The Machinery of Magical Thinking?

Luckily it seems like the first commercial scale tar sands project in Utah is still quite a few hurdles from being a done deal.  Economic uncertainty and an unproven technology leave significant doubt that this project has legs.

Company seeks first U.S. oil sands project, in Utah - Salt Lake Tribune

I went to the demonstration site for this project a couple of years ago on a tour of the Bookcliffs.  The project was small, but pretty ugly, sitting high in the East Tavaputs just north of the Grand County line.

 Tailings pit

Magical tar sands machinery

This is where the 11 secret herbs and spices are added to the process.

Mmmmmm...unwholesomeness

This is the worst type of energy development - one that is energy-intensive to recover, wrecks landscapes and produces lots of greenhouse gases.  We have to do better than this!