Clearing the air on oilsands emissions : Clearing the air on oil sands emissions

Both the definition used for ‘conventional crude’ and the scope of the study (production, well-to- tank, or well-to-wheels) can significantly change the magnitude of the difference between emissions from oilsands crude and conventional crudes. [...] For the most part, the amount of emissions from refining, transport and use (combustion) of oilsands crude is essentially the same as for any fossil-based crude, and combustion accounts for a very large amount of emissions from all crudes, regardless of the source. [...] Since the rest of the processes are similar, the broader the scope of study, the smaller the difference appears to be between oilsands and conventional crudes, simply because the denominator in the calculation is growing. [...] Looking at this scope, a comparison of oilsands emissions intensities from seven data sources to the EPA’s 2005 U. S. baseline showed that average values for oilsands emissions range from eight to 37 per cent higher than the baseline.4 In a peer-reviewed assessment completed for the European Fuel Quality Directive, the average oilsands greenhouse gas emissions were 23 per cent greater than the ave [...] One of the barriers limiting further improvement in the emissions intensity of oilsands production is that many of the “low-hanging fruit” — the relatively easy and inexpensive — technologies to reduce emissions intensities have already been widely adopted.