Hundreds of ducks trapped on toxic Alberta oilsands pond

[Canadian]

Hundred of migrating birds are dying after landing on a tailings pond in northern Alberta owned by Syncrude, environment officials confirmed Tuesday.

The ducks landed Monday on a pond filled with toxic waste from the oilsands operation at the Aurora North Site mine, north of Fort McMurray. Environment officials said the birds are "clearly heavily oiled" and are not able to fly.

At the Alberta Legislature, Premier Ed Stelmach said he was concerned about the report, saying Syncrude did not report the incident. The government learned about it from a tipster, he said.

Stelmach is promising a full investigation of what went wrong, with fines of up to $1 million if Syncrude is found negligent.

Provincial environment regulations require oilsands plants to have plans in place to keep migratory birds from landing on the toxic ponds.

Recovery operations are underway, but heavy ice surrounding the pond is making it difficult to launch boats so rescuers can try to save the stricken birds.

"We're very saddened and sorry that this occurred," said Tom Katinas, president and CEO of Syncrude.

"We're investigating the incident and co-operating with Alberta government officials to determine how we can prevent a similar incident in the future."

Katinas said the company uses noisemakers from spring until fall to deter birds.

However, it was not able to set up the devices due to the extreme winter weather conditions in the region last week, he said.

Syncrude said it is working closely with Alberta Fish and Wildlife and Alberta Environment to co-ordinate recovery efforts.

The Alberta government has been under increasing pressure from environmental groups to place a moratorium on oilsands development.

Greenpeace activists disrupted a fundraising dinner by the premier in Edmonton last week, dropping from a convention centre catwalk and unveiling a banner that read, "Stelmach, the best premier oil money can buy."

It is only a stink because the press knows about it. Syncrude should be fined and fined for not reporting it either. Makes one wonder what else never gets reported.

Gee Good thing Alberta is spending 25 million to give their oil patch a good image....

Link

[Durgan]

Some day Albertan's will wake up and it will be too late. The good citizens of Alberta gave the PC Governmnet 72 seats, and the Party Platform was we will do nothing about the environment. Money talks.

[Toby Fourre]

So they're blaming the snow. Sure.

[Canadian]

This was on the National and CTV National news tonight. It is getting lots of media coverage. Stelmach's spin doctors must be working overtime.

A million dollar fine is nothing to Syncrude but really, does anyone believe they will get that high of fine?

I wonder if there are some federal charges that could be laid? Like under the 'Migratory Bird Act" or some Federal Environment act?

[Canadian]

Harper promises to investigate dead ducks in northern Alberta - Incident raising concerns for people who live in Alberta's northeast

The federal government will investigate the deaths of about 500 ducks at a northern Alberta oilsands plant, Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged Thursday.

The birds landed on a pond at a Syncrude oilsands plant north of Fort McMurray. Only five birds were rescued; one has since died, and wildlife rehabilitation workers say it is too early to tell whether the rest will survive.

Harper, who was in Edmonton for the opening of a new heart treatment centre, said he was concerned about what had happened.

"There were supposed to be systems in place to prevent this particular kind of event and obviously we're greatly disappointed, and troubled that we've seen what has occurred here."

Harper promised that officials from Environment Canada would work with their provincial counterparts to "get to the bottom" of the incident.

Harper also said the incident, which has been widely reported, with "no doubt" hurt Canada's reputation.

Some northeast Alberta residents are raising questions about whether oilsands companies are doing enough to protect the environment after about 500 migratory ducks died at a giant toxic waste pond near Fort McMurray.

"To most people, ducks are not important enough to talk about," said Tabitha Pickub, who lives in Fort McMurray.

People in the region trust that the oil companies are following the rules and not polluting the environment, she said, but her confidence has been shaken by the news that Syncrude did not report the duck incident.

"Not telling us this, what else are they not telling us?" she asked.

Get to the bottom? Seems pretty cut and dry to me. This incident sure has 'legs' so to speak.

indeed what else are we not being told? I am almost afraid to find out. If it was not for the tipster who reported this we may never of heard about this.

If Alberta can not or will not reign in the tar sands and address environment concerns, the feds have to, but with Harper i dunno. Something has to be done and should of been done long ago.

as well the article goes on to mention:

The dead ducks are not the only environmental emergency officials were dealing with Thursday.

