The dirtiest oil in the world
The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico this summer tragically demonstrated the costs of our nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.
But despite this ongoing catastrophe, some major corporations—including Safeway and Walmart—are fueling their trucking fleets with tar sands oil, the dirtiest oil in the world.
Tar sands oil is even more destructive to human health and the environment than conventional oil.
Turning tar sands oil into fuel requires the destruction of fragile forest ecosystems, wastes three barrels of water to extract one barrel of oil, and consumes almost as much energy as it produces. This dirty and inefficient product currently makes up just 4 percent of the crude oil we use, but your tax dollars are already subsidizing pipelines and refineries that would allow oil companies to quadruple that amount.
Here’s what we can expect if Big Business doesn’t shift to more sustainable energy alternatives:
- More forests destroyed.
- More water polluted.
- More taxpayer dollars wasted on dirty energy.
- A clean energy future delayed indefinitely.
Urge Safeway and Walmart to find greener ways to transport their products.
Our addiction to oil comes at too high a price—spoiled ecologies, disrupted economies, even lost lives.
Take action today and help our corporate citizens kick the habit.