Tar Sands

Tar sands, oil sands or, more technically, bituminous sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. Tar sands are found mainly in Canada, but also in parts of Utah, Russia, and Venezuela. Mining, processing, transporting, refining and burning of tar sands has massive impacts to ecosystems, air and water quality, indigenous and marginalized communities, the global climate, and requires significant energy to break it down and ship it to the world. The movement of multinational oil companies toward this thick, heavy unconventional and hard to refine crude signals desperation, and with its significant impact on global greenhouse gas levels, presents a major threat to the stability of the world climate. WilderUtopia has partnered with Tar Sands Action Southern California to stop this deadly product from reaching global oil markets and heating the climate beyond tipping points.

Plains All American, Refugio Oil Spill, Santa Barbara
Energy, Tar Sands

Santa Barbara Oil Spill Spreading: Big Oil Plans for More Tar Sands

The most recent oil spill on the Santa Barbara coast that has decimated wildlife and soiled California beaches with tar over a 350-mile area has been an unmitigated disaster. It illustrates weaknesses in basic safety measures for pipelines and crude by rail, as well as risks associated with industry plans to expand tar sands and other extreme drilling infrastructure on the West Coast.