Oil sands environmental impacts 1 july 2014 chapter 1. Crude oil from oil sands will constitute a substantial share of future global oil demand. Environmental regulation of the oil and gas industry email. Html water quality monitoring phase 1 lower athabasca water quality monitoring. Bowron provides a full range of integrated environmental services specific to oil sands development projects. The oil sands comprise more than 98 percent of canadas 173 billion barrels of proven oil. The reclamation objective for oil sands mines is described in the environmental protection and enhancement act approvals as alberta environment 2011a, s. Osrin is a project of the university of albertas school of energy and the environment see.
Environmental and health impacts of canadas oil sands. Impact on water, greenhouse gases and on northern alberta ecosystem a major concern. Ey albertas oil and gas sector regulatory paradigm. Environmental and health impacts of canadas oil sands industry. Approvals from numerous regulatory agencies are required at every phase, from construction and operations to shutdown and reclamation. How albertas carbon emission cap will reduce oil sands growth. Unless otherwise stated, sources are from the government of alberta. Bp believes canadas oil sands offer significant benefits. Land and water impacts of oil sands production in alberta.
Environmental impacts of oil sands energy education. Oil sands inc is awaiting approval from utah state environmental regulators to begin producing oil, which they hope to do by 20. Grizzly may river sagd project 53 environmental and management controls. Oil sands brochure fact sheet ressources naturelles canada. The regulations apply to all policies, plans, programmes, and projects and provide the guidelines on terminologies widely used in environmental management and assessment, preparation of a. Learn what are the oil sands, why theyre important and how they work. Oil sands reclamation requirements and determination of success. Oil sands deposits account for a third of globally proven oil reserves, underlie large natural forested areas, and have extraction methods requiring large volumes of freshwater. Establishing the oil sands environmental monitoring program 2 the oil sands environmental monitoring program is established, and shall consist of the joint canadaalberta oil sands monitoring implementation program, established by. The development of deposits of bitumen also known as oil sands or tar sands is one of the most important petroleum resource development projects in canada and possibly the world. As conventional sources of crude oil are depleted, unconventional sources of oil, such as the bitumen found in oil sands, play a larger role in offsetting declining conventional production.
As with the extraction and use of any fossil fuel, negative environmental effects arise as a result of the extraction, upgrading, and processing of bitumen from the oil sands. Canadas oil sands sector is a hightech, knowledgebased industry. Oil sands, tar sands, crude bitumen, or more technically bituminous sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. Jan 20, 2009 the magnitude of canadas oil sands reserves, their rapidly expanding and energy intensive production, combined with existing and upcoming greenhouse gas ghg emissions regulations motivate an evaluation of oil sandsderived fuel production from a life cycle perspective.
Environmental consequences of oil production from oil sands. Environmental consequences of oil production from oil sands rosa. Request pdf eia legislation and sustainable development of oil sands projects in madagascar. We have already noted that recent policy uncertainty in the. Canadian aboriginal concerns with oil sands a compilation of key issues, resolutions and legal activities by danielle droitsch and terra simieritsch at a glance aboriginal communities have been raising concerns about the impacts of oil sands development on their communities and their legal rights for a number of years. Jul, 2018 canadian oil sands have attracted significant attention because of their rapid growth, their significant share of canadian exports and foreign direct investment, and their greenhouse gas ghg emissions and other environmental impacts. Oil sands conservation act oil sands conservation rules table of contents part 1 interpretation 1 interpretation 1. Our services are founded in an understanding of the importance that regulatory compliance has on community relations and how liability exposure can effect a clients social license to. A real options model to evaluate the effect of environmental policies on the oil sands rate of expansion.
Though less discussed internationally due to to their inherently local nature, land and water impacts can be severe. The canadian oil sands sector highlights many of the key issues we examine in economics and, as we will. Oil sands operators must adhere to stringent regulations. Direction for conservation and reclamation submission under an environmental protection and enhancement act approval for enhanced recovery in situ oil sands and heavy oil processing plants and oil production sites pdf additional guides and supporting information. Oil sands sustainability indicators highlight trends across economic, environmental and social topics in albertas oil sands areas. The magnitude of canadas oil sands reserves, their rapidly expanding and energy intensive production, combined with existing and upcoming greenhouse gas ghg emissions regulations motivate an evaluation of oil sandsderived fuel production from a life cycle perspective. Pdf environmental consequences of oil production from oil sands. February 2016 the future of the canadian oil sands.
Ghg emissions per barrel of oil sands in 2014 were 31 percent below 1990 levels. Emissions from californias heavy oil are on a par with canadas oil sands. Feb 12, 2019 establishing the oil sands environmental monitoring program. Walkererinenvironmental regulation of the oil and gas industry. Understanding the canadian oil sands industrys greenhouse. We present estimates for future oil sands production to get an indication of their potential growth. The official statutes and regulations should be consulted for all purposes of interpreting and applying the law. Oil refinery permits environmental integrity project. The present level of energy generation cannot meet. Consolidated up to 152019 alberta regulation 22620 environmental protection and enhancement act. A critical assessment madagascar is said to have the second largest oil sands deposits in africa. Oil sands environmental compliance management bowron.
