Community | May 13, 2009 | 6 comments

Canadian govt missing in action on oil sands water management

source: http://www.pembina.org/media-release/1832

Image
JanforGore
Today, Ecojustice and the Pembina Institute will present evidence that oil sands development threatens Alberta's freshwater at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development Hearings, also known as the Oil and Water Hearings. The groups will show that the federal government's mismanagement of oil sands development has failed to protect the environment.

"The federal government has been missing in action in terms of regulating the oil sands industry, and its absence has come at the expense of the environment and the long-term interests of Canadians," says Simon Dyer, Oil Sands Program Director at the Pembina Institute. "Their failure to act has created severe risks, ranging from contamination by leaking tailings lakes to the collapse of fisheries. Ironically, this unchecked development even threatens the future of the oil sands mining industry itself."

The evidence presented by Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund) and the Pembina Institute will demonstrate a pattern of neglect related to oil sands development and its impacts on water.

The government failures include

failing to protect the water flows of the Athabasca River

failing to address the issue of leaking toxic tailings lakes, which have already grown to cover

an area greater than the City of Vancouver

failing to provide adequate oversight and involvement in environmental monitoring and management for oil sands development

The Pembina Institute and Ecojustice call on the federal government to take immediate measures to protect Alberta from water contamination, scarcity and the loss of wetlands. According to Ecojustice counsel Karin Buss, "It is not appropriate for the Government of Canada to rely on Alberta officials to protect such a precious resource as water, especially when the province has shown little interest in proactively managing the impacts of oil sands development to date."
  1. groups:
    Community,   Green,   Earth and Science
  2. tags:
    News,  Green,  Earth and Science,  Environment,  10 more
  3. recommended by:
    ras_menelik,
    Vierotchka
  4.     
    |

6 comments // Canadian govt missing in action on oil sands water management

  • Solarlife
  • masterzip
  • artemis6
    • 0
      artemis6  

    • Shell must've had some serious leverage with the government officials involved . Darn shame too . Waste of water and habitat .

    • 3 years ago
  • SeaJade
    • 0
      SeaJade  

    • There is no accountability, like two year olds - specifically "the terrible twos", they can destroy what they will - its acceptable and expected when humans are two, and like babies, these people don't have the faculty to give it a second thought.

    • 3 years ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Image

    • The government knew what this would do to the ecosystems of the Boreal Forest, and yet they went along with it anyway in order to make profit for Shell and other companies to assauge our obsessive and unhealthy addiction to oil. The damage to this pristine area of the world is an absolute crime against nature. And yet again, where is the accountability?

    • 3 years ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • Excerpt:

      Alberta Oil Sands Development and Impacts on Water
      529 million cubic meters of water per year is expected to be withdrawn from the Athabasca River by existing and planned oil sands projects.

      25 per cent of the Athabasca River's flow will be withdrawn if all licensed lower Athabasca River users withdraw during low-flow period.

      Oil sands operators currently obtain their water for free.

      370 million cubic meters of freshwater from the Athabasca River was licensed for use in oil sands production in 2006.

      Less than 10% of the freshwater withdrawn from the river is returned.

      2 to 4.5 barrels of water are used to produce 1 barrel of bitumen.

      1.5 barrels of mature fine tailings are produced for every barrel of bitumen.

      720 million cubic meters of fine tailings currently exist in long-term containment.

      There is no commercially demonstrated method to reclaim mature fine tailings.

      Tailings ponds contain the following substances that are potentially toxic to people in the environment:

      naphthenic acids, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals.

      The Athabasca River is a major tributary of the Mackenzie River Basin. Decreasing flows have the potential to affect the Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan.

    • 3 years ago
more from Community:
from the community

top videos