2 • The Southwest Portland Post
FEATURES
Dear EarthTalk: What are “dirty
fuels” and why are they so called?
– Bill Green, Seattle, WA
The term “dirty fuels” refers to
fuels derived from tar sands, oil
shale or liquid coal. Just like their
more conventional fossil fuel coun-
terparts such as petroleum and coal,
they can be turned into gasoline,
diesel and other energy sources.
These energy sources can gener-
ate extreme amounts of particulate
pollution, carbon emissions and
ecosystem destruction during their
lifecycles from production to con-
sumption.
“Because tar sands [have] more
sulfur, nitrogen, and metals in
[them] than conventional oil, up-
grading and refining [them] causes
a lot more air and water pollution
and greenhouse gas emissions,” re-
ports the Natural Resources Defense
Council, a leading environmental
non-profit.
“On a lifecycle basis—that is,
extraction all the way through
combustion—tar sands cause about
20 percent more global warming
pollution than conventional oil,”
adds NRDC.
“Oil shale and liquid coal are even
worse, causing nearly 50 percent
more global warming pollution and
over double the lifecycle emissions
of conventional oil…”
In North America, the majority
of such fuels come from Canada’s
vast Boreal Forest, to where tens of
millions of birds flock each spring
to nest.
“Tar sands oil development cre-
ates open pit mines, habitat frag-
mentation, toxic waste holding
ponds, air and water pollution, up-
graders and refineries, and pipelines
spreading far beyond the Boreal
forest,” reports NRDC.
“This development is destroying
habitat for waterfowl and songbirds
that come from all over the Ameri-
cas to nest in the Boreal.”
Beyond impacts at the extraction
sites, dirty fuels cause pollution
problems all down the line. For this
reason, environmental leaders are
opposed to the proposed Keystone
XL pipeline which, if approved and
built, would transport tar sands
fuels through the Midwestern U.S.
to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Refinery communities like Port
Arthur, Texas...are already unable
to comply with their air pollution
regulations, so dirtier fuel is the last
thing they need in their refineries,”
adds NRDC.
And while dirty fuels may reduce
our reliance on foreign oil, they
won’t help reduce gas prices as they
are so expensive to produce that gas
prices would have to be higher than
they already are in order for them to
be profitable.
“They also can’t help with sta-
bilizing gas prices in the case of a
March 2014
Environmental leaders are opposed to the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. Pictured:
Rainforest Action Network protesters in front of the Canadian Consulate in Chicago.
(Photo courtesy Rainforest Action Network)
disruption to oil shipments because
each new tar sands project requires
huge infrastructure and capital in-
vestments, so it takes years for new
tar sands projects to come on-line—
it’s not as though there is loads of
spare tar sands oil just waiting to
be put through the pipelines,” says
NRDC’s Elizabeth Shope.
“The fact is, we don’t need these
fuels,” she adds. “We can reduce oil
consumption by increasing fuel effi-
ciency standards, and greater use of
hybrid cars, renewable energy and
environmentally sustainable biofu-
els. What’s called ‘smart growth’—
how we design our communities—
is also a very important element in
meeting our transportation needs.
“North America stands at an
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energy crossroads. We now face a
choice: to set a course for a more
sustainable energy future of clean,
renewable fuels, or to develop ever-
dirtier sources of transportation fuel
derived from fossil fuels—at an
even greater cost to our health and
environment.”
For more information on this subject
visit www.nrdc.org. EarthTalk® is
written and edited by Roddy Scheer
and Doug Moss and is a registered
trademark of E - The Environmental
Magazine (www.emagazine.com).
Send questions to: earthtalk@emaga-
zine.com.
well
be
…
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