Canadian Scientists: Tar Sands Pollution Up To 4.5 Times Worse Than Industry Data Show

[hatrack]

Canadian scientists have found that the standard way of tallying air and climate pollution from Alberta’s oil sands vastly understates pollution levels there — by as much as 4.5 times, according to a Canadian government study published Monday. The study shows that air samples collected using aircraft may be a more accurate way to tally air and climate pollution from oil and gas production than using industry estimates.

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Study lead author Shao-Meng Li, a senior research scientist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said VOC pollution from the oil sands, which are among the most polluting forms of fossil fuels on earth, comes from many different industrial sources. Companies may be unaware of some small leaks that together may add up to a large amount of pollution. The team found that VOC emissions rates from oil sands production were between 2 and 4.5 times the levels companies reported, depending on the location.

Companies report estimates of their emissions based on how much pollution leakage is expected from their oil and gas equipment. It’s technologically difficult to determine emission rates from some oil and gas facilities and equipment, especially in the oil sands, Li said.

The paper illustrates how company-reported pollution data needs validation with actual pollution samples. Eric Kort, a climate and space sciences engineering professor at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, said the research highlights how difficult it is for emissions to be accurately counted because it’s difficult to for companies to find leaks in their equipment.

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http://www.climatecentral.org/news/pollution-canadas-oil-sands-underreported-21383

[Sculpin Beauregard]

1. The Tar sands are an environmental disaster,

and have been polluting for decades. Canada can and should do better. So tired of petro companies destroying everything.