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An Information Service for Alberta’s Environment Industry The Week Ending May 15th, 2015
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Inside this Issue:
A Primer on Alberta’s Energy Royalty Framework
Whabouchi Mining Project – Public Comment Period
Enbridge Reaches Settlement with Michigan over 2010 Spill
Deepwater Horizon Spill – 5 Years Later
New Member and much more ….
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The ESAA Weekly News is published
weekly by:
Environmental Services Association of Alberta
102, 2528 Ellwood Drive SW
Edmonton, AB T6X 0A9 (P) 780.429.6363 (F) 780.429.4249
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Comments & submissions are welcome!
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...environmental integrity through
innovative business solutions
REMTECH 2015 - CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
October 14-16, 2015 Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff
ESAA invites you to submit technical abstracts focusing on technologies for the remediation of contaminated soil.
Abstracts are encouraged in, but not limited to, the following areas:
In-Situ and Ex-Situ Treatment
Physical / Biological / Chemical Treatment
Soil Washing and Scrubbing
Thermal Desorption
Incineration
Stabilization / Solidification
Immobilization
Aeration
Soil Venting
Membranes
Encapsulation
Vitrification
Natural Attenuation
Oil Sands
Oil Spills
New Technology
Remote and Difficult Locations
Reclamation
Emerging Contaminants
Superfund Projects
Landfill Closure The preliminary selection of presentations will be based on submitted abstracts and reviewed by a panel of peers. Abstracts should be no longer that 500 words (not including bio), should include a presenter biography and be submitted as a Word Document by no later than May 29, 2015.
Before submitting your abstract, ensure that client approval has been obtained.
Send abstract submissions to Joe Chowaniec via email to: [email protected]
Notification of acceptance will be given by July 3, 2015.
Full presentations must be submitted by September 25, 2015.
TRANSCANADA PIPELINE LEAK WAS NO THREAT TO SAFETY (Source; Medicine Hat News) A pipeline leak near the South Saskatchewan River on Monday night has led to an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board. The cause of the leak of sweet natural gas, in a desolate area 17 kilometres north of Medicine Hat, was not known Tuesday but a morning bulletin from the federal agency said investigators were being dispatched. National Energy Board spokesman Darin Barter said the gas has been shut off and no one was hurt. “The release is over. There is no public safety impacts. There is really no environmental impacts,” he said Tuesday. TransCanada Pipelines, owner and operator of the Suffield Lateral line, said the monitoring equipment detected the leak in the 12-inch line and the section was shut-in according to emergency protocol. The leak was approximately four kilometres from the nearest residence, according to the company. “We are working with the TSB and National Energy Board to investigate the cause of this leak,” read a statement. “Gas detection equipment continues to confirm that conditions for TransCanada responders remain safe.” The discharge occurred on the Suffield Lateral, a gathering line that takes on sweet natural gas, not the major loop line that supplies the City of Medicine Hat. Producers are currently unable to bring natural gas onto system at six receipt points. However, other pipeline operations continue as normal.
A PRIMER ON ALBERTA'S ENERGY ROYALTY FRAMEWORK (Source: Edmonton Journal) If you think math is difficult, try deciphering Alberta’s energy royalty framework.
Premier-designate Rachel Notley on Tuesday said her government would conduct a royalty review during the current four-year term. It’s a retreat from the NDP campaign platform, which promised a review by commission and action on its recommendations “within the first year of the next term of the legislature.” Here’s a quick look at the controversial issue.
Q: What is a royalty? A: It’s the price that an owner, in this case the Alberta government acting on behalf of the province’s residents, charges public and private companies for the right to develop oilsands, conventional oil, coal and natural gas resources. Q: How is a royalty calculated? A: The formula is different for each of the four resources, and can take into account the depth and age of a conventional oil or gas well. The main elements of the formula are market price, production level and Crown percentage of revenues. The Alberta government provides an online calculator for industry at http://www.energy.alberta.ca/Oil/2344.asp.
In the case of oilsands, the pre-payout base royalty ranges from one per cent to nine per cent. The post-payout net royalty moves from 25 per cent to 40 per cent. At payout, an oilsands developer has recovered allowed costs for a project and has accrued a profit.
The sliding scales are tied to the world price of oil, defined as West Texas Intermediate, but expressed in Canadian dollars.
With oil at $55 or less, the base royalty is one per cent. It increases to 1.62 per cent at $60, 6.54 per cent at $100 and a maximum of nine per cent at $120 and above.
The net royalty is 25 per cent at $55 or less, increases to 26.15 per cent at $60, 35.38 per cent at $100 and a maximum of 40 per cent at $120 and above.
Q: How much revenue does the current royalty framework produce? A: The Progressive Conservatives’ 2015-16 budget called for $2.4 billion in royalties from oilsands, conventional oil, and natural gas and its byproducts. Coal royalties are budgeted for $14 million. Royalty revenue from all four resources reached its peak in 2005-06 at $10.8 billion. Q: When was the last royalty review conducted? A: In September 2007, an independent, six-person panel chaired by William Hunter produced the 104-page Alberta Royalty Review Panel Final Report. The panel included economists, a chartered accountant, a former forestry executive and a former oilsands executive. The report stated Albertans do not receive their fair share of resource revenues and recommended a 20-per-cent increase in royalties.
In October 2007, Ed Stelmach’s government adopted 15 of the panel’s 26 recommendations, but delayed implementation from July 2008 to January 2009. On March 3, 2008, the Stelmach-led PCs won a 72-seat majority, after campaigning in part on the $2 billion those hikes were forecast to add to the province’s coffers annually.
