It may be controversial, and the subject of much heated debate, but one thing's for sure; Alberta's oil sands are an enormous resource, and one which will help ensure Canada's economic future.

There are certainly environmental concerns to be taken into account, but the long term value of the oils sands cannot be understated. The simple truth is, the civilized world requires oil products, and Alberta's oil sand reserves represent the second-largest known crude oil source in the world. Only Saudi Arabia has more.

According to the provincial government, a staggering 1 in 15 jobs in Alberta are directly linked to energy. The area has a vested interest in maintaining a thriving energy industry, and the oils sands represent a significant proportion of this. Of course, the development of such an intensive industry has had considerable impact on the immediate area, and the effects on local communities and the environment, are being closely monitored.

Although commercial oil production has been carried out in the Alberta oil sands since the 1960s, competitive oil prices made the venture largely impractical for many years. The process of extracting oil from the bituminous sands is a costly one, compared to the conventional oil harvesting via wells. However, with oil prices skyrocketing in recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the area's potential. Of course with the increase in activity, comes the increase in issues, and the oil sands have been cited as an area of significant environmental concern.

There's an old saying, that you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Well, the simple truth remains that in extracting these huge and highly profitable reserves, there will be something of a downside. It's pretty unavoidable. But whereas in years gone by, when environmental concerns were all but ignored and the potential earnings helped steer all decisions, today's energy business leaders know that people care about the potential effects of such industry in their backyard.

In these more enlightened times, thorough Environmental Impact Assessments must be carried out prior to development at any site. The results of these EIAs, are used to ensure that the minimum damage to environmentally sensitive areas can be managed. Naturally, once the damage is done it's near impossible to repair, but at least a concerted effort is being put in to try and restore as much natural habitat as possible.

Increases in carbon dioxide emissions are an inevitable bi-product of synthetic oil production, and many people are concerned about the negative impact the continued processing of oil sands will have on the climate. It has been called the most polluting oil process in the world, and also uses huge amounts of water in the production process.

Local indigenous peoples too, have raised health issues and are worried about the well-being of those who live in and around the area. Worries over the loss of hunting and fishing lands also rank highly in the concerns of the area's First Nations groups.

Nobody denies that the environmental impact of Alberta's oil sand production needs to be carefully managed, but the economic benefits of the production of such enormous tracts of crude oil, to the country as a whole, cannot be stated strongly enough.

Although detractors point out the size of the area being affected by the oil sands, it seems almost insignificant when compared to the sheer scale of the spill from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf Of Mexico. As a culture, we are heavily dependent on oil for so many things. As long as that fact remains, somebody needs to provide it. Hopefully, the oil industry will continue to manage the production of this most valuable of assets with a genuine and dedicated attempt to responsibly address the area's environmental and social concerns. Then, Alberta will be able to hold its head up high as one of the most conscientious providers of safe, reliable and responsible, energy in the world.

By the Justin Havre writing team

Pics from Gord McKenna's photostream on Flickr