With oil prices constantly fluctuating, there is a need to find cheaper alternatives. Affordable doesn’t always relate to something good and positive, however. Tar sands, for example, are considered a potential energy source that is economically feasible at its current prices, but with major trade offs.
The oil sands in Alberta, for instance, produce toxic sludge that can have catastrophic environmental impact, as it can contaminate Alberta’s groundwater. So tar sands are not only a source of energy, but also a source of problems.
List of Pros of Tar Sands
1. Provide a new source of oil.
The tar pits in Canada are considered the world’s second largest oil field that offers a new and abundant supply. So whatever worries people have about increasing oil prices or oil shortage, can be set at ease with the presence of oil sands. This also means that Canada can be independent from foreign oil, what with it being available in its own soil.
2. Drive oil prices down.
With the addition of another player in the oil industry, there is a possibility that prices will be kept relatively low. This makes tar sands a game changer, in a playing field where oil companies have dominated for a long time.
3. Economically feasible.
In the past, the cost of production, refinement and transportation of oil from tar sands is quite expensive because of the lack of technology. But because of increasing oil prices, investors are now looking into the potential of oil sands as an alternative source, making extraction and all other processes economically feasible and profitable.
4. Provides job opportunities.
The construction of facilities and pipe lines alone would require plenty of workers to complete, opening a wide range of job opportunities. Employees would also be needed to ship materials and goods to the mining areas and to run on-site operations. All of these will help increase available employment where tar sands are located.
List of Cons of Tar Sands
1. Demands more energy.
A lot of processes are involved in harvesting oil from tar pits. This would mean the use of plenty of machinery that will require a substantial amount of energy. The mere process of pulling oil out and up to the surface uses more machinery and energy than conventional drilling. The cost of refinement is also higher than other oil sources.
2. Result in carbon emissions.
Carbon emissions produced by small tar pits in Alberta are quite substantial. Imagine the kind of carbon footprint that large-scale operations will leave in its wake. This is why a lot of people would prefer to keep operations at a small scale. They do not entirely shun the idea of tar sands, but oil extraction has to be kept small.
3. Go against water conservation.
The risk of tar sand oil extraction contaminating water supply is just half of the problem because the process also requires a great deal of water to produce oil, which definitely goes against the call for water conservation. In fact, the issues concerning water are something opponents always bring up whenever discussion about tar sands is underway.