Q: What changes have occurred since? A: In March 2010, after a year-long government review, Stelmach announced a rollback of royalty rates effective Jan. 1, 2011. The new regime essentially reflected pre-2007 review levels. Q: Will the next review be different? A: Yes. Notley’s government will establish a Resource Owners’ Rights Commission of up to 10 people, for an initial two-year term. As one of its duties, the commission will review the royalty framework. Members of the commission to be recommended by the legislative assembly would include experts on energy economics and sustainable development, aboriginal representatives and the energy industry.
Because the NDP is committed to bitumen upgrading in Alberta, it’s possible a new framework would provide incentives to encourage refining.
Q: Why is the energy industry opposed to a review? A: The industry assumes it will lead to higher royalties at a time of depressed oil prices, resulting layoffs and lower company profits. “The uncertainty that that would create for investment would jeopardize jobs in Alberta,” a spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said.
B.C. CARIBOU HERDS FACE EXTINCTION DESPITE GOVERNMENT PROTECTION (Source: Global and Mail) Woodland caribou in northeast British Columbia are headed for extinction and could become the first subpopulation of a species to vanish in Canada while under government protection.
Researchers from the University of Northern B.C. and the province say five herds are collapsing even though the government is pursuing a recovery strategy that includes captive breeding, habitat protection and predator control.
“Currently, we are observing the decline, extirpation, and perhaps extinction of several evolutionary significant units of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), an iconic and cultural keystone species,” states the paper by Chris Johnson and Libby Ehlers, both of UNBC, and Dale Seip, of the provincial Ecosystem Protection and Sustainability branch.
“At current rates of habitat loss and population decline, these caribou, a significant component of Canada’s biodiversity, are unlikely to persist,” concludes the paper. “Although the factors leading to extinction are complex, the cumulative impacts of industrial development are a correlative if not causative factor.”
Last year, B.C. launched a controversial wolf cull, saying it was necessary to save dwindling caribou populations, but Dr. Johnson’s study suggests predation plays a secondary role to habitat loss.
The study found that industrial development, including logging, oil and gas drilling and pipeline and road construction, has fractured caribou habitat.
For several years, the B.C. government has been pursuing a caribou-recovery strategy that includes setting aside 2.2 million hectares of land to protect habitat.
Despite that, the Burnt Pine herd became locally extinct in 2009, and some other herds are down to less than 50 animals.
Under the federal Species at Risk Act, provincial governments are required to protect “evolutionarily significant” subpopulations, which are known as Designatable Units.
“We hypothesize that this generation of resource managers and conservation professionals will observe the extinction of this evolutionarily significant faunal group. If realized, this would be the first empirically documented extinction of a mammalian DU in Canada,” the study states.
In an e-mail, Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for B.C., said the government “recognizes that habitat restoration and protection are a necessary element of recovering caribou herds. However, we also know that habitat protection is not enough. That’s why we’re also undertaking wolf-control measures.”
Mr. Thomson said it will take five years to determine if the predator-control program works. He also said any proponent of development in the Peace region is required to set aside four hectares of land for every hectare disturbed.
But Craig Pettitt, a director of the Valhalla Wilderness Society, one of several environmental groups that a decade ago warned of a caribou collapse, said the new research proves the government’s protection strategy isn’t working.
“In the South Peace, we now have scientific evidence that caribou are disappearing because of industrial development in their habitat,” he said. “What needs to be done is we have to halt the destruction of their habitat”
Mr. Pettitt said the government has largely saved high-elevation land, which has little or no logging value, while allowing development in the rich valley bottoms, in effect letting resource values trump wildlife protection.
“The government has been able to create a sham with its species-at-risk work by always focusing strictly on [saving] … the high-elevation habitat where there is the least [industrial] incursion,” he said.
In a joint statement, several other environmental groups declared that “culling predators without sufficient habitat protection is futile.”
DRY-CLEANING CHEMICAL SUPPLIER TO PAY $62,500 FINE FOR VIOLATING ENVIRONMENTAL
REGULATIONS On May 4, 2015, in British Columbia Provincial Court, Prairie Distributors (B.C.) Inc. was fined $62,500 under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). The company pleaded guilty, on April 17, 2015, to four offences in contravention of the Tetrachloroethylene (Use in Dry Cleaning and Reporting Requirements) Regulations.
In June 2012, Environment Canada enforcement officers conducted inspections of dry-cleaning businesses in British Columbia to verify compliance with the Regulations.
A subsequent investigation determined that Prairie Distributors (B.C.) Inc. had sold tetrachloroethylene, a toxic substance commonly known as PERC, to dry-cleaning facility owners or operators who did not have required secondary containment systems in place, which is in contravention of a condition of sale imposed by the Regulations.
The fine will be paid to the Environmental Damages Fund. As a result of this conviction, the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offender’s Registry.
Quick Facts
PERC is a commonly used dry-cleaning solvent and is designated as a toxic substance under CEPA 1999.
The Tetrachloroethylene (Use in Dry Cleaning and Reporting Requirements) Regulations aim to reduce PERC releases into the environment, where it has the potential to contaminate ground and surface water.
The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) is administered by Environment Canada. It was created in 1995 to provide a mechanism for directing funds received as a result of fines, court orders, and voluntary payments to priority projects that will benefit our natural environment.
The Environmental Offenders Registry contains information on convictions of corporations registered for offences committed under certain federal environmental laws. The Registry contains convictions recorded for offences committed since June 18, 2009—when the Environmental Enforcement Act received Royal Assent.
ALASKAN OUTFITTER FACES BANS, $20,000 FINE AND FORFEITURE OF TROPHIES On May 8, 2015, Ronald Leslie Martin was fined $20,000 in Yukon Territorial Court after pleading guilty on March 31, 2015, for illegally importing and exporting wildlife, which are offences under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA). The fine will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund (EDF).
