The total volume of fluid tailings, a toxic byproduct of Alberta oilsands mining, reached 1.18 trillion litres in 2015. This is the result of 50 years of regulatory and engineering shortcomings. On November 1, 2016, Tailings Management Plans for all operating mines were submitted to the Alberta Energy Regulator. The Pembina Institute has compiled data from these plans and conducted a preliminary analysis, identifying seven areas of concern.
This report provides background information on the state of oilsands tailings ponds in Alberta and discusses our concerns with proposed plans to remedy them.
For more information on tailings management in Alberta, please see the Pembina Institute's Statements of Concern on industry's individual management plans and analyst Jodi McNeill's tailings pond blog series.
