This is the first in a series of posts where I will look at issues related to the protection of Alabama’s groundwater and how our aquifers and surface springs will likely be impacted by surface mining, quarrying, or similar extractive techniques. The Basic Question: How Will Groundwater Be … [Read more...]
How will Alabama’s oil sands be mined and processed?
“Developing” the Hartselle sandstone formation in Alabama will be a multi-step process that involves mining or in situ extraction, then processing to separate the bitumen. When the bitumen is extracted from the sand and clay, the bitumen is processed into heavy crude oil, which is then transported … [Read more...]
Fact Sheet #1: What Are Tar Sands?
This Fact Sheet was prepared for the public meeting at Hatton Elementary School (Lawrence County, Alabama), March 17, 2013. Save Our Shoals - Fact Sheet #1 by Sheree Martin … [Read more...]
Bitumen Basics: Alabama Edition
Bitumen is the scientific name for the heavy oil in what is known as oil sands or, more colloquially as, tar sands. As Dr. Jim Lacefield has shared at recent public presentations in Florence and Hatton, the presence of oil sands in Alabama has been known for centuries. According to Dr. Lacefield, … [Read more...]