Mr. Martin, an outfitter from Haines, Alaska, pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of an Alaskan brown bear (grizzly bear) hide, two black bear hides and three wolverine hides, all of which had been imported or transported in contravention of WAPPRIITA. Under the law, it is prohibited to import an animal that was taken in contravention of the laws of another state and it is prohibited to transport an animal without a required provincial authorization or where the animal was possessed, distributed or transported in contravention of provincial legislation.
Mr. Martin also pleaded guilty to the illegal export of two Dall sheep from Yukon, the export of moose meat without a permit to Alaska, as well as the illegal transport of a Yukon grizzly bear hide to Alberta.
In addition to the $20,000 fine, Mr. Martin received aten year prohibition from carrying a firearm and accompanying anyone hunting in the Yukon, with a condition allowing him to hunt with a bow for subsistence beginning in 2020.
Mr. Martin was required to forfeit several hunting trophies, namely a Dall sheep (full body mount), a moose head and antler (shoulder mount), and a raw grizzly bear hide. He is also banned for ten years from obtaining any Yukon export permits or any import or export permits.
The import and export of all species of bear are controlled by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which is an international agreement, that Canada signed onto on July 3, 1975, to regulate, or in some cases to prohibit, trade in specific species of wild animals and plants, as well as their respective parts and derivatives.
Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible for CITES implementation in Canada. WAPPRIITA is the legislation used to implement CITES in Canada. Under Canadian law, any CITES-listed wildlife imported into Canada, exported from Canada, or attempted to be exported without the required permits may be subject to seizure and forfeiture, and those responsible may be liable to prosecution.
WAPPRIITA also controls the import, export and transport of non-CITES Canadian domestic wildlife species, such as moose, Dall sheep and wolverines.
The investigation focusing on Mr. Martin was led by Environment Canada’s Enforcement Branch and Environment Yukon. It represents one element of Operation Bruin, an extensive three year multi-agency international investigation into the illegal hunting of Alaskan wildlife. Environment Canada, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Alberta Fish & Wildlife, and Environment Yukon collaborated on the investigation.
Quick Fact
The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) helps turn environmental harm to environmental good. In the spirit of the polluter pays principle, those who cause environmental damage or harm, to wildlife, are required to take responsibility for their actions. Prosecutors and judges can require environmental offenders to pay financial penalties (fines, awards and/or settlements) to the EDF, thereby helping to improve Canada’s natural environment.
VERY LOW LEVELS OF OIL NEAR SITE OF GOGAMA RAIL SPILL: CN (Source: CBC News) Conditions are improving at the site of a Canadian National Railway train derailment near Gogama, Ont., according to the rail company.
About a million litres of crude oil spilled on March 7 when 35 oil tankers derailed and burst into flames.
Over the weekend, a hands-on examination of the shorelines near the site was done to detect oil.
"Surface water analytical results for samples collected from both the river and lake show very low level detections of oil contamination, which are below screening levels, and have been since mid-April," said CN spokesman Pierre Bergeron in an email to CBC News.
Bergeron added that fish are safe for human consumption. He said people on and around the water should report any sightings of accumulated product or sheen to the CN.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is expected to remove 30,000 tonnes of soil at the derailment site for testing. Some of it is being examined on site, while the rest is being trucked to a provincially-owned landfill in Cartier, Ont., close to Greater Sudbury.
The ministry confirms the soil has traces of oil, but spokesperson Celeste Dugas could not say how much.
"We have seen the data for the analysis that has been done, but I don't have specifics," said Dugas.
None of the samples have tested hazardous so far.
Checking for oversight
The MPP for the area France Gelinas is determined to make sure the clean-up goes as planned.
"I'm going to check that every level of oversight that is there to protect the public has been used and that no red flag ever went up along the way," she said.
CN collected water during oil recovery efforts. It is being shipped by a licensed waste hauler to an approved, unnamed facility in Guelph, Ont.
CN is expected to continue remediation efforts for a considerable period of time.
Contaminated soil was also found at the site of another CN train derailment near Gogama on February 14. The rail company is considering what to do with the contaminated soil on site. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change is monitoring both clean ups.
WHABOUCHI MINING PROJECT — PUBLIC COMMENTS INVITED As part of the strengthened and modernized Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012) put in place to support the government's Responsible Resource Development Initiative, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) is conducting a federal environmental assessment of the proposed Whabouchi Mining Project, located 30 kilometres from Nemiscau and 280 kilometres north-northwest of Chibougamau in Quebec
The Agency invites the public to comment on the draft Environmental Assessment Report, a document that includes the Agency's conclusions and recommendations regarding the potential environmental effects of the project, the proposed mitigation measures, the significance of any remaining adverse environmental effects, and the follow-up program. The Agency also invites the public to comment on the potential environmental assessment conditions for the project. These potential conditions would become legally binding on the proponent if the Minister of the Environment ultimately issues a decision statement indicating that the project may proceed. All comments received will be considered public.
For complete details visit: http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/document-eng.cfm?document=101584 Written comments must be submitted by June 5, 2015 to:
Whabouchi Mining Project Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency 901-1550, d'Estimauville Avenue Quebec, QC G1J 0C1 Tel.: 418-649-6444 Fax: 418-649-6443 [email protected]
ENBRIDGE REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH MICHIGAN OVER 2010 OIL SPILL MARSHALL, Mich. — Enbridge Inc. has reached a settlement with the state of Michigan nearly five years after a broken pipeline spilled more than three million litres of oil into wetlands and the Kalamazoo River. State officials say the Calgary-based company has agreed to restore or create 120 hectares of wetlands valued at $30 million as part of the agreement to improve the watershed in southwestern Michigan.
