The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) said it was monitoring the issue Sunday after 27 ducks were found dead at one of Suncor Energy Inc.’s (SU.TO) oilsands tailings ponds.
AER reported that the birds were at Syncrude Mildred Lake Settling Basin on May 13.
Seven endangered Grebes died at Syncrude, and five more were recovered at Suncor Base Plant’s Millennium Mine site tailings pond.
Alberta lists the Western Grebe as “threatened” and Canada as a “special concern” for its extinction risk.
Reuters requested a statement from Suncor.
Suncor’s Base Mine Site tailings pond killed 32 birds in April.
Tailings, a hazardous mix of water, clay, sand, residual bitumen, and trace metals, are held in massively constructed ponds after bitumen is extracted from oil sands.
Canada’s federal environment ministry has begun a formal inquiry into a months-long tailings spill at Imperial Oil Ltd.’s (IMO.TO) Kearl oil sands mine in northern Alberta, suggesting prosecution.
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