Our colleagues aren't really sure why they hear this “dirty oil”. They just know they hear it over and over again. This is often the mantra of environmental groups.
These groups always demand independent studies, and guffaw at any studies that are funded, even in part, by the oil industry. But they don't reveal how they themselves are funded or how the studies they conduct are funded.
You know your competition best. Is it possible that competitors, or governments from other countries, are funding groups to depict our oil sands industry in a lesser light?