Originally posted by redrockcoulee Unfortunately there are environmental costs to almost all energy extraction. The oil sands maybe worse than most and is also more visual because it is spacially more concentrated.
It's the visual element that has people up in arms. The oil sands is a strip mining operation, much akin to extracting coal.
The OP isn't saying much about that, but is the oil sands project really any uglier than this image, which is a coal mine in Wyoming?
Strip mining is ugly. OTOH, is an oilfield with normal well pump type extraction really any friendlier? It looks like it is, perhaps, because it looks more sterile, but that sterility is the problem.
I would love to live in a world where strip mining wasn't a reality, but unfortunately, as a society we have chosen to need the resources available by strip mining.