Tar Sands Oil Boom Drives Push for A Northern Pipeline

Matthew Martin

Struzik, Ed. “Tar Sands Oil Boom Drives Push for A Northern Pipeline.” Yale E360, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 29 Nov. 2012, e360.yale.edu/features/alberta_tar_sands_oil_boom_drives_push_for_northern_pipeline.

1.     I already knew that tar sands are a relatively common but somewhat inefficient and not heavily utilized source for oil (in the US). I also knew that pipelines are often proposed as projects to transport oil and natural gas efficiently across long distances, but are very often strongly contested by many groups for environmental, economic, cultural, and/or social reasons.

2.     I learned that while the tar sand industry in the US is relatively small, the tar sand industry in Canada is very large and profitable. Moreover, at the time of this proposal, the oil sands industry was experiencing a massive amount of growth in Canada, which a number of oil industry executives were looking to take full advantage of. I learned that those leading many of the protests against the pipeline were members of the First Nations community, as many native Canadians were afraid that their lands and even way of life might be negatively affected by this pipeline, especially if there were to be a spill. I learned that many experts predicted that this pipeline would fail, due to the heavy opposition from various groups and disagreements with individual provincial governments.

3.     Earlier this week in class, we spoke in class about tar sands and their general inefficiency as an energy source. This article serves as an example of a country trying to utilize this resource in an economically viable way, and that tar sands are actually an important industry in areas outside of the US. Additionally, pipelines are generally one of the most debated and well-known sustainability issues. Pipelines are generally seen as very unsustainable, yet they continue to be built across the world, and are very common in the US. Both of these issues closely tie into the discussion of the oil industry we’ve had in class.

4.     I thought this article was interesting and did a good job of explaining through examples how pipeline projects (and the oil industry) can have effects on the environment, the economy, and social issues. This article was written in 2012, so I did some research to see what came of this proposal. After being hotly debated, this proposal was eventually officially blocked by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. I think the author was right to be wary of the power that vested interests in the Canadian oil industry might hold, but I am not too surprised that it got blocked, considering the huge opposition and clear evidence that pointed towards the high possibility of very negative environmental and social effects.