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Oil spill condemnation valid, but. . .
Commentary by Mac Olsen
Looking at the recent covers of
Ducks Unlimited and Ducks Unlimited
Canada Conservator,
with their richly-coloured pictures
of waterfowl, and contrasting
them with images of black,
oil-slicked birds in the Gulf of
Mexico, one can only hope we
never see pictures of Canadian
wetlands and other sensitive
ecosystems destroyed by disasters
of such epic proportions.
However, a miniature disaster
of sorts occurred April 28, 2008,
when 1,600 ducks died in tailings
pond operated by Syncrude. The
company has pleaded not guilty
to charges laid by the federal
and provincial government and a
trial is underway in the matter.
The Crown alleges the company
was negligent and failed in
its duty to protect migratory
birds, but Syncrude lawyer Robert
White said the incident was
just a mistake.
“There’s no question that the
settling basin and its contents
was the reason that these birds
died and there is no question at
all, but that the settling basin is
Syncrude’s responsibility and is
morally culpable, but they are
not guilty of criminal offences,”
he said in an Edmonton Journal
story March 1.
Be that as it may, things have
changed dramatically since the
Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion
occurred in the Gulf of Mexico
April 20, killing 11 rig workers.
British Petroleum now has a
public relations disaster on its
hands – not to mention the downward
spiral of its stock value and
the potential for bankruptcy –
which should make every petroleum
company take notice, including
companies in Alberta.
Instead of paying lip service,
all petroleum companies are going
to have to redouble their efforts
to earn the public’s trust.
Companies doing only the bare
minimum to comply with environmental
protection should be
subject to even greater scrutiny,
which means greater government
oversight and harsh penalties
for damage and loss.
A prime example of where
stricter oversight will be needed
is the Seal Lake area, with the
potential for the oilsands development
there.
Companies are already jockeying
for position to extract the oil
and when the economy finally
picks up more companies are
likely to follow.
This is not to say all petroleum
production on the planet must
stop; far from it. Although
strongly critical of environmental
tragedies like the one in the
Gulf of Mexico, I am equally as
critical of extremist environmental
groups like Green Peace because
they would have us cease
all energy extraction and production
on the planet if they had
their way. They would also have
us abandon civilization and return
to a state of nature, a nomadic
existence the vast majority
of people on the planet would
outright reject, I am sure.
If they want to do something
positive, they should offer constructive
criticism and co-operation
with government and the industry.
They could be part of the
stricter oversight I’m calling for
– instead of being perpetual
naysayers.
The reality is, petroleum-
based energy production is
going to remain with us for generations
to come, simply because
there are no real viable energy
alternatives for our modern day
society.
The strongest, strictest oversight
should be established for
oil production in all areas, including
the oilsands – to ensure
we don’t see oil-slicked birds on
magazine covers.
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