Greenpeace activists entered Syncrude’s Aurora North Tar Sands facility, erecting a banner that transformed the opening of a tailings pond pipe into the “mouth” of a giant skull, spewing toxic sludge into the same tailings pond that earlier this year killed 500 migrating ducks.
Braving toxic fumes and oily, black water, 11 Greenpeace activists entered Syncrude's Aurora tar sands operation this morning, targeting the same two-kilometre wide tailings pond just north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, that made international headlines in March after 500 ducks landed on the pond and drowned in the sludge.
Shortly after 11:00 a.m., Greenpeace activists attempted to block two pipes. They tried to block one of the pipes but were unable due to the enormous pressure from the discharge. Before they were able to attempt the block on a second pipe, they were intercepted by Syncrude security and held until the RCMP could arrive onsite.
Syncrude security arrived on the scene and took 11 activists into custody and handed them over to the Local RCMP.
"Big oil companies are pillaging Alberta's natural resources, robbing freshwater from the Athabasca River to make giant lakes of toxic sludge that are killing wildlife and poisoning local communities," said Mike Hudema, a tar sands campaigner with Greenpeace. "Today we brought our message to the perpetrators of this environmental crime with a clear message to put the brakes on the tar sands."
The tar sands are the largest user of water in Alberta. Current projects are licensed to remove more than 450 million cubic metres of water from the Athabasca River each year, equivalent to about two and a half times the water the City of Calgary uses per year. Additionally, elevated levels of rare cancers and auto-immune diseases have been plaguing downstream communities like Fort Chipewyan, diseases which have been linked to the industrial pollution from the tar sands.
"For dozens of Alberta communities, the Athabasca River is their lifeline and when it is threatened, the health and the way of life of those communities is put at risk," said Greenpeace Tar Sands Campaigner Heather Milton-Lightening. "Our activists feel that the risk these communities face daily is far more significant than the risk we took today. If the government refuses to stand up for their rights, we will."
Greenpeace is calling for no new approvals on tar sands projects as a first step; assurance that no new tailings ponds are built or expanded; that all existing ponds be cleaned up and fully reclaimed; and that stiffer penalties be implemented for oil companies that fail to meet imposed environmental regulations. In March of this year, 500 ducks landed on the very same Syncrude tailings pond, despite clear environmental regulations that required Syncrude to have appropriate wildlife deterrents in place.
Top five reasons to STOP the Tar Sands
Global Warming
Scientists agree we need to take urgent action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. With only 10 per cent of Canada's population, Alberta produces 33 per cent of the country's greenhouse gas pollution. Runaway development means the tar sands are responsible for a large and increasing part of the growth in Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. Already, greenhouse gases from the tar sands are roughly equal to the emissions of all the cars on the road today in Canada .
Health Risks
Elevated levels of rare cancers have been reported in the First Nation community of Fort Chipewyan, downstream of the tar sands. Tar sands pollution has been associated with embryonic deformity, mortality and other biological effects in fish in the Athabasca River.
Water Contamination
Over 450 million cubic metres of water was licensed for use in tar sands processing in 2007 - more than two and a half times the amount of water consumed in Calgary. After being used, the water is so contaminated with toxic chemicals it must be stored in huge, toxic tailings ponds you can see from outer space.
Ecosystem Destruction
Boreal forests, wetlands and wildlife - our priceless natural heritage - are being wiped out by the tar sands. An area the size of Vancouver Island has already been devastated for tar sands oil. If current runaway development is allowed to proceed unchecked, an area as big as the state of Florida could be destroyed.
Social costs
Out-of-control housing prices, long health care waits, social problems - it's time to put our communities and environment first, not oil company profits. Tar sands jobs are boom and bust. Two out of every three jobs in the tar sands are construction labour and those workers will be out of work once the construction is done.