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North America faces an energy crossroads. With the world fast approaching the end of cheap, plentiful conventional oil, we must choose between developing ever-dirtier sources of fossil fuels -- at great cost to our health and environment -- or setting a course for a more sustainable energy future of clean, renewable fuels. This June 2007 report explores the full scale of the damage done by attempts to extract oil from liquid coal, oil shale, and tar sands; examines the risks for investors of gambling on these dirty fuel sources; and lays out solutions for guiding us toward a cleaner fuel future.

Photo of report cover
 

OVERVIEW & QUICK REFERENCE
Press release

FULL REPORT IN PDF
Adobe Acrobat file (size: 1 mb)
Click here if you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader (free)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Transportation Fuel at a Crossroads
Chapter 2: Canadian Tar Sands: Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel in Endangered Forests
Chapter 3: Oil Shale Extraction: Drilling Through the American West
Chapter 4: Liquid Coal: A "Clean Fuel" Mirage
Chapter 5: The Investment Landscape: Dirty Fuels Are Risky Business
Chapter 6: The Clean Path for Transportation
Conclusion

Related NRDC Fact Sheets
Don't Support Dirty Fuels: Oil Shale and Tar Sands Are Not America's Energy Answer
Strip Mining for Oil in Endangered Forests
Why Liquid Coal Is Not a Viable Option to Move America Beyond Oil

last revised 6/8/2007

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