In 2010, one of the issues on our radar here at Pembina is going to be whether oilsands companies are held accountable for cleaning up the tailings waste created by the oilsands extraction process.
In December, my colleague Terra Simieritsch wrote an op-ed about some of the tailings management issues. Her article highlights Pembina’s assessment of company plans to meet new tailings clean up rules and asks the question: Is compliance with the rules optional? More detail about the tailings management plans is available in our report Tailings Plan Review.
In the coming weeks, I’ll outline some of the oilsands team’s developing research as we try to advance responsible oilsands development in 2010.
Simon Dyer is the deputy executive director of the Pembina Institute. He is based in Edmonton.
