CALGARY, AB — Joe Obad, associate director of Water Matters, and Terra Simieritsch, policy analyst for the oil sands program for the Pembina Institute, responded to today's announcement that the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) has approved another tailings (the toxic liquid waste created by oil sands production) management plan, this time for Shell Canada’s Muskeg River Mine project:
"It is concerning to see yet another tailings management plan approved by the ERCB when it clearly does not meet the requirements set out in Directive 074,” said Obad. “The approval of this plan undermines the authority of the ERCB.”
“The ERCB should be rejecting plans that do not meet its regulations concerning environmental impacts,” said Simieritsch. “With each non-compliant tailings management plan the ERCB approves, it further erodes both its credibility as a regulator, and Alberta's credibility as a responsible developer of its resources.”
“So far, Imperial Oil and Syncrude have both had noncompliant tailings management plans approved by the ERCB,” Obad stated. “With today’s approval of Shell’s plans, we’ve lost another opportunity to show the world that Alberta regulators can regulate the oil sands industry in a meaningful way.”
Directive 074 and Shell Muskeg's variance from compliance
|
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
Directive 074 Fines Compliance Schedule |
20% |
30% |
50% |
|
Shell Muskeg Fines Capture |
4% |
13% |
34% |
|
Percentage shortcoming at Target Year |
16% |
17% |
16% |
Background
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Contact
|
Joe Obad |
Terra Simieritsch |
The Pembina Institute is a non-partisan sustainable energy think tank.
Water Matters provides strong leadership from an independent non-government organization with expertise and resources to address province-wide watershed issues.