The Syncrude oil sands extraction facility is reflected in a tailings pond near Fort McMurray, Alta., on Sunday, June 1, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
The Alberta government is planning to create standards for releasing treated oilsands tailings into the environment.
Creating those standards is one of four new policy recommendations pitched by a government-appointed committee tasked over a year ago with studying tailings management options.
Tailings are mixture of water, sand, bitumen residue and chemicals considered toxic to fish and other wildlife. As of 2023, nearly 1.4 trillion litres of the substance were stored in the province.
A report Friday from the committee says treating and releasing oilsands tailings into the environment is “essential” if Alberta wants to mitigate risks posed by the substance, as more and more of it pools around northern Alberta.
“The ongoing accumulation of (mine water) poses significant storage and environmental challenges,” the report reads.
“Establishing release standards for treated (tailings) will allow operators to manage increasing water volumes on site and achieve mine closure outcomes in accordance with their tailings management and reclamation plans.”
The report notes concerns about whether tailings can be treated well enough to protect the health of humans and wildlife. It says many Indigenous communities have expressed opposition to the idea of releasing tailings into watersheds and the Athabasca River.
Additionally, the report recommends Alberta continue working with industry to create and test new treatment solutions as they develop.
It also says standards for release are needed first, so oil companies can determine what technology would be required.
It was also recommended that Alberta will need to work with Indigenous communities as well as the federal government to create the standards, as Ottawa holds jurisdiction when it comes to potential releases.
Pierre Gratton, president of the Mining Association of Canada, said in the news release that his organization welcomes the plan to create release standards.
“We are hopeful that this will accelerate the development of federal regulations – which we requested almost 15 years ago – to be similarly advanced to allow the oilsands mining sectors to proceed with significant investments in reclamation and water treatment.”
Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said the government has accepted the recommendations and will be evaluating them as it develops a tailings management plan.
“These recommendations are a path forward to responsibly manage these waters and grow energy production while protecting the environment and communities downstream,” Schulz said in a statement.
“Doing nothing while mine water continues accumulating is not a sustainable long-term approach.”
The committee previously released five other recommendations, including injecting tailings deep underground.
“This approach helps to mitigate the continued accumulation of (tailings) and provides a buffer while longer-term water management strategies are being developed and implemented,” the committee wrote in June about underground disposal.
The government said Friday all nine of recommendations will be evaluated over the coming months.
“Once the evaluation is complete, government will implement a safe and reasonable plan that is supported by science and protects communities in the region and downstream,” said the news release.
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