Don’t be fooled by smooth talking new owners of the tar sands mine and processing facility at PR springs Utah.
The plan for processing shingles and selling oil extracted from recycled shingles would be really great near an urban area where the resource is or can easily be brought in. There are several reasons why it is a BAD plan for PR Springs that will never be viable.
Reasons:
The facility Sky Quarry purchased is NOT permitted to process any material that was not mined on site. New permits will be needed and a public comment period is required.
Lengthy permitting delays and lawsuits are likely over water needs and water discharge concerns related to PR Springs. The previous owners 2020 Resources, then called US Oil sands faced a lengthy lawsuit over their plans. Sky Quarry will also.
This “facility” is at the top of a high desert plateau of 8000 feet elevation. Their are no public facilities for miles. The paved road that comes in from the north ends at the mine site, the dirt road to the South is steep and impassable during storms and winter.
Bringing anything to this remote location is expensive and logistically challenged. The water, the sand , shingles, the workers. All of these components add up to a big expense and a HUGE carbon footprint. just to get to the mine site.
It will be expensive and difficult to bring the “product” made way out at PR Springs to market.
This is not “Green” there is no electricity out at PR springs they have natural gas and diesel generators. How will this be powered?
Its a fools investment.
From their web page:
Sky Quarry has purchased a facility in Utah that was built for Oil Sands extraction (which is very similar to the process we will use for shingles). We will use this facility to demonstrate our technologies, sell asphalt, sell asphalt with recycled shingles blended in, process shingles, and produce oil.
Sky Quarry will take your money and offer a future return that is never coming like pie in the sky.