Are the oil sands really that bad?

Are the oil sands really that bad?

Tar sands oil — even the name sounds bad. And it is bad. In fact, oil from tar sands is one of the most destructive, carbon-intensive and toxic fuels on the planet. Producing it releases three times as much greenhouse gas pollution as conventional crude oil does.

How much do oil sands make a year?

Salaries range from about $90,000 to $120,000 a year, not including overtime, says Roland LeFort, president of Fort McMurray, Alta.

How many jobs do the oil sands create?

Oil Sands and Canada’s Economy Canadian oil and natural gas provided $105 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020, supported more than 500,000 jobs across the country in 2019 and provided $10 billion in average annual revenue to governments for the period 2017 to 2019.

What is the problem with Alberta oil sands?

The pipeline problem A persistent obstacle for Alberta oil production has been the transportation of oil from interior Canada to major markets. Lack of capacity in existing pipelines has bottlenecked production, and presently 500,000 barrels per day enter the U.S. by rail, adding $15 to $22 per barrel to the price tag.

How toxic are tar sands?

Studies have found levels of mercury, arsenic, lead, and other toxins at elevated levels near the area’s tar sands excavation sites. 5 These chemicals are known carcinogens and cause the types of rare cancers—including cancer of the bile ducts—that are on the rise among members of the Fort Chipewyan community.

How much do Alberta oil sands workers make?

Oil Field Workers Salary in Alberta

	Annual Salary	Weekly Pay
Top Earners	$91,000	$1,750
75th Percentile	$72,500	$1,394
Average	$47,156	$906
25th Percentile	$26,000	$500

Why are the Alberta oil sands good?

Overview. The responsible development of oil sands is a key driver of Alberta’s and Canada’s economy. It creates jobs and tax revenue for government which support the social programs and capital infrastructure projects we rely on.

How much money does the Alberta oil sands make?

Federal personal income taxes paid by tax filers employed in the oil and gas extraction sector in Alberta has ranged from $2.2 billion to $3.4 billion between 2007 and 2018, or an annual average of $2.7 billion per year over the period.

Why are the oil sands good?

Why are oil sands a poor source of energy?

Oil sands EROIs are 4.5:1 for mining and 3.5:1 for in situ making the sands a poor source of energy – much lower even than solar’s ~8:1 or wind’s 15:1. But oil is the form of energy the world’s current transportation fleet needs making oil sands output more of an energy product than a rich source of energy.

How many people work in the oil sands?

This includes workers directly employed by oil sands producers whose daily job responsibilities are devoted to oil sands activities. When other indirect jobs are taken into account, such as construction and manufacturing, retail and hospitality, that number is expected to rise to more than half a million jobs within a decade, the council says.

Why was the tar sands oil industry hit so hard?

But since oil prices crashed in 2014, about 35,000 jobs in Alberta’s tar sands have been lost, likely for good. Now, the Canadian oil industry is being hit even harder due to imploding global demand and plummeting prices for oil caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

What do you need to know about oil sands cleanup?

For conventional oil, natural gas and in situ oil sands, cleanup consists of capping wells to prevent methane leaks and taking up pipelines and infrastructure. Remediating mined oil sands land adds the requirement that thousands of square kilometers of surface strip mined land and tailings be cleaned and replanted.