Don't Put Tar In Your Tank!

New No Dirty Energy campaign urges consumers to take a closer look at the source of their gasoline, other energy sources

Denver, Colo., 8/19  With the costs of America's addiction to fossil fuels now dominating the political debate, rising demand for gasoline has refineries in the United States increasingly turning to one of the world's dirtiest energy sources: Canadian tar sands.

Canada's tar sands may be closer in proximity to the U.S. than Middle Eastern crude oil, but extracting oil from these gunky, tar-like deposits carries unacceptable costs to the environment and risks to public health.

Tar sands production also creates two to three times the greenhouse gas pollution as does the production of conventional crude. Scientists say that America's growing reliance on tar sands could prevent this country from achieving its goal of slowing and reversing the damage caused by climate change.

"Like all dirty energy sources, tar sands are an economic and environmental dead end," said Gwen Lachelt, director of the No Dirty Energy campaign for EARTHWORKS' Oil and Gas Accountability Project. "At a time when we should be aggressively reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, oil and gas companies are instead planning to deepen our dependency of one of the dirtiest of energy sources available."

The Suncor Energy refinery in Commerce City, which produces gasoline sold at Phillips 66 stations, is one of the largest consumers of the bitumen, another name for the heavy crude that is extracted from Canadian tar sands. One third of Colorado's gasoline and diesel comes from Suncor's refinery northeast of Denver. One of every six barrels of oil processed at Suncor's refinery is from tar sands.

"Producing oil from tar sands is obviously dirty," said Bill McKibben, an author and scholar in residence at Middlebury College. "Less dirty, but even more dangerous, is the impact on the climate. We've simply got to leave this carbon in the ground!"

In July, EARTHWORKS' Oil and Gas Accountability Project called on Suncor Energy to commit to capping its use of tar sands-derived crude oil at the Commerce City refinery. Today, concerned citizens took to the streets of Denver in front of a Phillips 66 gas station to launch the No Dirty Energy campaign - a new initiative to help consumers make informed choices about their energy use.

"We want drivers to think before they fill their tank," said Gwen Lachelt. "Do you really want to buy a product that will make the world a more difficult place for your children?"

In addition to tar sands' global warming impact, mining tar sands exacts a severe toll on the Albertan landscape where major oil and gas companies are now stripping away the boreal forest as they expand their operations. Mining operations could destroy a forest the size of Florida. Huge amounts of natural gas and water are involved in the extraction process, which produces toxic wastes that native tribes believe are causing rare cancers and deformities in wildlife.

"The destruction of the First Nations' clean air, water and wildlife is a global tragedy that is being fueled by our wasteful habits," said OGAP's senior staff attorney Bruce Baizel, who recently visited Fort Chipewyn. "If the U.S. required cars to get 40 miles per gallon, we could save enough gas to make tar sands imports unnecessary."

Refining the extra-heavy sour crude produced by tar sands extraction will result in higher air emissions of harmful pollutants for many refinery communities across the US. The Suncor refinery has struggled to deal with emissions levels of sulfur dioxide since upgrading the refinery to process more tar sands crude oil in 2006. Health effects of this pollutant alone include impacts to respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

"A recent study conducted done for a Superfund cleanup showed an elevated rate of cancer in our neighborhood," said Tom Anthony, president of the Elyria Neighborhood Association. "We've got a giant refinery here pumping toxins into our neighborhood, yet the government seems to think any cancer is our own fault. They've allowed Suncor to expand production from 60,000 to 90,000 barrels a day. Now Suncor wants to up its refining of this heavy, dirty crude. When will it end?"

Despite the burden high energy costs have placed on household budgets, recent polls show Coloradans care about how their energy is produced and overwhelmingly favor clean, renewable energy investments over more dirty energy.

Concerns about tar sands' global warming footprint recently led the U.S. Conference of Mayors to pass a resolution that challenges the use of high carbon fuels, such as tar sands, and calls for the use of fuel purchasing standards to limit its use.

Consumers today are more aware of the human and environmental costs of the goods and services they purchase than ever before. While other business sectors have responded to demand for cleaner, ethically produced goods and services -- such as sustainably harvested wood products and fair trade coffee -- the oil and gas industry has fought tooth and nail against greenhouse gas controls and other responsible changes in the way they do business.

"With the increasing use of tar sands oil, and other dirty energy fuels, Coloradans  and all Americans -- are at an energy crossroads," said OGAP staff attorney Bruce Baizel. "Simpler, cleaner and often cheaper alternatives can satisfy increasing energy demands. It's our choice."

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EARTHWORKS is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the destructive impacts of mineral development, in the U.S. and worldwide.

EARTHWORKS' Oil and Gas Accountability Project works with communities to prevent and reduce the devastating impacts of oil and gas development.

The No Dirty Energy Campaign is dedicated to ensuring that our fuel energy resources are not produced, transported or consumed at the expense of the climate, communities, or the environment.

For More Information

• Gwen Lachelt, Director, No Dirty Energy campaign/OGAP, 970-759-4387
• Bruce Baizel, Senior Staff Attorney, EARTHWORKS/OGAP, 970-799-3552
• Tom Anthony, Elyria Neighborhood Association, 303-668-3152
• No Dirty Energy