The correlation of job loss with disruptions in oil supplyrnunderscores the importance to the US economy ofrntransportation, which is 95% dependent on oil, the onlyrnprimary fuel currently being imported by the US in massivernquantities. One solution is to promote oil supply stability, butrnat a sustained higher price, by migrating to unconventionalrnprimary fuel resources such as heavy oil, shale oil, tar sands,rnorimulsion, or coal, that are available on the North Americanrncontinent. Another solution would be to shift as muchrntransportation as possible to electrically powered vehiclesrnbecause electricity already uses a diverse selection of energyrnresources. This paper compares the use of unconventional oilrnfor electric power generation to its use as a source ofrntransportation fuels.rnLike coal, unconventional oil can be burned for powerrngeneration, or alternatively, both coal and heavy oilrngasification processes are described in the literature.rnGasification processes can make more efficient use of thernenergy content, and they reduce atmospheric emissions.rnThe comparison considers cost, energy efficiency, andrnenvironmental impact of the two transportation options on arn“well/mine to wheels” basis as well as the estimated coal andrnunconventional oil reserves.
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