It does seem to be the consensus opinion that extraction of tar sand oils is significantly "less green" than extraction from other sources; but the claim for at least several decades has been that "we're running out of the other sources."

In several cases I, and some others I've known, have interpreted that claim as actually meaning "we're running out of other sources that I own," but it is undeniably true that some oil fields have been pretty well exhausted. It's also quite likely that places where new fields might be discovered are finite, and dwindling.

Crude oil, from any source and extracted by any methods, is really nasty stuff, so any spills from this pipeline could be a significant problem even without direct impact on water resources. Of course when the Trans-Alaska pipeline was being considered it was explained to us all that it would be perfectly constructed, meticulously maintained, and would never leak. So we know that it can be done ... ...




... ... or was that yet another gurgle up north that we just heard ... ????

John