Fort McMurray Athabasca Tar Sands Development Strategy

The basic premise is that the demand for synthetic crude oil is from markets external to Canada, consequently one primary objective and five secondary objectives are suggested: 1. Alberta should regulate and control the Athabasca tar sands development for the socio-economic benefit of Albertans. 2. The social benefits accruing to Albertans should be inherent in the development of the resource and the associated urban development. 3. The rate and direction of the development should be dependent on Canada's ability to participate economically and on Alberta's requirements for economic development. 4. The development should result in a net long term benefit and improvement to Alberta's physical and ecological environment. 5. The evolvement of tar sand technology should be led by Canadian technologists for the benefit of Canadians. 6. The development should be an integration of community, industry and government. In suggesting these objectives there is an explicit recognition of the continuous requirement for balancing the concept of \"investor confidence\" and \"controlled development\". Investor confidence must be maintained if the resource development is to complement and supplement the socio-economic development requirements of Albertans. These objectives are used in projecting a development strategy which envisages a much slower rate of development than suggested by foreign markets. The orderly development rate is regulated by the first and third objective based on the basic premise. The rate of development of one plant in every four years is consistent with present technology and construction requirements.