An American problem
More and more Americans are concerned about the spread of tar sands oil – mined in northeastern Alberta and piped to, refined in, and consumed in the United States.
They are right to be concerned. Even as increased demand has driven oil prices to record highs, the price of dirty tar sands oil is too high to pay.
The direct cost to the U.S.: more toxic communities
 The spread of tar sands oil refineries
As the adjacent map shows, at least two new refinery proposals and approximately two dozen refinery expansions are being proposed to process tar sands oil in the US.
Dirty tar sands oil is more polluting than conventional oil
The spread of refineries processing tar sands oil is a problem because the synthetic heavy crude produced from tar sands is laden with more toxics than conventional oil. Communities adjacent to tar sands oil refineries face increased carbon dioxide emissions, and increased exposure to heavy metals, and sulfurs.
The indirect cost to the U.S.: losing the fight against global warming
Many leaders and experts believe that if we extract all the oil from the Canadian Tar Sands, we cannot win the fight to protect our climate.
Tar sands oil creates much more greenhouse gas than conventional oil
Overall, producing a barrel of crude oil from tar sands releases 2 to 3 times the amount of carbon into the atmosphere as is released when producing a barrel of conventional oil.
And not all heavy crude oil is equal. Gasoline, diesel or jet fuel made from Tar Sands crude releases more carbon dioxide than fuels made from heavy Venezuelan crude.
Tar sands mining destroys a carbon-storing ecosystem
Tar sands threatens one of the planet’s largest forest ecosystems, the Boreal Forest -- a large natural carbon-absorbing sink. It also requires the consumption of about 3 barrels of fresh water to extract just 1 barrel of fuel.
The U.S. challenges tar sands oil as an energy solution
Conference of Mayors
Global warming concerns led the U.S. Conference of Mayors to pass a resolution that challenges the use of high carbon fuels, such as Tar Sands, and calls for the use of fuel purchasing standards that prevent the use of this type of dirty energy.
Congress
In addition, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which includes a section preventing federal agencies from contracting for oil or fuels that have lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions greater than those for conventional petroleum.
Suncor: a Colorado example of the spread of tar sands oil
One third of Colorado’s gasoline and diesel comes from Suncor’s Commerce City refinery, northeast of Denver. 15% of the oil processed at Suncor’s Commerce City Refinery is from the Alberta tar sands. Pipelines carry the dirty tar sands crude from Suncor’s Alberta operations to Suncor’s Commerce City refinery. The crude travels in pipelines owned by Suncor and Express Pipeline (Kinder Morgan).
Suncor increases in toxicity as it takes more tar sands oil
Emissions from the Suncor Refinery that were on the rise in 2005 and 2006 include toxic, hazardous and carcinogenic substances like benzene, dioxin, and toluene. Health effects for these emissions range from headaches to liver and kidney damage, and reproductive damage and cancer. Suncor doubled its take of tar sands oil in 2007.
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