Land Use
What We're Doing: Land Use
Since we launched this website in June 2008, thousands of people have visited the site and voiced their opinions.
For what we’ve heard, go to “What You’re Saying – Land Use”.
For information on what the oil sands industry is doing, go to “What We’re Doing – Land Use” and “What We’re Doing – Innovation”.
Alberta’s total oil sands resource covers about 140,000 square kilometers. It has been noted that this is a land mass comparable in size to the state of Florida (which is about 170,000 square kilometers). Only two percent – about 3,450 square kilometers – of the oil sands can be mined from the surface, causing significant surface environmental impact. The minable region of the oil sands covers an area one-third the size of metropolitan Edmonton.
The remaining oil sands deposits require various in situ techniques, involving drilling into the reservoir from central pads. In situ oil sands production causes far less surface impact than mining production.
Even though oil sands producers are required by law to return the land to a natural state after operations (buffalo now graze on land reclaimed by Syncrude), oil sands mining operations clearly have a significant impact on the landscape. Can we do more to minimize this impact and return it to a natural state more quickly? Tell us what you think.
See the related links below. Please note that these links are intended to provide diverse perspectives. We do not endorse or necessarily agree with the specific views or information presented.
Related Links
- Pembina Institute:
- Alberta by Design: Blueprint for an effective Land-Use Framework
- Alberta Environment:
- News Release: Alberta issues first-ever oil sands land reclamation certificate
- Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
- Core Report: Birds and Plants in the Lower Athabasca
- CAPP:
- 2007 Stewardship Report – Land and reclamation
- Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA):
- www.cemaonline.ca