Oil-Rich Alberta Gets Rebranded

The Canadian province of Alberta recently rebranded itself with an optimistic slogan it hopes will erase some of the bad publicity generated by its oil sands development, which some have called the world's dirtiest.

"Freedom to create, spirit to achieve" is now the official tagline for a region home to the planet's second largest petroleum reserves. It's costing the Albertan government some $25 million (US$20.2 million) to make the switch from its years-old slogan, "Alberta's Advantage."

It is money well-spent, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said.

"It's worth more than $25 million, protecting a $40 billion (US$32.3 billion) revenue stream," Stelmach told the Edmonton Journal.

Canada has edged out Saudi Arabia as America's top oil supplier, with about half coming from the oil sands. It begins as bitumen-coated sand or clay that takes an enormous amount of energy, water and manpower to extract and process.

The name-calling hasn't been pretty. An Environmental Defense Fund report dubbed (PDF) Canada's oil sands "The Most Destructive Project on Earth." Greenpeace declared the oil the world's dirtiest. A National Geographic feature story this month didn't help the industry's cause: "But clawing and cooking a barrel of crude from the oil sands emits as much as three times more carbon dioxide than letting one gush from the ground in Saudi Arabia," the story said

The province said in its 20-year strategic plan it will bring a balanced approach to developing the oil sands and environmental stewardship, while also promoting healthy communities. It is heavily banking on carbon capture and sequestration to address the region's emissions.

Whether the campaign will have any impact on U.S. citizens, a target group in its rebranding market research, remains to be seen, but signs indicate it may not be difficult. According to the research, few Americans are aware of the "debate" over the environmental impacts of developing oil sands.