Map of Oil Sands reserves in Alabama – Photo by Alabama Cooperative System
TUSCUMBIA – It may sound far-fetched, but Alabama has the 3rd largest oil-sands reserves in the United States. Perhaps that is why there has been so much hubbub in the media for the past few years.
Tonight (Tuesday) those who are interested in the topic can learn more about the potential benefits and shortcomings of Alabama oil-sands. The program will be conducted by the Colbert County Extension Office at Tuscumbia’s Round House at 204 W. 5th Street.
Dense Bitumen seeps from rocks in North Alabama because it is found so close to the surface. As the oil sand formations proceed southward, they move deeper underground.
OIl sands are rock formations that contain a dense oily substance called bitumen. Bitumen is a naturally occurring form of asphalt. It is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid form of petroleum. It is the same stuff that is found in Los Angeles’ famous La Brea Tar Pits.
Some of tonight’s meeting topics will cover:
Potential development of oil sands in Northwest Alabama.
Status of regulations being developed for this industry.
Factual, science-based information relevant to the oil sands industry from a number of Governmental agencies.
There has been a lot of inaccurate circulating about Alabama oil-sands mining from both sides of the issue. The Colbert County Commission invites folks who are interested in this new industry to come to the meeting and hear what the experts themselves have to say about the topic.
1 comment
The green area on the map that was shown at the meeting is what is targeted right now where the Hartsell sandstone is right beneath the surface …even this poses dire threats to air, water and quality of life…surrounding real estate values will crash.All the brown area will require much more intrusion such as blasting or even fracking since the sandstone descends at a rate of about 50 feet per mille going south. Several oil companies are descending now llike vultures to buy up as much land as they can.This is some of the most beautiful, productive and forested land in the south with a rich biodiversity. This will all be lost if we sit back and passively allow our people and land to be exploited by a few companies that will profit, exhaust the resouces and leave us with an severely altered landscape that can never be forested, poisoned air and water. many very important questions that should have answered have been totally ignored by the professionals that spoke Tuesday night. No one will say how the groundwater can be protected..monitering was mentioned by geologists when asked..monitering occurs AFTER the process has started! Reclamation sounds good to some but on closer inspection no details are provided at al. The natural strata of the land provides layers through which water perks ..this will all be gone when the land is disturbed through strip mining…surface mining the preferred terminology but it IS strip mining by definition. We will drive our 21st century green jobs and clean technology if we turn our state over to the dirtiest industry that exists. We should instead be focusing on renewable energy and a state tax credit to encourage everyone to have a solar roof. Alabama is going backwards and not forward if we turn our state over to the oil industry whose main goal is to export crude to other countries. We will become a maze of pipelines, dangerous oil transport by rail and barge and our air will smell of toxic petro 24-7 -365. Be aware too of the role of ALEC with state officials in the decision making process which is responsible for pro fossil fuel development and anti- clean , renewable energy. Just see what our legislature did to run out the wind farms that wanted to locate here.