One day after Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach announced he would "force an end to tailings ponds," Alberta's oil sands regulator, the Alberta Energy and Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), has approved plans for Syncrude that do not comply with Alberta's Directive 074 and would delay implementation of liquid tailings clean up by the oil sands company.

Environmental assessment of proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline will ignore the impacts of increased oil sands production

A comprehensive review of regulatory documents suggests most oil sands mining operations will not comply with new rules to limit increases in tailings.

On June 4, 2009, the Pembina Institute distributed copies of a new resource, Clearing the Air on Oil Sands Myths, to key Canadian and U.S. decision makers. It identifies a growing body of oil sands “spin” from federal and Alberta politicians and the oil sands industry.

Ecojustice and the Pembina Institute presented evidence at the Oil and Water Hearings that oil sands development threatens Alberta's freshwater. The groups will showed that the federal government's mismanagement of oil sands development failed to protect the environment.

With available fresh water resources expected to decrease as a result of climate change, Alberta faces the challenge of meeting its growing demand for water in a sustainable manner, according to a new report by the Pembina Institute.

The Government of Alberta has repeatedly failed to respond to questions regarding its ability to effectively monitor and enforce water withdrawal restrictions for oil sands companies, noted a number of Alberta environmental groups.

The extraction and refining of bitumen from Canada’s oil sands is taking a significant toll on migratory birds throughout North America. Danger in the Nursery: Impact on Birds of Tar Sands Oil Development in Canada’s Boreal Forest outlines the current and projected effects of the oil sands industry on migratory bird populations in Alberta’s boreal forest and along the Western Hemisphere’s flyways.

The Athabasca River Expedition arrived in Fort McMurray today, prompting a rally calling for protection of the Athabasca watershed from oil sands development.

On August 3, The Mikisew Cree First Nation and environmental groups will hold a media conference together for the first time to express their concerns publicly. The groups will outline their recommendations for protecting the river.

Fifteen hours before the launch of a two-month, 1538 kilometre mountaineering, hiking, and canoeing adventure, Connecting the Drops expedition leader Don Van Hout will be in Edmonton to meet with media.

This weekend, the Pembina Institute will unveil a two-month canoeing, hiking and mountaineering expedition traversing the entire 1,538 kilometre length of the Athabasca River to raise awareness about threats to the river and its watershed.

Seventy-one per cent of Albertans believe that the Government of Alberta should suspend new oil sands approvals...

The Stelmach Government's first budget does little to acknowledge the accelerating environmental impacts of an overheating energy sector, let alone begin to address them, three leading environmental organisations said today.

In response to Phase II of the Alberta Oil Sands Consultations, the Pembina Institute released a blueprint that calls for a moratorium on new oil sands project approvals and lease sales until six key requirements for responsible development are addressed.

Management of water withdrawals from the Athabasca River by oil sands mining operations is proving to be a critical test of Alberta Government's commitment to balancing oil sands development with environmental protection.