As of 2007, oil consumption in the United States was around 20.68 million gallons per day, of that 8.457 was domestically produced.  Close to 5 billion barrels of oil has to be imported each year to meet the U.S.'s oil consumption.  (CIA World factbook - United States - March 2009)  At this current rate of consumption countries like the United States will be depleting oil reserves at a fast rate, forcing them to rely heavily on foreign oil sources. 

Currently there is no immediate solution in site for the U.S.'s future energy requirements in the form of alternative energy sources.  Tar sands (oil sands) is an untapped resource found in abundance in states like Utah which currently hold approximately 32 billion barrels of oil in its sand.  Tapping into tar sands and finding ways to economically extract the oil from the sand will provide an energy source to the United States for years to come. 

Oil Shale and Tar Sands Deposits in the Wyoming, Utah, Colorado Area.  Click to see map

There is an estimated 2.72 trillion barrels of tar sands available throughout the world with a majority of it found in the U.S. and Canada. Tar sands (oil sands) are found in about 70 countries around the world including; Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Russia, Indonesia, Columbia, Brazil, Trinidad, Tobago, Nigeria, Jordan, Madagascar, Albania, Romania, Spain, Portugal and North America.  In the U.S., oil sands are primarily found in Utah, Alaska, Alabama, Southwest Texas, California, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

Oil sands have a definite future, particularly due to the abundant supply throughout the world.  With this industry only scratching the surface of its potential, the market for tar sands has a tremendous amount of potential, particularly as the price of oil begins to climb again.