After 1.4 Million Gallon Toxic Tar Sands Tailings Spill, Canada Fines Imperial Oil +/- 1 Day Of Their CEO's Pay

A major Canadian oil producer responsible for a toxic tailings pond leak that dumped 5.3 million litres of contaminated waste into the environment has been fined just $50,000 by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). Environmental Defence, a prominent Canadian environmental advocacy organization, called the AER’s response “toothless.”

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), an Indigenous community in Northern Alberta whose territory has been impacted by the tailings pond spill at Imperial Oil’s Kearl tar sands mine since at least 2022, called the fine “laughable” and further condemned what they called the AER’s “weak response.”

Imperial Oil is one of Canada’s largest oil companies and is a publicly traded Canadian subsidiary of ExxonMobil. DeSmog reported that the ACFN was suing the AER for $500 million in damages for its mishandling of the Kearl disaster. Chief Allan Adam hand-delivered the lawsuit to AER CEO Laurie Pushor during a town hall meeting hosted by the regulator in Fort Chipewyan on March 5, 2024. The lawsuit is on-going, according to an official from the ACFN, who told DeSmog they are waiting for the AER’s response.

“The Alberta Energy Regulator has sent a clear message to companies around the world — Come here and dump all your toxic waste into our drinking water,” said ACFN Chief Adam in a public statement. “This ridiculously small fine just shows that Alberta, with its weak regulations, is the problem. Now, the only question is: Who is going to investigate the AER?” The ACFN further noted that the fine is less than what Imperial’s CEO makes in a single workday.

EDIT

https://www.desmog.com/2024/08/23/imperial-oil-tailings-spill-fine-a-toothless-slap-on-the-wrist-environmentalists-say/