Simon Dyer — Apr 20, 2010
Some time this month we passed the one million mark for downloads of our reports identifying the environmental impacts associated with oil sands development and their solutions.
Marlo Raynolds — Sep 07, 2010
It's not every day that the third most powerful U.S. politician comes to visit Ottawa. It's even more rare when a big part of her visit focuses on a key environmental issue — the mismanagement of the oil sands. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's visit coincides with growing U.S. opposition to a massive oil sands pipeline called the Keystone XL, something she, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, is being pressured to investigate by many in her party.
We are encouraged that Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Edward Markey, Chairman of the influential Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, have chosen to reach out to environmental and First Nations representatives in addition to politicians and industry spokespeople.
Our organizations, the Pembina Institute and Environmental Defence, will have an opportunity to meet with her tomorrow to put forward our perspective on how regulators in Ottawa and Edmonton are failing to do their job with regards to the environmental impacts of the oil sands industry, and what U.S. political leaders can do about it.
Karen Campbell — Jan 29, 2010
The proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline would carry bitumen from Alberta's oil sands to the B.C. coast. Its construction would enable an expansion in oil sands production, which would result in significant new environmental impacts "upstream" from the pipeline.
Terra Simieritsch — Mar 29, 2010
I was pleasantly surprised last week by Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner's opening comments at the Water for Life Conference in Calgary. There's just one problem: the minister's talk doesn't seem to match the government's actions.
While Renner said protecting the environment is critical to the way we do business, the province continues to approve project after project in the oil sands, without ever stopping to consider the cumulative effects of all of that development.
Dan Woynillowicz — Feb 10, 2010
The pressure is on — the international community has called us out on the serious environmental impacts of our oil sands, but instead of cleaning up the mess both industry and government are scrambling to spin the situation clean. Problem is, calling the oil sands clean won't make it so - and amidst increasing scrutiny the international community isn't going to fall for it.
Simon Dyer — Jun 25, 2010
More than two years after 1,600 ducks died in Syncrude's Aurora tailings lake, the oil sands operator has been found guilty in a high-profile court case that almost never happened. Since then, the amount of tailings (the toxic liquid waste produced by the oil sands extraction process) has steadily increased in volume by 200 million litres, or 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools, every day to now cover an area of 170 km2. It raises the question: Did the ducks die in vain?
Simon Dyer — Jan 11, 2010
In 2010, one of the issues on our radar here at Pembina is going to be whether oil sands companies are held accountable for cleaning up the tailings waste created by the oil sands extraction process.
Jennifer Grant — Aug 05, 2010
Some of the facts in a report I authored were recently challenged. The report, Northern Lifeblood - Empowering Northern Leaders to Protect the McKenzie River Basin, investigated current and future threats to the basin, including the risks associated with the 170 square kilometres of toxic tailings lakes in the Athabasca watershed. And it's the facts surrounding those toxic tailings lakes that were questioned.
Our report findings are carefully referenced, citing government, industry and academic, peer-reviewed documents. Nonetheless, Suncor Energy raised concerns with our findings in a letter to the editor printed in the Edmonton Journal.
Danielle Droitsch — Jul 08, 2010
A vigorous debate is occurring in the U.S. over the use of oil from oil sands and particularly about a proposed pipeline, the Keystone, that would transport that oil from Alberta to the U.S. Gulf coast. As the debate unfolds, an appropriate question to be asking is: How should Canada respond?
Karen Campbell — Jun 29, 2010
As the Enbridge Gateway oil sands pipeline proposal lurches toward the environmental assessment process, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell is on record saying: "Enbridge has a proposal which is going through a process . . . It will include the most rigorous environmental regime there is anywhere in North America."
While it sounds nice, the reality is that the increasingly controversial pipeline will be reviewed by a Joint Review Panel established by the National Energy Board and Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. And if the Mackenzie Gas Project is any indication, there are some very real problems with how the federal government is making decisions about major energy projects.
Simon Dyer — Nov 25, 2009
Welcome to the Pembina Institute’s new blog about the environmental impacts of oil sands development.
Dan Woynillowicz — Aug 25, 2010
When the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) rolled out new regulations to manage oil sands tailings production (Directive 074) in February 2009, my colleagues and I were hopeful that a new, tougher approach to regulating oil sands development had begun. But based on past experience, we were cautiously optimistic at best.
At the time, my colleague Jennifer Grant responded: "Given the very weak track record of the ERCB and the Government of Alberta in implementing and enforcing oil sands environmental regulations, it may take two to five years to determine if this directive has teeth."
Simon Dyer — Jan 25, 2010
We've recently heard from our colleagues in the environmental community that the province may be gearing up finally to release a wetland policy. The Alberta government had originally committed to put a new wetland policy in place by the summer of 2009, so it is long overdue.
Danielle Droitsch — Aug 05, 2010
Yesterday, U.S. President Barack Obama said, "the long battle to stop the leak and contain the oil is finally close to coming to an end." As this catastrophe transitions from crisis to clean up and compensation, many are already starting to ask questions about whether BP and the U.S. government acted responsibly in the face of the spill. Few will ask whether BP's public relations job was effective. In fact, many have criticized BP for dedicating significant resources (upwards of $50 million) to its public relations efforts in lieu of taking more aggressive action.
Meanwhile, the oil sands public relations battle continues across Canada and in Washington D.C. Yesterday, another public relations chapter opened with the Government of Alberta launching a $268,000 ad campaign, commencing a "full court press" hitting national print publications, the Internet and possibly radio.
Jennifer Grant — Feb 05, 2010
Environment Minister Jim Prentice claims Canada is aspiring to be a clean energy superpower. It’s a strange claim to make given that not too long ago the Conservatives were trying to sell Canada simply as an “emerging energy superpower.” While adding the word “clean” has a nice ring to it, this rhetoric couldn’t be further from the truth.
Simon Dyer — Aug 13, 2010
We think it's a shame the government of Alberta doesn't hold themselves to the same standard they hold those that disagree with them.
Case in point: Jerry Bellikka, spokesperson from Premier Ed Stelmach's office, said: "If you compare overall emissions in Ontario and Quebec with Alberta's, setting aside growth ... I think you would find both those provinces are significantly higher than Alberta." This is plain wrong. Either Bellikka is unaware of the facts or choosing to ignore them.