The settlement also requires Enbridge to continue to monitor the impacts of the spill on the environment and pay $12 million to reimburse the state for legal costs and the expense of overseeing cleanup and restoration.
The company has also agreed to spend $75 million, much of it on various projects, including a dam removal and improved access to boating and fishing on the river. Some projects have been finished.
The improvements are on top of Enbridge’s costs directly related to the spill, which have been pegged at more than $1 billion.
The pipeline rupture in July 2010 spoiled approximately 64 kilometres of the Kalamazoo River and Talmadge Creek. The line runs through Michigan and carries oil between Ontario and Griffith, Indiana.
Wetlands are considered to be crucial in a watershed, serving as nature’s filter in absorbing and releasing water and providing habitat to fish and wildlife.
“That’s huge,” said Nicole Zacharda, an enforcement specialist at the Department of Environmental Quality. “They have to be within the Kalamazoo River watershed so that we keep the benefits in the same area where the injuries occurred.”
“Everyone has this image of a river coated with oil. We’ve come a long way,” said Mark DuCharme of DEQ’s remediation division as he guided reporters on the river last week.
Indeed, there was no sign of oil on the surface during the two-hour paddle. Feisty smallmouth bass broke the surface. A blue heron glided shore to shore under the sun, and turtles warmed themselves on fallen trees.
“You’re not seeing it, but we do know there’s oil left in the system,” DuCharme said. “It’s left in the banks at some spots. It’s left in the bottom of the river. But it’s a little bit of oil. It truly is residual. … You’re not going to see a lot of heavy equipment out here anymore.”
He stopped his kayak at a wetland and shoved his paddle into the ground. A narrow sheen hit the surface, indicating a pocket of oil. DuCharme said there are no plans to excavate the site because digging up the wetland would do more harm than good. There are other similar examples in the watershed.
“That’s what we’re talking about when we’re talking about residual oil,” he said.
“We realize some groups will jump on this settlement and say it looks small — like more money means more justice,” DEQ spokesman Brad Wurfel said. “This settlement is huge, because while a few million more to the state’s General Fund wouldn’t do a thing to help improve the river, this settlement specifically focuses (on) creating a healthier, more accessible waterway.”
US AGENCY APPROVALS SHELL'S ARCTIC OIL AND GAS DRILLING PLAN OFF ALASKA'S NORTHWEST COAST
(Source: Winnipeg Free Press) ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Royal Dutch Shell's Arctic drilling program has cleared a major bureaucratic hurdle to begin drilling for oil and gas off Alaska's northwestern coast this summer.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Monday approved the multi-year exploration plan in the Chukchi Sea for Shell after reviewing thousands of comments from the public, Alaska Native organizations and state and federal agencies.
The approval came just days before a planned protest of the drilling program in Seattle.
Shell must still obtain other permits from state and federal agencies, including one to drill from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The company must also obtain government opinions that find Shell can comply with terms and conditions of the Endangered Species Act.
Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said the approval "is an important milestone and signals the confidence regulators have in our plan. However, before operations can begin this summer, it's imperative that the remainder of our permits be practical, and delivered in a timely manner.
"In the meantime, we will continue to test and prepare our contractors, assets and contingency plans against the high bar stakeholders and regulators expect of an Arctic operator," Smith said in an email to The Associated Press.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's director, Abigail Ross Hopper, said in a statement that officials recognize "the significant environmental, social and ecological resources in the region" and have established "high standards for the protection of this critical ecosystem, our Arctic communities, and the subsistence needs and cultural traditions of Alaska Natives."
"As we move forward, any offshore exploratory activities will continue to be subject to rigorous safety standards," she said.
The Port of Seattle would need to get another permit to base the Arctic drilling fleet in Seattle for about six months of the year.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray last week said the port, a public agency, must obtain a new land-use permit from the city before Shell contractor, Foss Maritime, can use Terminal 5. Foss Maritime on Saturday said it planned to appeal to the Seattle Hearing Examiner in the next two weeks. Once filed, the examiner will set a hearing date and then issue a ruling.
Port commissioners are taking up the lease issue at a meeting Tuesday.
Meanwhile, activists plan to protest the movement of 400-foot drill ship Polar Pioneer from Port Angeles, Washington, to the Seattle port. A so-called "festival of resistance" starts Saturday and will include protesters on land and in kayaks, trying to block the ship's movements.
"We respect the choice that anyone might make to protest based on Shell's Arctic aspirations, we just ask that they do so safely and within the boundaries of the law," Smith said.
Environmental groups on Monday blasted the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for providing the permit to Shell.
"This decision places big oil before people, putting the Arctic's iconic wildlife and the health of our planet on the line," Erik Grafe, an attorney for Earthjustice, said in a statement. "The agency should not be approving such threatening plans based on a rushed and incomplete environmental and safety review. Ultimately, Arctic Ocean drilling is far too risky and undermines the administration's efforts to address climate change and transition to a clean energy future."
Shell's drilling plan proposes to drill up to six wells within the Burger Prospect, located about 70 miles northwest of the village of Wainwright, Alaska. The wells would be drilled in about 140 feet of water by the Polar Pioneer and the Noble Discoverer. Both vessels would provide relief-well capability for the other.
Shell has said the two ships will leave the Chukchi Sea at the end of each drilling season.
Arctic offshore reserves are estimated at 26 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 130 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to U.S. Geological Survey estimates.
FIRE AT NUCLEAR PLANT CAUSED AN ESTIMATED SEVERAL THOUSAND GALLONS OF OIL TO SPILL INTO HUDSON
New York (CNN)A day after a transformer fire at New York's Indian Point nuclear plant sent thick, black smoke billowing over the facility, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned of a new threat to the area -- gallons of oil spilling into the adjacent Hudson River.
