The Alberta Energy Regulator says it will inspect the structural integrity and review the safety records of 65 dams used by the oilsands and coal industries in the province.
The announcement follows criticism by the auditor general that the provincial government is failing to properly regulate Alberta’s network of dams and tailings ponds. The 65 dams are used to contain industrial waste and the regulator says 32 are classified as posing either “extreme” or “very high” environmental consequences if they were to fail.
CEO Jim Ellis said the regulator will apply the same safety standards to these dams as those used on oil and natural gas pipelines to ensure the safe, environmentally responsible development of energy resources. “The auditor general has recognized the AER’s pipeline regulation performance, and Albertans can be confident that we will apply that same rigour to all AER-regulated dams,” he said.
JOHN COTTER – CANADIAN PRESS – MARCH 13, 2015.
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