article thumbnail

Researcher urges more effort on assessment of land and water impacts of oil sands production; reference point for other unconventional fuels

Green Car Congress

Bitumen production from the Canadian oil sands provides a point of reference that could be used to observe and better manage the land and water impacts of a rapid transition to unconventional fuels, suggests Dr. Sarah Jordaan of the Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University.

Oil-Sands 231
article thumbnail

US BLM issues draft PEIS for oil shale and oil sands; significantly scales back public land available for commercial leasing

Green Car Congress

The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has published the Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and Possible Land Use Amendments for Allocation of Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources on Lands Administered by the BLM in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

Oil-Sands 252
article thumbnail

Sustainable Development Canada Awards C$6M to Project to Reduce Water and Energy Consumption for Oil Sands Processing; Three Other Projects Supported to Reduce Energy and Environmental Impact of Oil Sands

Green Car Congress

SOLVE adds a solvent to the steam in SAGD (basic operation depicted above) to reduce energy input and water consumption. The production well extracts the bitumen to surface heavy oil production facilities. SAGD is the predominant in-situ recovery method currently used in Canada’s oil sands. Source: StatoilHydro.

Oil-Sands 218
article thumbnail

Alberta approves MacKay River Commercial Oil Sands Project; operating company a JV between AOSC and PetroChina

Green Car Congress

Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. AOSC) announced that the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board and Alberta Environment and Water has issued full regulatory approval for the MacKay River commercial oil sands project to MacKay Operating Corp. Earlier post.) ( Earlier post.)

Oil-Sands 199
article thumbnail

Royal Society of Canada releases report on environmental and health impacts of oil sands industry

Green Car Congress

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC)—the country’s national academy of the arts, humanities and sciences—has released an expert panel report on the environmental and health impacts of the Canadian oil sands industry. Impacts on the regional water supply. Impacts on regional water quality and groundwater quantity.

Oil-Sands 225
article thumbnail

Suncor Energy Receives Conditional Regulatory Approval for Oil Sands Tailings Management Plan; Projected 30% Reduction in Volume

Green Car Congress

Suncor Energy has received conditional approval for its oil sands fluid tailings management plan from Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board ( ERCB ). Tailings are a mixture of fine clay, sands, water and residual bitumen produced through the oil sands extraction process, and are held in massive “ponds”.

Oil-Sands 210
article thumbnail

CERA: Canadian Oil Sands Poised to Become the Top Source of Crude Imports to the US in 2010; Could Contribute Up To 36% of US Oil and Refined Products Imports by 2030

Green Car Congress

Growth of production of Canadian oil sands. The Canadian oil sands are now poised to become the number one source of US crude oil imports in 2010, according to new research from the IHS CERA Canadian Oil Sands Dialogue. The Role of Canadian Oil Sands in US Oil Supply”.

Oil-Sands 186