"There is no doubt that oil was discharged into the Hudson River," Cuomo told reporters Sunday, speaking at the plant. "Exactly how much, we don't know."
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation was on scene in Buchanan, New York, at the site of the fire and on the river Saturday night into Sunday, monitoring what Commissioner Joseph Martens called an oil sheen of up to 300 feet in diameter.
The transformer that failed ruptured during the fire, leaking oil onto the ground, Cuomo said. The oil was first caught in a holding tank but spilled over into a Hudson-bound drainage system after reaching capacity.
A spokesman for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimated the volume of oil spilled to be several thousand gallons, though Cuomo and Martens would not confirm the number.
Martens said the slick is contained by booms in the water and that an absorbent material will be released into the river in the coming days to soak up the oil for its removal.
"We were here last night into the wee hours and back again this morning and we will be onsite working with the cleanup team to make sure that any damage is minimized to the Hudson River," he said.
The fire broke out just before 6:00 p.m. on the non-nuclear side of the plant, about 200 yards away from the reactor building, according to Entergy spokesman Jerry Nappi.
One nuclear reactor unit automatically shut down during the blaze, according to Nappi.
In a tweet, the facility said that there was "no threat to public safety at any time" and that "all Indian Point emergency systems worked as designed."
No one was injured in the blaze, though responding to a question about the impact on wildlife in the river, Cuomo told reporters on Sunday "it's obviously not good."
The exact damage to the ecosystem will be determined after further investigation, he added.
"We saw just a huge black ball of smoke right across the river," witness Gustavus Gricius told CNN. "We could smell the oily, electric burn smell."
The blast sent the facility, located approximately 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan, into an emergency response situation classified as an "unusual event," according to Nappi.
Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the agency had three inspectors respond.
"They're cooling down the reactor, and we'll have to investigate the cause of the fire," he said on Saturday.
The facility houses two nuclear reactor units and produces approximately 25% of the electricity for New York City and Westchester County, according to its website.
THE DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL AT FIVE YEARS – IT’S FAR FROM OVER (Source: US Fish and Wildlife) Five years ago last month we heard the devastating news – BP’s Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil rig had exploded and was spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico. As our personnel were lining up to support the immense response effort, the evening news was delivering an unending stream of gut-wrenching reports.
First up tonight, the breaking news: In fact, it's heartbreaking news for anyone who counts on the Gulf Coast for a living or simply loves the natural beauty of it; it is murder for the animals that call it home. The first fingers of the massive oil spill… [are] just a few miles off shore. The slick is enormous - 120 miles wide… The doomed well is … dumping 210,000 gallons of oil a day into the Gulf. Making things even worse, there is no indication that crews can cap the flow any time soon .... This spill is already America’s second worst environmental disaster on record after the 1990 Exxon Valdez spill. At the rate it’s going, it could be on track to be the worst.
To our horror, the Deepwater Horizon well gushed oil for 87 days and did surpass the Exxon Valdez by a factor of 10.
The Service responds quickly We have been addressing the impacts of the DWH spill for five years. First came the initial emergency response, to which we assigned an unprecedented level of resources. About 2,000 Service responders, or more than 17 percent of our workforce, assisted in the effort. Some Service personnel even made multiple deployments to the Gulf. At one point, 722 Service personnel were working on incident command, wildlife reconnaissance and recovery, sensitive habit and endangered species protection, finance and other administrative tasks, safety and more. The Service assesses injury We are now part of a federal-state coalition working on the largest natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) ever undertaken. Service members, along with Department of the Interior (DOI) colleagues from the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Geological Survey, are collaborating on this effort. DOI, representatives from the five Gulf states directly impacted by the spill and other federal agencies make up the DWH NRDA Trustee Council, which oversees the entire process.
The NRDA process typically starts with a multi-year assessment of injury to natural resources and lost human uses of those resources that result When hazardous substances, like oil, enter the environment. This is followed by restoration planning and implementation. As part of this effort, we are currently assessing DWH-caused injury to the wildlife the American public entrusts us to care for, including endangered species such as the Gulf sturgeon, beach mouse, brown pelican and sea turtles. Assessing injury involves everything from Service staff counting the number of oiled birds and sea turtles (alive and dead) to surveying damage to wildlife habitat such as the dunes and beaches essential to nesting birds and sea turtles.
The Service restores early The DWH NRDA is unique not only for its size, but because one of the parties responsible for the spill agreed to make funds available for extensive “early restoration” -- restoration that could begin before the injury assessment was completed. Under an agreement reached in April 2011, BP agreed to fund up to $1 billion in early restoration projects. Thus far, the NRDA trustees have approved 54 early restoration projects with a combined price tag of about $700 million. DOI’s early restoration projects include those that enhance beach nesting habitat for birds and sea turtles along the Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi costs; restore North Breton Island, part of Breton Island National Refuge; and improve recreation opportunities and access at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The Service participates broadly We also participate in Gulf of Mexico restoration through membership in the RESTORE Council, a state-federal entity established in 2012 by the RESTORE Act. The Council’s 11 members include the Secretary of the Interior, as well as the Secretaries of the Army, Commerce, Agriculture, and Homeland Security; the Administrator of the U.S. EPA; and the governors of the five Gulf states. The RESTORE Council is developing its first list of restoration projects to be funded by a portion of a $1 billion settlement collected from Transocean, the company that owns the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that was used by BP.