Late Wednesday they were notified of a pipeline rupture that spewed more than a hundred barrels of oil into the Otauwau River near Smith, Alta., about 200 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Lovely...What is Alberta going to look like 20-30 years from now with all but no regulation and apparently little if any enforcement of the oil industry?

You never here of Venezuela having issues with their bituminous sands aka Tar Sands like we do. You do not see mass destruction from space like you do with Alberta.

Don't forget the Athabasca River is destroyed, polluted and fish un edible, deer were culled due to some mysterious illness, people getting sick etc yet Alberta and Harper do nothing......

If I was PM I would have a one word answer.........NATIONALISATION plain and simple, not to mention why the hell don't Canadians who own resources not get a yearly cut of the profits as well???? Instead jackoffs like Stelmach/Klein sell the oil less than almost everywhere else on the planet, yet for getting our oil so cheap you do not see it reflect at the pumps either like other countries, at least NFLD stood up to them and are getting more money than the 'Alberta giveaway'.

More of the article here

[Canadian]

Well tjhis has hit the International wire now. So the world knows.

Anyway:

Oily duck lands in park, dies - Parks Canada checking to see if mallard first stopped at Syncrude tailings pond

- A sickly, oil-covered duck was delivered to a Parks Canada station in Wood Buffalo National Park on Thursday, more than 200 kilometres north of Syncrude's Aurora mine and tailings pond.

The mallard later died, said Sujata Raisinghani, Environment Canada spokeswoman.

Federal authorities are testing an oil sample from the duck to see if it matches the Syncrude oilsands waste that killed approximately 500 ducks this week.

Could an oily duck fly 200 km since the incident happened at Syncrude?

If this duck is not from the Syncrude mess what would happen? It would show there is a more serious environmental issues than we know about.

Read the rest of article here

[Durgan]

The Indians are dying of strange diseases in the Tar Sands area, and hardly a peep in the Media.

It is interesting that wildlife being killed gets attention. This incident at least is focusing some attention on the unfolding disaster of the Tar Sands in Alberta. I suggest this damage is just the tip of an iceburg.

[Durgan]

But wind turbines kill 30,000 birds each year in U.S., Stelmach says

The people of Alberta just elected this man!

[Toby Fourre]

But wind turbines kill 30,000 birds each year in U.S., Stelmach says.

Stats like that have been thrown around by opponents of the turbines (usually supporteres of big oil) but it's now as straight forward as that. Yes a lot of birds die running into man-made objects, wind turbines included. Every house I have lived in has killed birds that collided with them. Birds get confused by man-made objects, especially high ones and especially in dense fog or storms. It is not the turbine that is the problem, it's the tower. Radio and TV towers also kill a lot of birds. So do air planes and bridges and cars and trucks and tall buildings. For Stelmach to blame turbines is dis-engenuous.

[whitestone7]

Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation: First Nation Files Lawsuit Challenging Oilsands Tenure and Regulatory Approval System
4 06 2008
Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation

Jun 04, 2008 12:00 ET

Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation: First Nation Files Lawsuit Challenging Oilsands Tenure and Regulatory Approval System

EDMONTON, ALBERTA–(Marketwire - June 4, 200 8) - Today the Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation (”CPDFN”) filed legal action in the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench against the Alberta Government alleging a breach of Alberta’s constitutional duty to consult with the First Nation on MEG Energy Corp.’s Christina Lake Regional Project, Phase 3. This Project is planned to be located in the heart of CPDFN’s Traditional Territory, between Christina Lake and Winifred Lake, the breadbasket of the First Nation.

“Our lakes, our land and the animals and fish we have relied on for thousands of years to support our way of life and cultural values are being destroyed by out-of-control oilsands developments,” said Chief Vern Janvier of CPDFN. “Because our constitutionally-protected rights are at risk in one of the few remaining places in our Traditional Territory where we can exercise them, we’ve asked the Courts to step in before it’s too late.”

The Judicial Review Application filed by CPDFN today seeks a ruling that will require Alberta to hold meaningful consultation with CPDFN about the granting of oil sands leases in CPDFN’s Traditional Territory. This has implications for all First Nations and all resource developers in the oilsands and across Alberta.

The First Nation is also asking the Court to rule that the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board and Alberta Environment cannot not approve MEG Energy’s Phase 3 oil sands project until Alberta meaningfully consults with CPDFN so as to ensure protection of CPDFN’s Treaty and Aboriginal rights. The case also raises the need, through consultation with CPDFN, for regional land-use planning, proper cumulative impacts assessment that looks at the full impact of existing, planned and reasonably foreseeable development, and for the establishment of appropriate baseline data, benchmarks and related measures to guide development and to ensure that CPDFN can exercise its rights now and in the future.

