Canadian tar sands affect Illinois

In an area of Canadian wilderness larger than Florida, oil companies are searching for “tar sands,” a solid form of fossil fuel that can be refined into oil. The extraction, refining and burning of this dirty fuel will destroy huge swathes of forest and contribute to global warming. But the rush for oil from the Alberta tar sands also has a direct impact on Illinois. Midwestern refineries, such as BP’s Whiting, Indiana refinery, seek expansion to handle such dirty oil. Enbridge, a Canadian pipeline company, is demanding that the Illinois Commerce Commission take land from over 500 Illinois residents to construct a new pipeline for the shipment of tar sands oil.

Environment Illinois has intervened in Enbridge’s case before the ICC to stop its proposed pipeline and will continue to fight increased reliance on dirty tar sands oil.