Earth Equity News

Natural Resources Defense Council to Oil Companies: Stop Tar Sands. By Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, NRDC Press Release, June 16, 2008. "Recently, 500 ducks mistook a lake of toxic tar sands waste in Alberta for one of the many pristine waters in Canada's boreal forests. Once coated with the oily residue, the ducks couldn't fly away and they all died. Many had flown from the U.S. on their way to have their young in the boreal. The deceptive waters of the enormous waste lagoons were likely too attractive for them on their long trek north. Tar sands oil is just as deceptive as a solution to our energy needs... In addition to the problems of torn up forests and toxic lagoons, the process for making the synthetic crude produces three times the greenhouse gases per barrel as conventional oil production... And the tar sands footprint is growing, in Canada and beyond... We're asking for investments in clean energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation. We're asking airlines and companies with large fleets to think about the environmental impact of how their fuel is produced. It is up to us to say we want a clean energy future and to take action to make that happen. You can find out more on our website www.nrdc.org or www.stopdirtyfuels.org." Susan Casey-Lefkowitz is a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.