perception of the oil sands effect on the environment has not turned around as quickly.
George tries not to get defensive when people criticize the oil sands. Instead, he attempts to start a two-way conversation.
“I really hope it (the book) helps the Canadian debate around oil sands because there is so much misinformation,” he says.
Life is never black and white, he adds, and there is room for both the oil sands and environmental sustainability. He hopes his book will help clear up some of the misunderstandings.
“The industry got way behind on communication. We started late,” he says, adding that he takes some responsibility.
While mining can look horrendous while in full swing, the truth is that Suncor actually leaves the land cleaner than it found it.
“I’m not being cynical when I say that firms engaged in oil sands production are cleaning up nature’s biggest oil spill,” George writes in Sun Rise. “Reduced to basic steps, it involves removing bitumen-soaked sand from its location, stripping the sand of bitumen and returning the cleaner sand to its approximate original location.”
He also responds to criticism that the oil sands have a great impact on global warming, saying this is not a problem that can simply be dumped on the shoulders of one sector.
“Canada is currently responsible for two per cent of GHG emissions, and oil sands production, in turn, is responsible for five per cent of Canada’s total emissions.”
In December 2011, after 20 years at Suncor, George decided it was time to go.
“I love the industry and the company, so it was emotionally hard to leave,” he says. But after 20 years, he felt that others needed a chance to make their contributions.
He didn’t leave Suncor with the intention of retiring. He is now chairman of Osum Oil Sands, which has assets in the Cold Lake region and is pursuing technology on carbonates and conventional SAGD. A private company, Osum is developing a 45,000 barrel per day thermal oil sands project called Taiga.
THE WESTERN CANADIAN PIPELINE | WINTER 2013 15
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