APTN National News
Suncor Energy Inc. was fined $200,000 after pleading guilty Tuesday to polluting the Steepbank River north of Fort McMurray, Alta.
Suncor was charged with two violations under the Fisheries Act for allowing toxic runoff to enter fish-bearing waters.
The charges stemmed from 2008 when Suncor was investigated for allowing effluent from its sedimentation ponds to seep into the river during road work.
Sedimentation ponds hold water carrying large amounts of soil and debris. The water is held to allow the soil and debris to settle and become sediment.
Environment Canada said in a statement that $180,000 of the fine would go to the federal government’s Environmental Damages Fund. The fund was created in 1995.
The fund “helps ensure the ‘polluter pays’ principle is applies and that polluters take responsibility for their actions,” said Environment Canada.
On Tuesday, a federally appointed panel released a report on the adequacy of the federal government’s monitoring of pollution caused by the tar sands.
The panel found that the federal government was failing to keep a close watch on tar sands created pollution. The panel called for a beefed-up environmental monitoring system.
$200,000 is hardly even a slap on the wrist for a multi-billion dollar company. What a joke! It’s just an annoying cost of business and a little bit of bad publicity to them. nnA $200,000,000 fine would have really hurt them and taught them that we take the environment seriously, and sent the message to other companies. The estimation of cleanup is $10,000,000,000 (ten billion), which is probably a modest estimation, but Alberta has only collected less than a billion. When the oil is all sucked up, which is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’, and the oil companies pack up and head further north, Albertans will be left to clean up. nnJust look at what these companies did down in South America! Their quality of cleaning was reprehensible and those South American Aboriginals are left with poisoned water and foodsources. nnWeak leaders we have! They have no vision and no spines! The oil is going to be collected by someone or other, but we have to make sure those companies are held responsible today, because tomorrow will be too late.