Environmentalists make several arguments for leaving the bitumen in the dirt. They disparage hideous strip mines and toxic tailing ponds that even superstar marketers cannot greenwash. 160 The scale is unusual, but open pit mines and tailing ponds are normal mining operations everywhere.

The process requires a huge amount of water, which is then pumped into massive toxic tailing ponds.

Mandatory sequestration could make net CO2 emissions from bitumen extraction no worse than those from conventional oil wells, and perhaps even better. Another obvious condition is mandatory timetables for restoring strip mines and tailing ponds to their natural condition.