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More dialogue needed on environmental concerns: Suncor president
News Articles | CANWEST NEWS SERVICE | Mike De Souza | April 30, 2010
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OTTAWA — One of Canada’s top oil and gas companies says it’s on the verge of significant breakthroughs in addressing environmental concerns at its oilsands operations, but is calling for a serious conversation about the country’s energy strategy.
Suncor president and CEO Rick George said his company is investing billions of dollars in new technologies to reduce tailings ponds and greenhouse gas emissions but needs the government to help the industry with a national strategy for energy use in Canada.
“The challenge is not just about ‘greening the oilsands,’” George told a conference organized this week by the Canada 2020 centre. “The real challenge is about getting to a constructive dialogue on greening our economy and the energy that fuels it. It will take time — and technology will be key.”
George told participants at the conference from the private and public sectors that a national strategy was just as important as addressing misconceptions about the oilsands sector’s efforts to address its environmental footprint.
“We need to work with governments on a sustainable energy strategy. But we also need individuals like you to help debunk the myths about the oilsands and focus on constructive solutions for the future,” he said. “Let’s keep that conversation going today, but also over the long term. Because getting it right on energy, the environment and the economy is too important to ignore.”
The oilsands sector in northern Alberta is a popular target of criticism from environmental groups because its conventional operations require large amounts of energy and water to extract oil from the ground. The water used in the process is left in tailings ponds that can remain contaminated for decades, while greenhouse gas emissions from the entire sector in Canada have tripled since 1990.
But George said his company is making what he describes as game-changing investments to address environmental issues while at the same time, becoming more efficient in operations.
“We expect this year to roll out new tailings technology that will significantly reduce the need for ponds to store mine tailings. And, the pace of reclamation to natural habitat will be reduced by decades,” he said, adding that the company would invest more than $1 billion toward implementing the technology over the next few years.
Ontario Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello, who also attended the conference, said she believes the federal government has a role to play in outlining a new strategy.
“Provinces tend to be parochial because our job is to worry about our province, and I do think it’s time we bring leadership of a federal nature to this conversation,” she said, “Someone of that order that has the capability to bring us together.”
For example, she said that better co-ordination at the national level could allow different industries, such as the mining sector in her own province, to export its environmental solutions for application in the oilsands.
“That, to me, is a huge opportunity so that every province can contribute, because every province has their niche specialty with great things going on, great innovations and often you just need to ask,” she said.
Tagged with: oil sands, suncor, rick george