How albertas carbon emission cap will reduce oil sands. Oil sands environmental monitoring program regulation c approval means an approval issued under the act in respect of an oil sands mine, oil sands processing plant, enhanced recovery insitu oil sands or heavy oil processing plant, unless the context requires otherwise, but does not include a plant for the extraction from crude. Accounting for oil and gas environmental liabilities in bankruptcy greg rogers j. Notwithstanding early efforts at environmental protection and control, the concept of environmentally oriented laws and regulations as a separate and distinct body of law is a 20thcentury development lazarus, 2004. As described in the student material this has become a major issue and could have significant impact on the plans for oil sands development. Oil production from oil sands is of growing importance to the global energy mix the environmental impacts of this production remain poorly understood we.
Capp, meanwhile, robustly denies the industry has tried to shirk its environmental responsibilities. Joint canadaalberta implementation plan for oil sands monitoring pdf. Oil sands development is subject to environmental standards that. The alberta and saskatchewan bitumen deposits are considered to be among the last remaining major sources for oil in the world. The canadian oil sands or tar sands are a large area of petroleum extraction from bitumen, located primarily along the athabasca river with its centre of activity close to fort mcmurray in alberta, approximately 400 km northeast of the provincial capital, edmonton.
Oil sands remediation environmental services association. Oil sands are either loose sands or partially consolidated sandstone containing a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay, and water, soaked with a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum technically referred to as bitumen. The recognition that the environment is collectively a fragile organism that is in need of legal protection did not occur until the 1960s chapter 1. Understanding the impacts of oilsands production pembina institute. Growth potential of a unique resource amidst regulation, egress, cost, and price uncertainty 5 preface this research was conceived with two central objectives. Applies to vessels, offshore and onshore oil facilities, including exploration and production facilities that may affect the waters of the united states. Pdf land and water impacts of oil sands production in alberta. Forecasted oil production does not take into account any pipeline capacity constraints during the fiveyear period. Development of utah oil shale and tar sands resources. Establishing the oil sands environmental monitoring program. Environmental costs tax of oil sands industry under the iec and dec scenarios. The majority of environmental liabilities in the upstream oil and gas industry are related to decommissioning, plugging and abandonment. The future of the canadian oil sands oxford institute for. Research in key areas is needed to manage oil sands operations effectively.
The industrys commitment to development of utahs oil shaletar sands resources in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner is clearly stated. The environmental impact of the oil sands is an issue that has been extremely divisive. Introduction this report aims to provide the reader with an overview of the current environmental impacts of. Canadian oil sands have attracted significant attention because of their rapid growth, their significant share of canadian exports and foreign direct investment, and their greenhouse gas ghg emissions and other environmental impacts. Oil sands has drilled roughly 180 test wells at the pr spring special tar sands area in the uinta basin. The oil sands industry has made significant progress in reducing its emissions per barrel of oil produced. Oil sands remediation environmental services association of.
Under opa, responsible parties, including owners and operations of onshore facilities may be subject to oil. Berms or drainage swales will be utilized to promote surrounding surface water to flow. These environmental regulations were developed and gazetted by nema on june 2003. The pr spring tar sands is located on stateowned land near arches national park. Regulations the following is a list of the regulations made under the environmental protection and enhancement act that are filed as alberta regulations under the regulations act. Syncrude will have dealt with its tailings ponds in a way that is in compliance with our regulations. Ey albertas oil and gas sector regulatory paradigm shift. Albertas oilsands industry is a huge source of harmful. New technology and innovation are critical to developing the oil sands and improving environmental performance. Environmental issues and impacts of oil sands development. Oil sands facilities currently account for about 9. Critical infrastructure requirements for establishment of a viable utah oil shaletar sands industry are also discussed.
Learn about environment canadas involvement in improving the environmental monitoring in the oil sands region. Albertas oilsands industry is a huge source of harmful air. Canadian oil and natural gas producers canadas oil sands. Usage of this pdf is restricted by s agreement with petroleum economist exceeding the terms. Lipsett department of mechanical engineering, university of alberta, canada abstract as world energy demands increase, so will the exploration and exploitation of alternative energy resources. Oil sands production requires an extremely large quantity of water. It maintains adequate balance of social, environmental and economic values, while allowing for economic. Oil sands emissions in a global and canadian context. The legislative and regulatory framework for oil sands prism. Lifecycle assessments of greenhouse gas emissions congressional research service 1 introduction recent congressional interest in u. The staff at deep is dedicated to conserving, improving, and protecting our natural resources and the environment, and increasing the availability of cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy. To the maximum extent practicable under applicable federal law, the secretary shall coordinate this. Environmental impacts of oil sands the environmental impact of the oil sands is an issue that has been extremely divisive. Dec 16, 2016 oil production from oil sands is of growing importance to the global energy mix the environmental impacts of this production remain poorly understood we assess historical and projected forest loss an.
Federal and state regulatory agencies can impose administrative, civil and criminal penalties on those that are non. Welcome to the connecticut department of energy and environmental protections website. The canadian oil sands are the second largest proven oil reserve after saudi arabia. Department of conservation, division of oil, gas, and geothermal resources and the state water resources control board, the u. This paper delves into what this cap may mean for the future of oil sands development. Albertas oilsands industry is one of the biggest sources in north america of harmful air pollutants called secondary organic aerosols soas, a new environment canada study has found. Although some steps are being taken to reduce the severity of these impacts such as reclamation there are still associated climate, air, water, and other ecological effects. Environmental impacts of oil sands development in alberta. Accounting for oil and gas environmental liabilities in. Oil sands deposits account for a third of globally proven oil reserves, underlie. Well pads will be designed with surface water drainage directed to a low area of containment within the well pad.
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