Alberta Index - ENVIRONMENT: Alberta government orders Suncor to minimize emissions

ENVIRONMENT: Alberta government orders Suncor to minimize emissions

(AlbertaIndex, September 24, Monday) --- The Alberta government said it has ordered Suncor Energy Inc to immediately minimize hydrogen sulphide (H2S) emissions from its Firebag Enhanced Recovery site near Fort McMurray.
The Environmental Enforcement Order comes in response to a joint inspection of the site by Alberta Environment and the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board in late August after Suncor notified the EUB they were in non-compliance.

The government said the inspection revealed numerous contraventions of Alberta Environment approval conditions including unauthorized venting of H2S and a lack of pollution control equipment and proper emissions reporting.

Under the order issued by Alberta Environment, Suncor must develop an interim action plan by September 28, which identifies the immediate actions it will take to minimize H2S emissions until compliance is achieved. Suncor must also submit a comprehensive plan on or before October 22, which details what longer-term steps it will take to come into compliance with Alberta Environment requirements.

The plan must contain actions necessary to achieve and maintain compliance to all contraventions noted during the August inspection. This includes updating and replacing equipment, the development and implementation of an H2S monitoring and reporting action plan, and a modeling study of current H2S emissions complete with a worst case consequence analysis for on and off-site impacts.

The order also requires Suncor to submit written progress reports on a monthly basis detailing the steps taken to comply with the Order and to commission a third party audit of Suncor’s environmental management system for the site.
Enforcement orders are issued under the authority of Alberta's Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and Water Act.

The Alberta government can issue enforcement orders to remedy a number of environmental problems where the acts have been contravened, including the failure to meet approval conditions. The orders are designed to ensure immediate action is taken to correct non-compliance.

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