6,000 Barrels Of Bitumen Recovered From 4 Tar Sands Spills So Far, But Size Of Spills Unknown

[hatrack]

Alberta’s energy regulator has acknowledged that nearly 6,000 barrels of bitumen have been recovered from a series of underground oil leaks at an oilsands facility, though the overall size of the spills remains unknown.

In releasing the update, the Alberta Energy Regulator noted that all four spills are ongoing at the site of the project in Cold Lake operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and have so far killed animals including 11 birds, 21 amphibians and 4 small mammals.

In addition to the recovered bitumen, more than 30,000 kg of oiled vegetation has been recovered along with nearly 27,000 barrels of bitumen mixed with water that has been processed from oilsands extraction, according to the company’s cleanup data, which was leaked by a government scientist.

Cara Tobin, a spokesperson for Alberta Energy Regulator, said the company has yet to bring the releases under control. She said Canadian Natural has “fenced off the external area and in doing so can actually say ‘this is the extent of the impacted area.’” “This is an ongoing incident. There continues to be bitumen emulsion coming to surface,” Tobin said.

EDIT

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/30/alberta_oilsands_spill_6000_barrels_of_bitumen_recovered.html

[think]

1. All the more reason why Keystone should not be... /nt