Latest Oilsands Casualties

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1048

I say latest, because who knows how many birds lie in the bottom of these toxic ponds?

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=482931

This is so sad. The oil sands companies apparently have equipment in place that's supposed to prevent water fowl from landing on the ponds, but I wonder how effective these measures are.

According to the article above, these tailing ponds now cover 50 square kilometers and could collectively grow to cover quadruple the amount of area should all of the projects proposed in Alberta go ahead.

I wonder how many instances like this one just haven't been reported.

anagami · Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: Latest Oilsands Casualties

derivate products of tar sands should be labeled as such, so that consumers chose not to buy them... tar sands are disgusting, but for now the only way of being sure of not supporting them is by using a 100% electric car with renewable and clean electricity.
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joeltrout · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 19, 2007 Posts: 1317

I have been very surprised that the oil sands have not been a huge target for environmental concerns thus far.

joeltrout

joeltrout · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 19, 2007 Posts: 1317

Cashmere · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Mar 27, 2008 Posts: 1971

We'll get them birds.

We'll get em all.

Eventually, if all goes according to plan, we'll be sitting here with the rats and the roaches showing our great great grandkids what the birds looked like.

Tyler_JC · Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 1:04 pm Post subject: Re: Latest Oilsands Casualties

I'm not surprised.

I ordered a pizza last night, had it delivered at midnight.

I think the delivery guy probably used enough gas to kill at least one duck in a Canadian pond.

I'd be upset but the pizza had grilled chicken on it and was very good.

So technically I killed two birds with one pizza. Cool

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rockdoc123 · Light Sweet Crude Joined: May 16, 2005 Posts: 1685

the problem here is adherence and enforcement. The oil sands projects can be run in an environmentally friendly fashion under current technology. What is required is a complete desire on the part of the operating company to adhere to the highest of standards (good companies have standards that are above and beyond regulations) and the government to enforce regulations.
In my experience companies drop the ball on environmental compliance not because they are worried about costs but because they have not spent enough time thinking about potential problems and putting in place mitigation measures prior to project start up. And that happens mainly due to companies either not having enough environmental staff or not having a senior executive position who is in charge of environmental affairs. The lack of enforcement piece is not surprising given the current Alberta government is staffed mainly by the mentally challenged, the leader of whose collective experience might qualify him to collect bull semen but by no means qualifies him to have anything to do with any extractive industry. In terms of enforcement the penalties have to be high enough that the "punters" who show up will not try to cut corners in terms of environmental practice. In the US they have Superfund legislation which was introduced after Exxon Valdez. As I remember (it was a number of years ago I read the act) there are strict controls regarding damage to birds or other animals. Specifically there is a clause that if a bird were to fall into an uncovered storage chamber of oil or other related chemical that the charges to the company would be tens of thousands of dollars for each bird and (not or, and) jail time (years not months) of senior executive members if found negligent. If a similar policy to Superfund were in place in Alberta I suspect Marcel Coutu would be spending time in a rural crowbar motel.

SolarDave · Heavy Crude Joined: May 19, 2005 Posts: 380

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1048

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1048

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1048

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1048

The link below has a photo of tailings ponds, although the ones shown are not by any stretch of the imagination the largest ones. These ones, however, are located right next to the Athabasca River and are separated from the river by earthen dikes. If one of these were to break for any reason, the toxins would spill into the river, meaning danger for wildlife and people alike.

http://dodosville.blogspot.com/2008/04/500-dead-ducks.html

joeltrout · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 19, 2007 Posts: 1317

mos6507 · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 11:28 am Post subject: Re: Latest Oilsands Casualties

joeltrout · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 19, 2007 Posts: 1317