OIL SANDS Name: ______________________________

1. What percentage of Canada’s proven oil reserves do the oil sands comprise?

2. Based on 2011 production, how long will the oil in in the oil sands last?

3. The oil sands consist of crude oil suspended in an ore that is a mixture of sand, clay and water. How are these ingredients separated?

4. How much money was invested in the oil sands between 2000 and 2010?

5. As of 2011, how many jobs does the oil sands support?

6. What percentage of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions do the oil sands currently account for?

7. What is the maximum amount of the Athabasca River’s annual flow that can be used for oil sands production?

8. To protect the quality of the river water, no production water is returned to the river. Where does it go instead?

9. What percentage of the boreal forest are companies required by law to remediate and reclaim after the oil sands have been extracted?

10. After more than 40 years of oil sands development, how much land has oil sands mining impacted?

11. Innovation has been, and will continue to be, critical to reducing the environmental footprint of oil sands development. Give an example of one such new technology.