natural gas vented from the fracking in North Dakota is worthless in comparison. So worthless, in fact, that the gas is burned instead of sold, and the light from the flames can be seen from space. Whats more, in economic terms its a slam dunk to refine the sands, says David Keith, energy and physicist expert at the University of Calgary. (Kunzig) However, turning the problem over, youll find tailing ponds the size of lakes, toxic sludge seeping into the Athabasca river, and a process that releases 3 to 5 times more greenhouse gases per barrel than is released in the extraction and production of conventional oil. (Miller and Spoolman) Not to mention boom-and-bust cycles and the stripping of hundreds of thousands of acres of pristine boreal forests.

Legalities
A number of laws and legal actions have shaped the fate of tar sands. In 2008, following the regulations set by the National Environmental Policy Act, the BLM prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating the land projected to be directly and indirectly affected by tar sands mining. Its release brought about two lawsuit filed by twelve environmentalist organizations. They sued over a failure to 1) ensure the public receives a fair return for leasing federal land to oil production and 2) failure to consider a broader range of environmental impacts. The groups won the case, and the BLM conducted a second programmatic EIS (PEIS). (Earth Justice) However, the BLM did have the authority to issue combined hydrocarbon leases in tarsand rich deposit sites under the Combined Hydrocarbon Leasing Act. ( Bureau of Land Management )

The Game
The struggle between protecting the wild lands of Eastern Utah and oil extraction has evolved into a strategic game between two very passionate forces. It consists of wild spirited environmentalists and adventurous energy companies, with federal agencies playing referee and the unfortunate public as the football.

Stake-in-the-Ground Holders
Four companies form the oil sands team. MCW Energy Group, U.S. Oil Sands, and Red Leaf Resources are Canadian companies with some experience in the business and are looking to expand. The final team member is U.S. based Crown Asphalt Ridge LCC. Each is looking to secure thousands of acres of land in order to extract tar sands.
Barrels of oil per year (billions)

Their efforts are largely supported by the state legislature and most citizens. Alberta has set something of a track record. The process is tested, the oil is very marketable, and the earnings are alluring. Beyond using the oil for gasoline,

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it can also be used for the production of asphalt, jet fuel, and value-added chemicals, according to the Department of Energys fact sheet on U.S. tar sands. Foreign dependency has also arose as a motivator. Tar sands could be a step towards domestic energy, with an estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil. (Fact Sheet: U. S. Tar Sands Potential ) Although this is only enough oil to get Americans through about a year and a half of consumption, if used wisely it could be a viable source, especially since most of Utahs energy comes from coal,
Shown is the approximate oil consumption of Americans (orange) and the amount of oil tar sands would contribute over 50 years (grey). It is an adapted version of a chart showing the oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Miller and Spoolman)

which emits much more CO2 than oil sands. (Kunzig) Development of tar sands also offers economic stimulus. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) estimates that a single tar sands facility would produce 1,925 jobs during the peak construction year, and $113 million in income During commercial production, 763 employees would be required producing $45 million in income. Multiply that by four companies and you have quite a boom.

The Stake-in-Hand Holders

You also have the perfect recipe for quite a bust, which seems to plague all mineral and fossil fuel extraction. Perhaps it can be accounted to finite reserves leading to unmaintainable jobs. Tar sands also endanger thousands of acres of wildlife habitat and the health of communities wild and civilized alike. The environmentalist team is championed by four organizations. Utah Tar Sands Resistance and Before it Starts deal specifically with protesting tar sands. Peaceful Uprising and Deep Green Resistance ambiguously state that they exist to create a healthy world, and are not specific to any single cause, but both have vested interests in Utah tar sands. Many other NGOs have dedicated resources and time to the cause, but are not as heavily involved. These are small groups of hardy people. Some of them live in the affected area, and others have never even seen the Green River Formation. They are held together by a common respect and devotion to the land, wishing to protect the habitats and natural services occurring in those areas. To environmentalists Alberta is the ideal nightmare. Resistance has become futile as multimillion companies and corporations dominate the region. The consequences result in millions of acres of life sustaining boreal forests cleared, uncountable organisms killed, and thousands of human lives endangered by toxic mine drainage, tarry and sooty air, and boom-and-bust cycles which constantly shake local economies. Therefore it is understandable why environmentalists are

so passionate about this issue. They act with a sense of desperation and urgency, fearing that their public land may be facing such a fate. They are radical; frustrated by the uphill battle that seems unfairly graded. In the words of Simon Dryer of the Pembina Institute, oil sands represent a decision point for North America and the world. (Kunzig) Our traditional fuels appear to be in danger of running out. Now weve come upon a chance to expand our reserves and prolong the availability of fossil fuels. The question we face is whether we are willing to engage in such destructive and inefficient practices to suck up the last of our black gold. Environmentalist are concerned that the decision point rests in Utah, specifically with the PR Springs Mine. (Wilbert) So they fight with an almost kamikaze ferocity its do or die.