On another front, criminal settlements with Transocean and BP provided the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with $2.544 billion to establish a Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. The foundation is required to consult with us and others as it identifies and prioritizes appropriate restoration projects to make use of this money. To date, we have worked closely with NOAA, NFWF and the five Gulf states to identify 50 projects that are being supported with nearly $390 million from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund.
We know that in order to achieve a healthy Gulf of Mexico, conservation must occur throughout the greater Gulf watershed. More than half the continental United States drains to the Gulf of Mexico, as do parts of Mexico and Canada. To address these broader watershed needs and to facilitate coordination across the multiple Gulf funding efforts, we recently established the Gulf Restoration Program (GRP). The GRP is comprised of employees from across five geographic regions representing all the Service programs. Staff members associated with the GRP work with our partners at the field and regional level on Gulf restoration activities such as: habitat conservation, restoration, science, environmental compliance and communications. By investing in dedicated staff, we can actively engage in the many DWH-related efforts, thus maximizing benefits to the wildlife we care for throughout the Gulf of Mexico watershed.
We are at the five-year mark, and while no one knows how much more time it will take to restore the Gulf of Mexico. We do know that the Service will remain steadfast in its commitment to restoring this precious water body and its watershed, and ensuring their survival well into and beyond the 21st century.
ESAA Member News
CITY OF OTTAWA’S AND PARSONS’ VIMY MEMORIAL BRIDGE RECEIVES AWARDS OF DISTINCTION FROM
THE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE CONFERENCE PASADENA, CA (May 12, 2015) – Parsons is pleased to announce that the Vimy Memorial Bridge in Ottawa, Canada—designed by Parsons for the City of Ottawa—has earned the prestigious Gustav Lindenthal Medal from the International Bridge Conference. This annual award recognizes an outstanding achievement in bridge engineering, including highly pleasing aesthetic qualities and harmony with the environment. “Parsons is honored to receive the Gustav Lindenthal Medal, which ranks the Vimy Memorial Bridge among some of the most impressive bridges in the world,” said Todd Wager, Parsons Group President. “Now, the City of Ottawa and its citizens not only have a new link to the major arterials that connect the east and west parts of the city, they also have an iconic bridge to add to the city’s list of noteworthy landmarks.” Opened in July 2014, the Vimy Memorial Bridge crosses the Rideau River in Ottawa at a location that is part of the Rideau Canal System, a recognized National Historic Site in Canada and a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Featuring triple tubular steel arches supporting a suspended deck using inclined hangers, the bridge is the first of its kind in North America. It carries eight lanes of traffic, including two bus rapid transit lanes, as well as two bicycle lanes and two pedestrian walkways. Parsons, celebrating 70 years of growth in the engineering, construction, technical, and professional services industries, is a leader in many diversified markets with a focus on defense/security, industrial, and infrastructure. Parsons delivers design/design-build, program/construction management, and other professional services packaged in innovative alternative delivery methods to federal, regional, and local government agencies, as well as to private industrial customers worldwide. For more about Parsons, please visit www.parsons.com.
STANTEC PUBLISHES 8TH ANNUAL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT Global design firm Stantec has published its 2014 Sustainability Report. The report addresses the company’s continuing actions in priority areas including environmental efficiencies, community investment, diversity, and health and safety. It also highlights Stantec’s environmentally responsive and resilient solutions for clients and communities across the globe.
“We believe that achievement at every level begins and ends with a strong commitment to being the best we can be,” says Bob Gomes, Stantec’s president and chief executive officer. “This report explores a range of environmental, economic, and social indicators because we hold ourselves to a high standard of responsibility and integrity. Our employees and investors, and the communities in which we live and work, deserve no less.”
In addition to the published sustainability report, Gomes also announced that Stantec has committed to participate in both the United Nations Global Compact and Global Compact Network Canada, its Canadian affiliate network. This worldwide alliance of more than 8,000 companies in 145 countries provides a powerful platform to address universal
principles related to human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption, and to advance the group’s commitments to sustainability and corporate citizenship.
Stantec’s eighth consecutive Sustainability Report details environmental performance in key operational areas: energy use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste generation, and paper use. With more than 250 offices across diverse geographies in 2014, Stantec mandated the use of a consolidated travel agency system to begin tracking GHG emissions related to business travel, one of the most energy-intensive aspects of its business operations.
The report also documents Stantec’s drive to deliver client solutions in resilient infrastructure, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable building design. For instance, during 2014, the number of Stantec professionals who received their Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) Credential topped 100.
Other report highlights for 2014: achieved a 13.1% increase in gross revenue and a 12.5% increase in net income over 2013; donated approximately 1% of pre-tax profits to charity; supported thousands of Stantec employees in their volunteer work, including the 5,500-plus who participated in the second annual Stantec in the Community Day.
During 2014, Stantec received a number of notable recognitions. It ranked on Carbon Disclosure Project’s Canadian Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index for the fifth year in a row, placed in the top tier of Engineering News Record’s and Building Design + Construction’s Green Design Firms, and retained its position as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for the fifth consecutive year.
The 2014 Sustainability Report was prepared in accordance with the internationally recognized Global Reporting Initiative’s G4 framework. The report is available HERE. Highlights from the report can be found HERE.
About Stantec We’re active members of the communities we serve. That’s why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind.
The Stantec community unites more than 15,000 employees working in over 250 locations. Our work—professional consulting in planning, engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics—begins at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. With a long-term commitment to the people and places we serve, Stantec has the unique ability to connect to projects on a personal level and advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. Stantec trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN.
