One thing for sure, it crushes Alberta. Any lower and the Keystone pipeline might be pumping mountain air down south.
I was in Alabama this summer. That mountain air might not be a bad idea. Oh wait, that would cause climate change in the south. Can’t have that.
Not all oil sands projects are created equal, of course. Cenovus, which uses super-hot bursts of steam to melt seams of bitumen buried too deep to mine, says it can coax oil from the sands for between $35 and $65 (U.S.) per barrel, depending on geology and other input costs.