Developing Alberta S Oil Sands

Alberta's oil sands represent a vast and untapped oil reserve that could reasonably supply all of Canada's energy needs for the next 475 years. With an estimated 300 billion barrels of recoverable oil at stake, the quest to develop this natural resource has been undertaken by many powerful actors, both nationally and internationally. Using research that integrates the economic, political, scientific, and business factors that have been influential in discovering and developing the sands, this book provides a comprehensive history of the oil sands project and a window on the nature of the complex relationships between industry, government, and transnational players. This book is the first comprehensive volume that examines the origins and development of the oil sands industry over the last century.

Albertas oil sands represent a vast and untapped oil reserve that could reasonably supply all of Canadas energy needs for the next 475 years. This book is the first comprehensive volume that examines the origins and development of the oil sands industry over the last century.

When it comes to future reliable oil supplies, Canada¿s oil sands will likely account for a greater share of U.S. oil imports. In 2008 oil sands accounted for 46% of Canada¿s total oil production and oil sands production is increasing as conventional oil production declines. Since 2004, when a substantial portion of Canada¿s oil sands were deemed economic, Canada has ranked second behind Saudi Arabia in oil reserves. As oil sands production in Canada is predicted to increase to 2.8 million barrels per day by 2015, environ. issues are a cause for concern. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) World Oil Sands Reserves and Resources: What Are Oil Sands?; U.S. and Canada Oil Sand Resources; (3) History of Development. Charts and tables.

Covers the research - private, scholarly, and government - that went into developing the oil sands.

Tar Sands critically examines the frenzied development in the Canadian tar sands and the far-reaching implications for all of North America. Bitumen, the sticky stuff that ancients used to glue the Tower of Babel together, is the world’s most expensive hydrocarbon. This difficult-to-find resource has made Canada the number-one supplier of oil to the United States, and every major oil company now owns a lease in the Alberta tar sands. The region has become a global Deadwood, complete with rapturous engineers, cut-throat cocaine dealers, Muslim extremists, and a huge population of homeless individuals. In this award-winning book, a Canadian bestseller, journalist Andrew Nikiforuk exposes the disastrous environmental, social, and political costs of the tar sands, arguing forcefully for change. This updated edition includes new chapters on the most energy-inefficient tar sands projects (the steam plants), as well as new material on the controversial carbon cemeteries and nuclear proposals to accelerate bitumen production.

Canada’s oil sands are an important economic driver and play a growing role in meeting global oil supplies. They contain an estimated 169 billion barrels of bitumen and span an area larger than the three Maritime provinces.

Oil sands are naturally occurring mixtures of sand or clay, water and a thick, heavy type of petroleum called bitumen. Alberta contains the largest concentration of oil sands in the world. This booklet outlines the steps being taken by the Alberta government and industry to develop the oil sands in an environmentally sound way. It presents information on: Alberta's vision for developing one of the world's largest deposits of oil; legislation and policies that protect water, air, land and ecosystems in the oil sands region; steps taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions from oil sands production; and the economic value of this industry across Canada.--Document.