Charges filed: Syncrude duck disaster
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Alberta cries foul over duck disaster
The province of Alberta has filed charges against the Syncrude Canada joint venture after 500 ducks died after landing on a tailings pond at its oil sands operation in April.
The province alleges Syncrude failed to have appropriate deterrents in place to keep the ducks from landing on the toxic wastewater pond.
The ducks died after being fouled in a tailings pond when a spring snowstorm delayed deployment of sound cannons used to keep waterfowl from landing.
The incident brought worldwide attention to the ecological impacts of exploiting the oil sands, the largest oil reserves outside the Middle East.
"We feel horrible that it happened," said Alain Moore, a spokesman for Syncrude. "We have resolved to make the appropriate changes to prevent it from happening again."
Moore said Syncrude is taking the charges seriously and would be in court next month to answer to them.
The charges, filed under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, carry a maximum penalty of C$500,000 (US$411,000), about $1000 per dead duck, according to a Reuters report.
Environment Canada also laid one charge against the oil sands producer under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, which carries a maximum fine of C$300,000.
The federal charge is for allegedly depositing or permitting the deposit of a substance harmful to migratory birds in waters or an area frequented by birds.
Last week, the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board debuted regulations that would increase oversight over wastewater ponds associated with oil sands production, a move many say was spurred by the duck disaster.
The directive requires all oil sands mining companies to come up with tailings plans integrated with annual mine plans by 30 September, according to a Calgary Herald report.
It also requires the gradual reduction of fine particles going into liquid tailings by 20% by 2011, 30% by 2012, and 50% by 2013, and calls for quarterly and annual compliance reports.
Industry officials have said they believe some provisions of the directive may be hard to meet.
Syncrude Canada, in north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, is the world's largest producer of synthetic crude oil.
Its partners include Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Imperial Oil, Petro-Canada, ConocoPhillips, Nexen, Nippon Oil unit Mocal Energy and Murphy Oil