This April 1981 document from Imperial Oil Ltd, the Canadian subsidiary of Exxon, is a report on the “Politico-Economic Problems of Developing the Alberta Oil Sands,” written by researchers at Yale University. This document is part of the ClimateFiles Imperial Oil document set, gleaned by DeSmog researchers from the Glenbow Imperial Oil Archive Collection.

The author argues that Canada is unique among OECD countries for its potential to be “totally energy self-sufficient,” but that achieving this goal requires “difficult decisions.” The paper seeks to “analyse and evaluate important historical aspects and present arguments surrounding the development of Canada’s unconventional oil, specifically that oil which has been classified as oil sands,” particularly how the oil sands pertain to the future energy needs of Canada. 

The paper generally finds that “political interference and indecision” are the primary factors prohibiting the development of the tar sands, and that “Canadian self-sufficiency in oil will continue to remain an enigma as long as the future security of oil supply is mortgaged for short term political and economic gains.”