“MEG Energy has been given leases around Christina Lake and Winifred Lake, very special places to our people who have hunted, fished and carried out our cultural practices there for generations,” said Chief Janvier. The Chief went on to state, “For years, we have told Alberta and industry of our concerns about the erosion of our rights through ever-increasing development and the lack of proper planning for resource development. Yet Alberta has done almost nothing to change the way they regulate this development. If anything, Alberta has sped up the pace of its approvals.”

Alberta policy delegates legal responsibility for consultation with First Nations to oil and gas companies who have a clear conflict of interest in playing such a role. Not only does consultation take place after leases have already been awarded so that development is already mostly locked-in, but companies also have no control over the cumulative effects with other projects that infringe upon Treaty and Aboriginal rights. Therefore, only governments can conduct meaningful consultation, and only when done early.

“The whole oil sands consultation and management framework is inconsistent with the law of the Land, as decided by the Supreme Court of Canada and needs to be fixed,” said Chief Janvier. “This needs to happen before our people and other First Nations have our way of life and culture taken away forever.”

http://stoptarsands.wordpress.com/2008/ ... al-system/

http://stoptarsands.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/remember-the-ducks/

We have to step up the pressure against this unmitigated greed

[Canadian]

Environmentalists take Syncrude to court over Alberta duck deaths

Environmentalists launched a private prosecution Wednesday against Syncrude Canada over the death of about 500 ducks in a tailings pond north of Fort McMurray, Alta., in April 2008.

The legal action was brought against Syncrude on behalf of Jeh Custer, a Sierra Club Canada representative in Alberta.

"Pollution from tar sands extraction is making the environment too toxic for birds and people," Custer said in a news release. "The regrettable failure of the Alberta and federal governments to enforce their own environmental laws means that ordinary Canadians must act."

The prosecution alleges Syncrude violated the Migratory Birds Convention Act, which prohibits the deposit of harmful substances in areas frequented by migratory birds.

Neither the Alberta nor the federal government have laid any charges against Syncrude in connection with the bird deaths. The Alberta government is still investigating the incident.

Barry Robinson, a lawyer for Ecojustice, formerly known as the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, is handling the case.

"It is important that environmental infractions are prosecuted in a timely manner in order to protect both humans and wildlife from prohibited activities," he said in a news release. "We hope the private prosecution sends a message that the needless death of 500 ducks is unacceptable."

The Sierra Club Canada and Forest Ethics are supporting the private prosecution.

It is estimated that about 500 ducks died in April after the migrating birds landed in the toxic, oil-covered tailings pond, part of an oilsands development. Syncrude usually deploys bird deterrents around the three-kilometre-long pond from spring to fall, but had not put them in place yet.

Are 'private prosecutions' ever successful?

Link

[Toby Fourre]

Are 'private prosecutions' ever successful?

Don't know but I bet that publicity is on the agenda. Syncrude may have to justify itself in a court room and they won't like it.

[Canadian]

Ottawa, Alberta charge Syncrude in oilsands pond duck deaths

Syncrude Canada has been charged for not taking measures to deter wildfowl from the tailings pond where 500 ducks died last year after they were trapped in the water's oily waste, the Alberta government announced Monday.

The province has charged the oilsands company with one count under Section 155 of the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act for failing to provide appropriate wildfowl deterrents at the pond at the Aurora North Site in April 2008

"I don't know that circumstances such as this have ever happened," Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner said Monday. "This is the first of its kind for charges to be laid in this manner in Alberta."

The maximum penalty under this section of the legislation is $500,000.

Syncrude is also facing a charge under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, Environment Canada announced Monday.

The company is charged with one count under subsection 5.1(1) of the act, for allegedly depositing or permitting the deposit of a substance harmful to migratory birds in waters or an area frequented by birds.

The maximum penalty for the federal charge is a $300,000 fine and/or six months imprisonment.

Both charges will be prosecuted jointly, Renner said.

The ducks were migrating last spring when they landed on the open water of the pond, which is filled with waste from Syncrude's oilsands operation north of Fort McMurray.

Most of the birds died after they became too heavily coated with oil and waste to fly.