New ESAA Member
ESAA’s Board of Directors and staff would like to welcome the following new members: Full Member:
Onsite Remediation Solutions
Box 603 Station M Calgary, AB T2P 2J2
Phone: (403) 815-6730
Tim McLenehan, CEO e-mail: [email protected]
Profile A desire to provide a better solution to a long standing contamination problem drove ONSITE to develop its innovative Electro Kinetic Remediation (EKR) Process. This state of the art patented pending technology allows ONSITE to remediate contaminated material on location providing cost effective solution that:
o Eliminates trucking costs and carbon foot print associated hauling contaminated material to disposal sites;
o Eliminates the enduring liability associated with material disposed; o Eliminates the cost of back fill and back fill hauling costs; and most importantly, o Provides a better long term environmental solution.
ONSITE’s EKR Process takes control over the media being processed which enhances process efficiency and reduces remediation time and associated costs. The EKR Process begins with an assessment of the contamination site to determine the optimal treatment protocol.
A bench top test is undertaken to determine nature and level of contamination.
A treatment regime is designed and an electrolyte package is developed to optimize the remediation process.
With this information a project scope, budget and schedule are developed into a project plan with the client.
Process procedures and electrolyte packages are continuously optimized on site to ensure the best value and most cost effective solutions are achieved.
“ONSITE Remediation Solutions - a cost effective alternative to digging and dumping”
Upcoming Events
2015 RPIC FEDERAL CONTAMINATED SITES REGIONAL WORKSHOP June 3-4, 2015 | Edmonton, Alberta
The Workshop theme this year is "Assessment and Remediation on Remote or Northern Sites". The two-day
professional development workshop will consist of thought-provoking, timely, relevant and practical sessions,
including analytical technology field demonstrations. More Information
CANADIAN WATER SUMMIT 2015: THE
ENERGY OF WATER - EXPLORING NEXUS
OPPORTUNITIES June 25th,2015 - Vancouver
Join our many distinguished speakers and hundreds of your peers next month as we explore the energy of water. We invite you to hear about new developments and participate with your ideas in the water-energy nexus, water technology hubs, public attitudes towards water, watershed and land intersections and
industrial water-food and beverage connections. Get your badge and book your travel ... it’s going to be fun!
Full details online at: http://www.watersummit.ca/
Industry Positions Openings
For more information visit ESAA’s Job Board under the news section of HTUwww.esaa.org UTH
Environmental Scientist, Focussing on Assessment and Remediation
Experience: Millennium EMS Solutions Ltd. (MEMS) is looking for an assessment and remediation professional with a minimum of three to five years of directly related experience in environmental site assessment and remediation, preferably in a consulting environment. Knowledge and experience with relevant provincial legislation and familiarity with the environmental site assessment process is a strong asset. Preference will be given to those candidates with strong writing and interpersonal skills, organizational abilities and technical competency. The successful candidate must be self-motivated with a strong work ethic and be able to work effectively in a multi- disciplinary setting. MEMS presents opportunities to be crossed trained in other areas of MEMS technical disciplines and provides mentoring in the application of Tier 2 guidelines and site specific risk assessments. Positions are currently available in Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie or Saskatoon.
Reports to: Discipline Lead, Assessment and Remediation
Job Purpose: To work as part of MEMS Assessment and Remediation Team in completing assessment and remediation projects, for clients in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This full time position requires a combination of flexible office and field work. Responsibilities:
Developing work plans and costs estimates for Phase 2 ESAs and remediation projects.
Lead the planning, organizing and the completion of field programs for ESAs and remediation projects, including soil and groundwater assessments with on-site consideration of potential Tier 2 guideline modifications or development.
Contractor supervision to implement ESA and remediation projects.
Accurate field cost tracking of expenses and contractors.
Preparation of reports including Tier 2 guideline modifications or application of site specific guidelines for remediation.
Working independently or in a team setting and the ability to make responsible decisions with the support and mentoring of senior staff.
The successful applicant will need to possess a valid non-GDL Class 5 Driver’s Licence.
The successful applicant must also be a member or be eligible for membership in a relevant professional organization.
MEMS is a dynamic and diverse environmental consulting company offering outstanding opportunities and long term career advancement. Currently MEMS employs over 140 professionals in various disciplines. MEMS utilizes an integrated approach to its assessment and remediation projects that emphasizes cross training of disciplines to allow for efficiencies in data collection and assessment, and provides MEMS professionals with enhanced technical skills and job satisfaction. There are over 40 professionals in our assessment and remediation team. Look for us on the web at www.mems.ca. MEMS offers an excellent benefits program, profit sharing, extra time banking, a performance bonus program, RRSP contribution matching program and opportunities for employee share ownership. Please send your resume with a covering letter/email referencing the position number and title to the attention of Human Resources at [email protected]. We thank all applicants for their interest however only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Office Locations:
6111 91 Street NW Edmonton, AB T6E 6V6 tel: 780.496.9048 fax: 780.496.9049 web: www.mems.ca
#325, 1925 18 Avenue NE Calgary, AB T2E 7T8 tel: 403.592.6180 fax: 403.283.2647 web: www.mems.ca
#106, 10920 84 Avenue Grande Prairie, AB T8X 6H2 tel: 780.357.5500 fax: 780.357.5501 web: www.mems.ca
Forest Reclamation Specialist
About Us RCGI is a Canadian environmental consulting company that partners with the energy industry to remediate and reclaim contaminated sites. We’re based in Alberta, where we have the experience and knowledge to take on the most challenging sites, with the goal of bringing them back to their natural state.
We’re looking for a Reclamation Specialist with a strong background in forestry to work under the direction of one of our Senior Environmental Professionals to manage a variety of full-lifecycle environmental projects. You will be responsible for providing support to existing and future projects in environmental assessment and reclamation. You will be required to work in remote field settings potentially year-round and to lift/carry materials. The job can involve extended periods of travel and time in the field.