Voicing for the Earth

The oil companies with a web site state that their technologies are environmentally friendly. U.S. Oil Sands uses a biodegradable, non-toxic solvent derived from citrus products, and claims that the remnants of the refining dont require tailing ponds. U.S. Oil Sands also say (in the same report, no less) that they try to capture as much value from the middlings as possible before discharging to the tailings pond for long-term storage. (Extraction Process ) Two things you should know: 1) middlings are an ore product somewhere between a concentrate and a tailing, and 2) a tailing is mining waste product that is often toxic and must be stored in tailing ponds in which the toxic sludge remains in a pit in the ground indefinitely. Just what U.S. Oil Sands is trying to say exactly is up to you to decide. There are many more problems hovering around tar sands extraction. For starters, open pit mining moves tons of earth. Not only does this displace and destroy wildlife, vital cryptobiotic soil, and paleontological sites, it also disrupts natural services. Large mounds of loose dirt are just waiting to be eroded into nearby bodies of water. This results in increased turbidity, or cloudiness due to sediment, which can disturb aquatic species. The mining overburden is also

One barrel of oil can be recovered from about two tons of oil sands.

subjected to wind erosion. Excessive dust harms human health, wildlife, and can also increase the rate of snowmelt. The snow becomes darker when dust settles on it. This increases melting. Quicker snowmelt means less white to reflect sunlight (augmenting global warming) and shorter runoff season in an already water scarce environment. ( Bureau of Land Management ) Speaking of water, tar sands mining can require large volumes of the stuff although modern advances have partly mitigated this issue with smarter technology and recycling processes. However, in such an arid climate the amount of water needed may cause problems for riparian areas and those downstream. There following are several other issues which have been addressed by the BLMs PEIS. The Uintah basin is an area of recreation. Tar sands development will close these areas off to hunters, OHV users, hikers, and bikers. Mining would also create noise, light, and visual pollution that will disrupt wildlife and could irritate nearby towns. Mining results in increased human intrusion into previously virgin lands. The will increase the chance of fires, destruction and defamation of Indian tribal lands and sacred areas, and habitat fragmentation. According to the PEIS, mining the Green River formation endangers 43 plant species and 40 animal species, along with 16 endangered/threatened plant species and 10 endangered/ threatened animal species (including the Canada lynx, California condor, and sage grouse). Fortunately the BLM has decided to preserve the endangered sage grouse habitat and areas with wilderness characteristics, which will undoubtedly help the survival of these species. The tar sands industry has the potential to bring a significant influx of wealth into local communities. They will also inevitably bust the community after the initial few years of boom. These areas may experience a pleasant time of expansion and influx of revenue. But these are small rural towns that have fallen into economic slumps with failing infrastructure and weak economies. Tar sands is a finite resource; itll dry up. These communities cannot survive the guaranteed bust. They will be brought to their knees, while some may not even survive. Those left

will have to face a degraded environment, cancer causing air pollution, water shortages, and the death of the only livelihood that once sustained their communities; ranchers depend on their grazing land to remain largely undisturbed and unpolluted. (Kunzig)

A Harsh Reality
Is there a real solution to the aforementioned problems? Do we choose to place more value on money or the endless and arguably priceless services provided by the natural world? A possible compromise would center on renewable energy. The Uintah basin has the potential to generate geothermal energy, support solar technology, or offer hydroelectric and wind. These alternatives could provide someto-close to the amount

"Are we going to get serious about alternative energy, or are we going to go down the unconventional-oil track? The fact that we're willing to move four tons of earth for a single barrel really shows that the world is running out of easy oil."

of power tar sands presents in the same amount of time it will take to deplete the reserves and even more energy in the long run. The amount of revenue generated would likely be less, as would be the employment opportunities. However, more energy would be going directly to the locals rather than into the pocket of a wealthy and far removed CEO. Unfortunately this friendlier solution probably wont work. Our modern economy places more value on an instant return than on the indefinitely renewable services provided by a parcel of land. Money hold so much value that wed rather extort our planet to the brink of collapse than sacrifice a little revenue for that which makes making money possible. We dont place monetary value on natural services, therefore it will always make more sense economically to exploit the Earth for the goods we desire. The alternatives should be better, but they arent if we choose to place value on money rather than that which money is based on: our planet. The odds stack against a cleaner, greener future too. The good news is that for the time being the BLM has only allowed research, development, and demonstration leases and has cut the previously 2 million acres of available land down to 678,000 acres. ( Bureau of Land

Management ) However, the state largely supports tar sands on the basis of economic expansion. The allure of money is too great for many. The future is undeterminable at the moment. Environmentalist groups plan on wide scale protesting this summer. The BLM is waiting to see if the oil companies can prove responsibility. The history of tar sands foretells of a future flooded with tarry bitumen and acres of land scraped clean and pitted with toxic ponds. The determination of environmentalists and the uncertain decisions within the BLM hint a more muddled future. However the dice are rolled, one thing is certain: the public is at the mercy of those playing the game. We have not determined whether we value black gold over a greener kind. So we have consented to become the football and can only hope that the team that wins is the team with our best interest today as well as tomorrow.

Works Cited
Bureau of Land Management . "2012 Oil Shale and Tar Sands Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement." 24 Aug 2012. 2012 Oil Shale & Tar Sands Programmatic EIS. PDF. 14 May 2013. Bureau of Land Management . "About Tar Sands." 2012. 2012 Oil Shale & Tar Sands Programmatic EIS Information Center. Web. 7 May 2013. Earth Justice. "Fact Sheet: OIl Shale Litigation Settlement Agreements Filed February 15, 2011." n.d. Earth Justice. Earth Justice. PDF. 14 May 2013. "Extraction Process ." n.d. U.S. Oil Sands. Web. 15 May 2013. "Fact Sheet: U. S. Tar Sands Potential ." n.d. UnconventionalFuels.Org. web. 9 May 2013. Kunzig, Robert. "Scraping Bottom." March 2009. National Geographic. Web. 16 May 2013. Miller, G. Tyler and Scott E. Spoolman. "Living in the Environment." Belmont: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, 2012. 378-379. Textbook . "Oil Sands Technology." 2013. MCW Energy Group. Web. 14 May 2013. Wilbert, Max. "Utah - The Next Energy Colony." 26 April 2013. Deep Green Resistance News. Web. 12 May 2013.