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☆ Imperial Oil spill into lagoon contaminates flock of Canada geese
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 26 (Reuters) - Canada's Imperial Oil (IMO.TO) spilled crude oil into a process-water lagoon at its Mahihkan plant in northern Alberta, contaminating a flock of geese, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) said on Wednesday. The spill of around six barrels of oil, which took place on Monday, is the latest environmental lapse by the oil sands company. Earlier this year it emerged that toxic tailings water had been seeping for months from Imperial's Kearl mine, and a second separate leak occurred in February. Twelve Canada geese became smeared with oil after landing on the lagoon, the AER said in an incident report on its website. In the last week a dead frog and two dead minnows were found near the seepage site and were collected for additional testing, Imperial said.

Persons: Lisa Schmidt, Imperial, Schmidt, Nia Williams, Sandra Maler Organizations: Alberta Energy Regulator, Imperial, Thomson Locations: Alberta, Imperial, British Columbia

☆ Canada opens formal investigation into Imperial's oil sands tailings leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CALGARY, Alberta, May 4 (Reuters) - Canada's federal environment ministry on Thursday opened a formal investigation into a months-long tailings leak at Imperial Oil's (IMO.TO) Kearl oil sands mine in northern Alberta, signalling a potential prosecution. Tailings, a toxic mining by-product containing water, silt, residual bitumen and metals, have been seeping from Imperial's site since last May, angering local Indigenous communities who hunt and fish on the lands downstream from Canada's oil sands mines. The company first discovered discolored water on its Kearl site in May 2022 and informed the AER and some local Indigenous communities, but failed to update those communities when testing showed the water contained tailings. Canada's Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, one of only two Liberals lawmakers in Alberta, said the Kearl leak and poor communication was "simply unacceptable". "It's unjust for Indigenous communities that are living downstream to have questions about their drinking water table and the health of the natural environment."

☆ Alberta Energy Regulator to probe wildlife death at Suncor tailings pond
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 22 (Reuters) - The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has started an investigation into the death of 32 waterfowl at a Suncor Energy Inc (SU.TO) tailings pond on its Base Mine Site, 29 km (18 miles) north of Fort McMurray. It was detected during an oilsands bird contact monitoring program survey, according to a statement from the regulator. The company has further discovered two additional dead wildlife, one muskrat and one vole, at the site since it notified the AER. Suncor said it had begun an investigation after finding the dead wildlife on Friday, on the edge of a tailings pond at the Base Plant site during one of its regular, required checks. "At the time of discovery, all bird deterrent systems at Base Plant were active."

☆ Canada's Suncor releases 5,900 cubic metres of water from oil sands site
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 18 (Reuters) - Canada's Suncor Energy (SU.TO) has reported the release of 5,900 cubic metres (208,400 cubic feet) of water with more than twice the approved level of suspended solids from a sedimentation pond at its Fort Hills oil sands project in northern Alberta. The water came from a sedimentation pond, which collects and discharges surface run-off from the oil sands site, and not a tailings pond, Suncor spokesperson Erin Rees said in an email. Oil sands companies are under scrutiny for how they manage water on their sites, after Imperial Oil (IMO.TO) said in February that tailings ponds at its Kearl site had been seeping for months and another spill released 5,300 cubic metres of process water in late January. "This is not a tailings pond, but a water run-off pond that collects and discharges run off into Fort Creek ... in line with regulatory approvals," Rees said. The water discharges into Fort Creek roughly 800 metres upstream of the Athabasca River, the main waterway running through the oil sands region.

☆ Canada's Imperial ordered to fix seepage from oil sands tailing ponds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Canada's Imperial Oil (IMO.TO) on Wednesday said it is working with the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) to fix industrial wastewater seepage from tailings ponds at its Kearl oil sands project that has been ongoing for months. The order steps up regulatory enforcement from the AER, which previously issued Imperial with two non-compliance notices and conducted site inspections. Kearl is a 240,000-barrel-per-day bitumen mine in northern Alberta, and the wastewater, or tailings, from its industrial processes include dissolved iron and arsenic. However, Imperial on Saturday also reported a separate leak of more than 5,000 cubic metres of tailings water from one of its holding ponds. Schmidt said the cause of that release is still being determined and Imperial has notified local communities.

The coming end of SPR releases could shift market dynamics again in a year of high volatility following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. In March the White House announced it would release 180 million barrels from the U.S. strategic reserve to help quell high prices. Foreign buyers have turned to discounted Russian barrels, tempering Canadian crude exports. "When the SPR releases finish, these refiners will look to lean harder again on Canadian barrels or seaborne imports." That system ships the bulk of Canadian crude exports to the United States.

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