Canadian Oil Sands

In the Northeastern quarter of Alberta resides the potential for years of economic stability, job creation and affordable energy for North America. The Canadian Oil Sands are home to hundreds of square miles of bituminous earth that can be refined and processed to yield unconventional crude oil. This is the same oil we harvest from the earth to heat our homes, fuel our cars and power our factories every day in America, and we always need more. While the environmental impacts are worth noting, the fact remains that the entire minable area of the oil sands is only 0.2% of Canada’s boreal forest, an area about the size of Toronto. Much of this area has already been reclaimed by some of the largest oil companies in Canada, and over 5 million trees have been replanted in an effort to promote the sustainability of this resource. The extraction of crude oil from the Canadian oil sands is more labor-intensive and costly than traditional drilling methods, but those costs are not without their benefits. The vast quantity of bituminous earth yet to be refined ensures a steady flow of job creation and economic growth for the Canadian oil industry. As America’s largest single supplier of oil, the welfare of the Canadian oil industry will continue to directly affect that of our own country, and the advanced refining methods of today will yield more sustainable energy for America tomorrow.