The High Cost Of Alberta's Black Gold Rush

Almost half of Canada's oil production comes from the oil sands — and the energy industry estimates that enough oil can be economically extracted to fill the country's needs for three centuries.

The vast majority of Canadian oil exports goes to the United States, and the Bush administration sees the remaining resources as America's best hope for reducing dependence on Middle Eastern oil."

"The benefits may be great, but the toll on other natural resources is also enormous...With development expected to triple, or even quintuple, in the next few decades, producers and government officials puzzle over how to harness the oil sands' potential with less cost to the climate, land, water and the well-being of native peoples who fear that cancer cases in a downstream community may be a sign of lethal industrial pollution.

"The industry, which generates billions of dollars in economic activity, royalties and taxes each year, says it plans to minimize environmental effects through improved efficiency and land restoration required by government leases."

"Like a modern gold rush, the oil sands development has lured thousands of workers with jobs that may pay more than $100,000 a year..."

"Provincial water officials say they know of no water pollution from the oil sands, but some elders who once drank directly from the lake now even avoid drinking from remote streams when they hunt and trap."