Qualities You’re motivated, professional and can work independently, staying on-task without prompting from a supervisor. You are hard-working and able to work 40-60 hour weeks with weekend work when required, maintaining and promoting the RCGI safety culture according to our Values, Vision and Mission.
You will be responsible for a number of duties, including:
Conducting Detailed Site Assessments (DSA) at upstream oil and gas sites to determine reclamation success, with a focus on forested sites.
Soil assessment and vegetation identification and management.
Collection, preparation and management of field data.
Completing DSA reports as per Alberta’s 2010 Reclamation Criteria requirements.
Providing daily field updates to supervising manager.
Following/implementing RCGI and Client Safety Programs. Technical Qualifications
A degree or a certificate/diploma from a recognized College, University or trade school, in Environmental Science, Forestry, Reclamation or a closely related subject.
Professional designation is an asset.
Must be eligible for registration or be current registered member with the Alberta Institute of Agrologists and/or the College of Alberta Professional Foresters, CLRA or other related professional organization.
2 – 5 years’ experience working as a forest reclamation technologist in Alberta required
Working knowledge and experience with Alberta’s 2010 Reclamation Criteria for Forested Lands ideal.
Forestry experience – classification, identification, forest reclamation
Experience with Detailed Site Assessments, with a focus on forested sites
Experience with forested re-vegetation and vegetation management
Experience with soil classification using the Canadian System of Soil Classification
Weed identification skills Personal Qualifications
Ability to work long hours at remote sites. The position is a mix of office and field work, with possible long field stints throughout the year
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Strong conflict resolution, decision-making, negotiation and supervision skills
Ability to supervise contractors onsite
A strong belief and adherence to Safety why work for RCGI? RCGI offers competitive compensation and benefits including:
Medical and dental benefits
Personal Development Account
Flex days
In addition, RCGI believes in career development and offers our employees training tailored to their interests and field of study. We also pay the yearly professional dues for employees with environmental or professional
designations. Employees have the option to bank up to 240 overtime hours to allow for 5-6 weeks away from the office at no loss to employee income or RCGI.
To Apply: Interested candidates are asked to email their cover letter and resume to [email protected].
Business Leader, Alberta Region
Founded in 1994, Hemmera is an environmental consultancy firm that is a leader in environmental, social sciences and engineering with five offices across Canada. People-based, business-focused and values-driven, Hemmera has been in growth mode since its inception and continues its evolution of growing market share and revenues. It expanded to Calgary in 2012 focusing on site assessment and remediation for the oil and gas, mining, and land development sectors and has developed a strong, blue chip client base, including Imperial Oil, Parkland, Chevron, AltaGas, Nexen, Ivanhoe Cambridge, First Capital, and Teck. While Hemmera continues to grow its market share and reputation for quality service delivery in Calgary, its growth has not kept up with the rest of the enterprise. As a result, the company is seeking a new Business Leader for the Calgary operation to further penetrate existing clients for additional business, identify, pursue and land new clients and provide overall leadership to the Calgary team/office. Currently employing around 10 people, the vision is to double the revenues and headcount of the office over the next two years. You have balanced business development with project delivery in one or more disciplines of environmental consulting. Well networked in the Alberta market, specifically in the Oil & Gas and Land Development sectors, you have strong technical credentials including a university degree related to Environmental Science or Engineering and ideally a professional designation (P.Eng, P.Geol, PBiol, PAg, etc.). Other experiences of value are management of multiple, concurrent projects (ranging up to at least $10 million), leadership, team building, communication and financial management. Further details on the company, its services, sectors and projects can be viewed at http://www.hemmera.com/. Application Details: To explore this exciting opportunity further, please contact Elizabeth Wall at 403-451-6487, or please submit your resume and related information online to [email protected].
Field Environmental Advisor
Position: Field Environmental Advisor, Swan Hills/Judy Creek Term: Full-Time Number of Positions: 1 Application Deadline: June 10, 2015 Job Location: Judy Creek
Reporting functionally to the Director, Environment & Regulatory Compliance and daily to the Field Operational Leadership Team, this position is responsible for handling environmental impacts affecting stakeholders, and providing technical leadership and guidance to the Operations and Environmental teams in Swan Hills and Northern Alberta. This role requires an individual with strong technical abilities, excellent interpersonal skills, and experience with regulatory compliance procedures.
Primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Providing technical input in the areas of spill response/reporting and remediation
Executing and maintaining APEA approvals
Ensuring regulatory compliance in all facilities, including those with a Code of Practice (CoP)
Assisting in management and control of environmental impacts with potential to negatively affect the people, environment, assets, and reputation of Pengrowth Energy Corporation
Administering Pengrowth’s Environmental Management System (EMS)
Participating in incident investigations
Responding to government agency requests and public queries on behalf of Pengrowth
Developing and reporting on monthly key performance indicators
Providing innovative technical solutions, and effective problem solving methods for complex environmental issues arising within the field environment
Qualifications:
8-10 years of field experience in a technical position in upstream oil and gas
Technical diploma, degree or relevant experience
Experience with plant site applications, approvals and license renewals
H2SAlive, First Aid, WHMIS, and TDG certifications
We are looking for a diplomatic, well-organized team player, excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Strong computer skills and well developed technical writing skills are required.
This position is based out of our Judy Creek Complex and will require frequent travel to all field locations in the Swan Hills and Northern Alberta. A valid driver’s license and clean driving record are required.
Pengrowth offers a rewarding work environment, competitive compensation, a performance based bonus plan, long term incentive plan and a generous matched savings plan.
If you are interested in joining the Pengrowth team, please forward your resume, quoting competition number 20210 in the subject line, to: [email protected].
We thank applicants for their interest in Pengrowth; however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.
