Tar Sands

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Tar Sands Keystone XLRyan SalmonCoordinator
for Climate and Energy PolicyNational Wildlife
Federation
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• Impacts of tar sands on wildlife, water and
  communities in Canada.
• Potential impacts along the pipeline right of way
  and at the refinery.
• Implications for Americas energy future and
  climate change.

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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.
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• Albertas 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.

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David Dodge
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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
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Separation and Upgrading

• Producing tar sands emits 3 times the greenhouse
  gases of conventional oil.
• Requires large amounts of natural gas and water.

NWF
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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.
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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
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Impacts on Wildlife and Communities

• Wildlife mortality
• Fish abnormalities
• High cancer rates in First Nation communities

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CAPP
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Impacts AlongKeystone XL

• Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers
• Prairie Potholes
• Ogallala Aquifer
• Platte River
• Neches River

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BLM
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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
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Implications for Americas 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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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
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The tar sands of Canada constitute one of our
planets greatest threats. James Hansen
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There Are Better Alternatives
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Thank YouRyan SalmonCoordinator for Climate
and Energy PolicyNational Wildlife
Federation202-657-3681salmonr_at_nwf.org