Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
saline water, however, generates huge volumes of solid waste which has posed serious
disposal problems.
Wastewater tailings (a bitumen, sand, silt, and fine clay particles slurry) also known as
“fluid fine tailings” are disposed in large ponds until the residue is used to fill mined-out pits.
Seepage from the disposal ponds can result from erosion, breaching, and foundation
creep.[69] The principal environmental threat is the migration of tails to a groundwater
system and leaks that might contaminate the soil and surface water.[70] The tailings are
expected to reach 1 billion cubic meters by 2020. Impounding the tailings will continue to be
an issue even after efforts are made to use alternative extraction technology that minimizes
the amount of tails. Tailings management criteria were established by the Alberta Energy and
Utilities Board/Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency in June 2005. Ongoing
extensive research by the Canadian Oil Sands Network for Research and Development
(CONRAD) is focused on the consolidation of wastewater tailings, detoxifying tailings water
ponds, and reprocessing tailings. Some R&D progress is being made in the areas of the
cleanup and reclamation of tailings using bioremediation and electrocoagulation.[71]
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is conducting research to treat
wastewater tailings and recover their byproduct residual bitumen, heavy metals, and
amorphous solids (fertilizers). A pilot project is underway to clean and sort tailings, and
recover metals such as aluminum and titanium.[72]
Surface disturbance is another major issue. The oil sands industry practice leaves land in
its disturbed state and left to revegetate naturally. Operators, however, are responsible over
the long term to restore the land to its previous potential.[73] Under an Alberta Energy Utility
Board directive (AEUB), Alberta's Upstream Oil and Gas Reclamation and Remediation
Program has expanded industry liability for reclaiming sites. The directive requires a “site-
specific liability assessment” that would estimate the costs to abandon or reclaim a site.[74]
The government of Alberta's Department of the Environment established a “Regional
Sustainable Development Strategy” whose purpose is, among other things, to “ensure”
implementation of management strategies that address regional cumulative environmental
impacts.[75] The oil sands industry is regulated under the Environmental Protection and
Enhancement Act, Water Act, and Public Lands Act. Oil sands development proposals are
reviewed by AEUB, Alberta Environment, and the Alberta Sustainable Resource
Development at the provincial level. Review at the federal level may also occur.
Issues for Congress
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) describes U.S. oil sands (along with oil
shale and other unconventional fuels) as a strategically important domestic resource “that
should be developed to reduce the growing dependence of the United States on politically and
economically unstable sources of foreign oil imports.”[76] The provision also requires that a
leasing program for oil sands R&D be established. Given U.S. oil sands' strategic importance,
but limited commercial success as discussed above, what level of federal investment is
appropriate to reach U.S. energy policy goals? While an estimated 11 billion barrels of U.S.
oil sands may be significant if it were economic, it represents a small share of the potentially
recoverable resource base of unconventional fuels (e.g., 800 billion barrels of potentially
recoverable oil from oil shale and another 20 billion barrels of recoverable heavy oil). Where
Search WWH ::
Custom Search