Canada’s Imperial Oil was fined C$120,000 ($85,849.19) after pleading guilty in an Alberta court to breaching environmental regulations tied to an industrial wastewater overflow at its Kearl oil sands site, the province’s energy regulator said on Thursday.
Following a May 29 hearing in the Alberta Court of Justice, the Canadian oil producer was ordered to pay C$2,000 in fines, including a victim surcharge, along with C$118,000 towards a creative sentencing project, according to the Alberta Energy Regulator.
The company has taken actions to prevent reoccurrence, including reprogramming equipment, updating sediment management processes and increasing inspections and training, it said in an emailed statement.
“No water from this overflow entered any rivers and there continues to be no indication of adverse impacts to local wildlife. We continue to share monitoring data with local Indigenous communities and provide site tours of the area.”
The charge relates to an incident on February 4, 2023, in which wastewater overflowed from a drainage pond at the Kearl Oil Sands Processing Plant and Mine and was reported to the regulator.
The offence falls under the province’s Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.
(Reporting by Sumit Saha in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)