Does oil sands mining affect the environment?
A large part of mining operations involves clearing trees and brush from a site and removing the overburden – the topsoil, muskeg, sand, clay and gravel – that sits atop the oil sands deposit. The topsoil and muskeg are stockpiled so they can be replaced as sections of the mined-out area are reclaimed; the rest of the overburden is used to reconstruct the landscape when mining is complete. Developers are required to restore oil sands mining sites to at least the equivalent of their previous biological productivity, which means the region as a whole forms an ecosystem landscape at least as healthy and productive as that which existed before development. Oil sands operations emit carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas (GHG), which is considered to be a contributor to climate change. Oil sands developers have been actively working towards reducing CO2 emissions by 45% per barrel by 2010, compared to 1990 levels. More information about climate change is available from Alberta Environment and Sus
A large part of mining operations involves clearing trees and brush from a site and removing the overburden – the topsoil, muskeg, sand, clay and gravel – that sits atop the oil sands deposit. The topsoil and muskeg are stockpiled so they can be replaced as sections of the mined-out area are reclaimed; the rest of the overburden is used to reconstruct the landscape when mining is completed. Developers are required to restore oil sands mining sites to at least the equivalent of their previous biological productivity, which means the region as a whole forms an ecosystem landscape at least as healthy and productive as that which existed before development. Oil sands operations emit carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas (GHG), which is considered a contributor to climate change. Oil sands developers have been actively working towards reducing CO2 emissions by 45 per cent per barrel by 2010, compared to 1990 levels. More information about GHGs and climate change is available at www.gov.ab.ca , A
