U.S. May See First Oil Tar Sands Mine in Utah

Alberta, Canada-based company, Earth Energy Resources, Inc., has qualified for a permit to mine 62 acres of tar sands in Utah, a state in the western U.S. It will mark the first tar sand to oil mining venture in the United States.

Tar sands have been a controversial topic in the energy world. Simply put, tar sand is exactly what it sounds like—sandy tar—similar to the stuff that makes blacktop or asphalt for roads. But if you process it correctly, tar sands can yield oil that can be converted to fuel. Unfortunately, tar sand mining comes at a cost.

First of all, tar sand petroleum extraction is an extremely energy intensive process, with an emissions footprint three times higher than petroleum produced from traditional crude oil extraction. Tar sand mining also ranks as one of the most environmentally destructive mining practices in the world, right behind mountaintop removal. The strip mining process requires excessive amounts of water and leaves behind giant lakes of waste.

Source: Energy Digital