Drew Anderson wrote for the The Narwhal about Indigenous communities who were not notified of Imperial Oil’s months-long Kearl oilsands leak. First Nations say the energy regulator is ‘not blameless’ despite a new report finding it did no wrong.
In a nutshell:
A review commissioned by the Alberta Energy Regulator has concluded that the regulator adhered to its policies while handling a previously unreported leak at Imperial Oil’s Kearl oilsands mine in northern Alberta. The incident, which went unreported for nine months, led to outrage, particularly among nearby Indigenous communities. While the review found no areas of non-compliance, it did note that some policies and procedures were outdated and did not meet the expectations of stakeholders, including Indigenous communities. Indigenous nations downstream of the mine are calling for federal intervention and express lost confidence in the regulator's ability to oversee the oilsands industry.
Key quote:
“The Alberta Energy Regulator is captured by industry and overseen by a political class that doesn’t care about the consequences to northern and Indigenous residents of Alberta and the Northwest Territories,” Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said in a statement.
The big picture:
An oilsands leak can have significant health and environmental implications. One concern is the potential contamination of drinking water sources, which poses a direct risk to human health. The release of pollutants into the environment can also harm aquatic ecosystems, impacting fish and wildlife. Traditional hunting and trapping practices in affected regions may be threatened. Ultimately, the spill can result in long-term ecological damage, affecting the overall environmental health of the area.
Read the article in The Narwhal.
Are polluters obligated to communicate effectively with local communities? EHN reporter Cami Ferrell wrote about how Marathon Petroleum and one Texas city show the potential for a chemical communication crisis.
