High Carbon Fuel Production “Slows the United States’ Transition to Clean, Renewable Energy Sources”, U.S. Mayors
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 06.30.08
photo by Edward Burtynsky via :: The Globe and Mail
It’s no secret that Treehugger’s not a big fan of extracting energy from the Alberta Tar Sands. Oil Shale in Colorado doesn’t really rate highly on our list of good things either. Well, it appears that the U.S. Conference of Mayors agrees with us.
Resolution Against Using High Carbon Fuels
Though it’s just a symbolic show of support, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution calling for the avoidance of fuels derived from unconventional sources such “tar sand, liquid coal, and oil shale” because “the continued production and purchase of these higher-carbon unconventional or synthetic fuels slows the United States’ transition to clean, renewable energy sources.”
The resolution also calls for the creation of clear Federal and State guidelines for tracking the origin of various types of fuel so that the full carbon footprint of the fuel can be analyzed for the entire lifecycle.
Eugene, Oregon mayor, Kitty Piercy:
Tar sands oil emits up to three times the greenhouse gases in the production process per barrel as conventional oil production. Our cities are asking for environmentally sustainable energy and not fuels from dirty sources such as tar sands. We don’t want to spend taxpayer dollars on fuels that make global warming worse.
The exact wording of this resolution, as well as a whole slew of others on a variety of issues, can be found in a PDF from the conference. “High Carbon Fuels” is found on page 117 of this 280 page document.
via :: ENS
Tar Sands
Tar Sands: The Most Destructive Project on Earth
Edward Burtynsky on the Alberta Tar Sands
Alberta Tar Sands to Increase Output 250% Over Next 10 Years
Oil Shale Plant Powered by “Clean Coal”--and Cooled by Colorado River Water?
The reason a barrel of oil from tar sands has a carbon footprint three times as large is because a barrel of such oil is really only a third of a barrel; the other two thirds got burned providing the energy to extract the barrel from the ground. This is also a big part of the reason why such oil is so expensive to get at. Keep that in mind the next time you here estimates of reserves from these more expensive oil sources; the energy to extract the oil has to come from somewhere, too.