Alberta government on hot seat after Syncrude duck death toll hits 1,606
By Kelly Cryderman, Calgary Herald
April 1, 2009
Oilsands giant Syncrude revealed Tuesday that 1,600 waterfowl drowned in a tailings pond near Fort McMurray last April -- more than three times the original estimate of dead birds.
Environmental critics such as the Sierra Club of Canada, Greenpeace and Ecojustice immediately jumped on the fact the real figure has been hidden from the public for months.
"The question is when did (the government) know about the 1,600?" said Barry Robinson of Ecojustice, a non-profit group of environmental lawyers.
Syncrude said it sent the Alberta government regular updates tallying the dead birds, giving the total of 1,606 at the end of the summer after the last decomposing bird rose to the surface of Syncrude's Aurora settling basin in July.
But Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner insisted that while he knew the toll had increased, he didn't know until Tuesday morning how much the number of oil-covered birds ballooned from an original estimate of 500.
"From Day 1, I have been unhappy -- to say the least --that we are dealing with this situation," Renner said.
And with charges against Syncrude in court this June, the government will not say whether it agrees with the 1,606 figure, or when it knew about the higher waterfowl toll.
Syncrude said Tuesday it shared the increased numbers with provincial officials as soon as they were collected last sum-mer.
Alain Moore, a company spokesman, said it's "standard protocol" not to release details of a case to the public while it's under investigation.
The figure came out Tuesday because "it was time to give an update," Moore said.
But it's still unclear what official advice Syncrude received from provincial Crown prosecutors about whether the information could be released or not. And Alberta Environment spokesman Jason Cobb would not confirm when exactly the government found out about the inflated figure.
Cobb also would not say whether government officials agree with the 1,606 figure provided by Syncrude.
"I am unable to discuss this with you because it's a material fact within the court case," said Alberta Environment spokesman Jason Cobb.
The news comes as the Alberta government and the industry both work to improve the environmental image of the oilsands.
On Tuesday, Syncrude held a news conference detailing efforts to improve the company's bird protection systems, saying it will increase staff and the number of noise cannons used to scare away birds, among other improvements to make sure a large number of deaths is not repeated during this spring's migration.
Syncrude president and CEO Tom Katinas also said the company is piloting a new radar monitoring system this year "that's used in some of North America's largest airports. This will allow us to better observe flight patterns and to learn what we can do to improve our system."
Katinas said the company still regrets what happened last April.
"We realize that the results are totally unacceptable," Katinas said. "We know that we were overconfident in the system that we had that served us for a very, very long time. We know that system has to change."
Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute, an environmental think-tank, was unimpressed with the improvements announced by Syncrude.
Dyer said the real issue is loss of habitat in Alberta's north, and the increasing surface size of tailing ponds.
"Environment leadership is not preventing birds landing in toxic waste, but preventing the creation of these vast tailing lagoons," Dyer said.
Syncrude said its staff and Alberta Fish and Wildlife officials initially estimated 500 waterfowl died in the Aurora settling basin after they became coated in residual bitumen floating on the surface. But in the weeks that followed the initial discovery, more bodies rose to the surface.
The number of dead birds won't change the number of charges laid under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act that accuse Syncrude of failing to have proper equipment in place to deter ducks and geese from landing on the tailings pond.
The maximum fine under Alberta law is $500,000, while federal regulations allow for a fine of $300,000 and six months imprisonment.
Federal charges accused Syncrude of depositing" a substance harmful to migratory birds in waters or an area frequented by birds."
Just a day before Syncrude revealed its new figure, the Alberta government announced it will beef up its protections for migrating birds, with measures such as more on-site surprise checks to make sure oilsands companies are complying with the Environmental Protection and Enforcement Act.
KCryderman@theherald. CanWest.Com
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