The Alberta government shot back at international oil-sands critics yesterday, releasing two reports that argue crude produced from the sticky sands in the northern part of the province is not as devastating to the environment as previously believed.
The reports, commissioned by the Alberta Energy Research Institute, show direct greenhouse-gas emissions from Alberta's oil sands are on average about 10% higher than emissions from other sources of crude refined in the United States. Other studies have put this number closer to 40%.
However, one of the new studies also shows crude from Canada's oil sands produces roughly 45% more greenhouse-gas emissions when compared with Saudi conventional crude oil.
"[Oil sands crude] is not terrible relative to the main crudes that do go to U. S. refineries," said Eddy Isaacs, AERI's executive director.
The studies, by U. S. research groups Jacobs Consultancy and TIAX LLC, used the "wells-to-wheels" argument, which calculates how much in greenhouse-gas emissions is produced from the time the crude is extracted to the moment it is used by consumers.
"This is a critical issue for the future of oil sands," Dan Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and author of a Pulitzer Prizewinning book on the history of oil, said. "What is the overall net impact on CO2 compared to other oils?"
But while the results of the new studies, which were not peer-reviewed, paint the oil sands as cleaner than otherwise thought, it may not be enough to convince U. S. lawmakers that crude from Alberta's enormous reserves is environmentally acceptable. The "dirty oil" moniker could prove sticky.
"Going with a study that says 'on average, we're only 10% worse than the worst' is probably not going to be particularly helpful," said Dan Woynillowicz, the Alberta director for the Pembina Institute.
"[The reports] reaffirm producing and burning oil from the oil sands results in anywhere between 10% to 45% more greenhouse gas emissions compared to other sources of conventional crude oil."
Pembina points to data in the TIAX's own report when arguing the oil sands produce 45% more greenhouse gas emissions than their cleaner Saudi counterparts.
AERI's Mr. Isaacs said the reports came to their conclusions using technical and scientific data, and that other reports have not been as rigorous in their approach. The models the pair used, however, will not be made public. Further, the two firms had to rely on publicly available information, rather than specific data from the companies operating around the globe.
The groups started their review of data in 2008.
Mr. Isaacs argued emissions stemming from the oil sands will improve as new technology emerges.
But, again, the Pembina Institute, a green think-tank, believes Alberta will have to come up with a better argument before public and political opinion swings in its favour.
"The only thing that is going to be helpful for the government of Alberta in terms of their efforts in Washington, D. C., and elsewhere, is to actually get to the implementation stage of technologies like carbon capture and storage that they hope can achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gases."