tar sands & keystone xl ryan salmon coordinator for climate and energy policy national wildlife...
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Tar Sands &Keystone XL
Ryan SalmonCoordinator for Climate and Energy Policy
National Wildlife Federation
1. Impacts of tar sands on wildlife, water and communities in Canada.
2. Potential impacts along the pipeline right of way and at the refinery.
3. Implications for America’s energy future and climate change.
What are tar sands?• Tar sands are a mixture of
sand, silt, clay, water and bitumen.
• Bitumen is separated from the rest of the substrate through an energy and water-intensive process.
Suncor Energy Inc.
• Alberta’s tar sands are the second largest petroleum reserve in the world – 170 billion barrels
• They are concentrated in 3 deposits that underlie an area of over 54,000 square miles – approximately the size of Florida.
• Over 32,000 square miles or 60% of this area has been leased for extraction through surface mining or in situ techniques.
David Dodge
Surface Mining
• Used to access deposits less than 250 feet below the surface.
• To date, over 240 square miles of boreal forest have been disturbed. Peter Essick
Separation and Upgrading• Producing tar sands
emits 3 times the greenhouse gases of conventional oil.
• Requires large amounts of natural gas and water. NWF
In Situ Extraction• Used to access deposits
more than 250 feet below the surface.
• Most future extraction will use in situ techniques.
• Higher greenhouse gas emissions than mining. Suncor Energy Inc.
Tailings Ponds• A toxic byproduct of tar
sands extraction.• Cover about 65 square
miles – about the area of Washington, D.C.
• Leak an estimated billion gallons per year into the local environment.
NWF
Impacts on Wildlife and Communities
• Wildlife mortality• Fish abnormalities• High cancer rates
in First Nation communities
CAPP
Impacts AlongKeystone XL• Yellowstone and
Missouri Rivers• Prairie Potholes• Ogallala Aquifer• Platte River• Neches River
BLM
Impacts at the Refinery• Tar sands are higher in
sulfur, nitrogen, and trace metals than conventional oil.
• More pollution in communities surround the refineries that the pipeline would service.
AP
Implications for America’s Energy Future and Climate Change
• Lock in a high-carbon fuel supply far into the future and encourage expansion of the tar sands.
• Undermine U.S. efforts to transition to a clean energy economy.
• Send the wrong signal to the global community about U.S. leadership on climate change.
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2039
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
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5,000
Forecast Alberta Oil Supply &U.S. Pipeline Capacity
Total Alberta Supply
Linear (Total Alberta Supply)
Exports to the U.S.
Linear (Exports to the U.S. )
Capacity With Proposed Keystone XL
Capacity With Alberta Clipper
Capacity With Keystone and Cush-ing Extension
Previous Pipeline Capacity
Year
Barr
els
Per
Day (
Thousands)
GHG Emissions
• On a well-to-tank basis, emissions from Canadian tar sands crude would be about 82% greater than conventional crude.
• At 900,000 bpd, well to tank emissions from the project would be 27 MMtCO2e.
• Equivalent to emissions from 7 coal-fired power plants.
EPA Comments on Keystone XL DEIS
“The tar sands of Canada constitute one of our planet’s greatest threats.”
James Hansen
There Are Better Alternatives