I bet they will plead down and get a small token fine then say they learned their lesson.....Too bad the maximum fine is not $500,000 a duck...

Link to the rest

[Canadian]

Syncrude says duck death toll was 3 times original estimate

Three times as many ducks died in a northern Alberta tailings pond last year than the 500 originally estimated, Syncrude Canada announced Tuesday.

"We can now tell you that the final number is 1,606 birds," Syncrude president and CEO Tom Katinas said.

In late April 2008, migrating ducks landed on a tailings pond on Syncrude's Aurora oilsands site.

The company failed to deploy the air cannons it uses to scare the birds away because of severe winter weather. The ducks landed on the open water and sank to the bottom of the lake after they were coated in oil.

Initial estimates pegged the deaths at 500 birds, but in the weeks after the incident more birds came to the surface, and staff counted and reported the numbers to the government as part of the investigation.

Since those numbers were considered part of the investigation, they could not be publicly released until now, Katinas said.

man oh man. I wonder what the real damage to birds , wild life and people are due to these ponds and tar sands?

It also sounds 'fishy' it was kept secret too for so long under the guise of investigation...by both Syncrude and fast eddies gov..

Link to the rest

[Canadian]

Syncrude might challenge federal charge over dead ducks

Oilsands giant Syncrude might launch a constitutional challenge against the charge laid by the federal government earlier this year over the deaths of about 1,600 ducks in a northern Alberta tailings pond in April 2008.

Syncrude faces one count under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act. In a courtroom in Sherwood Park, Alta., Wednesday, the possibility of a challenge came up when the provincial Crown prosecutor discussed a date for a possible trial with the judge in open court.

Outside the courthouse, Syncrude spokesperson Allan More said a challenge, questioning the right of the federal government to lay the charge, is only one option the company has at its disposal.

"There's still a lot of analysis [to be done]: understanding what the charges entail, what the implications are. And we need to analyze that to understand what they involved before making a plea," Moore said.

Three months have been set aside for the trial, which is scheduled to start in March 2010. In addition to the federal charge, Syncrude also faces a charge under Section 155 of the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act for failing to provide appropriate waterfowl deterrents at the pond at its Aurora North oilsands site in April 2008.

Both the federal and provincial charges will be prosecuted jointly.

Syncrude did not enter a plea on either charge Wednesday. The company will be back in court on September 14.

Why do big companies think they should never be held accountable for their actions and look for weasel ways to get out of things?

1606 ducks were killed, so a charge under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act seems reasonable. They are lucky it is not 1606 charges.

Link to the rest

[Toby Fourre]

Why do big companies think they should never be held accountable for their actions and look for weasel ways to get out of things?

Because we have let then get away with it for a very long time.

[Canadian]

Syncrude pleads not guilty to duck death charges

Oilsands giant Syncrude has pleaded not guilty to two charges laid in the deaths of 1,600 ducks in a northern Alberta tailings pond in April 2008.

The company faces charges under provincial and federal laws. Syncrude's lawyer, Robert White, entered the pleas in a court in St. Albert, northwest of Edmonton, Monday morning.

Two months have been set for the trial, which will start in March in St. Albert.

According to White, the company is pleading not guilty because it has improved duck deterrence measures used at the site. He dismissed a suggestion that Syncrude thinks that it should be above the law.

"Of course not," he said. "However, the law has recognized for a long time that when people do their best to avoid something, then that isn't a matter for charges. That's a matter for fix-up."

No surprise.

Link to the rest

[Canadian]

Syncrude duck trial verdict expected

A verdict is expected Friday in the trial of oilsands giant Syncrude, charged in the deaths of more than 1,600 ducks that got stuck in the company's toxic sludge.

Syncrude is charged under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act with failing to protect migratory birds from a toxic tailings pond.

The ducks died April 28, 2008, on Syncrude's Aurora tailings pond in northern Alberta, about 75 kilometres north of Fort McMurray.

The pond collects the byproducts of bitumen extraction from oilsands. The migratory birds got stuck in the toxic sludge of bitumen remnants, clay, sand and metals and sank to the bottom of the pond.

The judge is expected to rule at 1:30 p.m. local time Friday in provincial court in St. Albert, Alta. The trial began March 1.

I wonder what the verdict will be? If they are found guilty it will be just a token fine I bet.

Link to the rest

[Canadian]

Syncrude guilty in Alberta duck deaths