A spokesperson for Syncrude says the company was given an extension from the Alberta Energy Regulator on submitting a Detailed Delineation and Remediation Plan.
The plan was originally due August 19 along with a Wildlife Mitigation Plan that was due August 14 and submitted on time.
“We were granted an extension on the remediation plan to enable us to complete the detailed delineation plan first before finalizing a plan to reclaim the area,” wrote Syncrude spokesperson Leithan Slade by email to MyMcMurray.
The plans forms just two elements of the Environmental Protection Order issued to Syncrude on August 11 after 30 dead blue herons were found at the Mildred Lake Site on August 5 and 7.
One of the requirements was for Syncrude to post daily updates on their efforts to mitigate harm to wildlife through protection measures in the sump area where the birds were found.
Despite the time extension, Syncrude is complying with all elements of the order and running its own investigation into what caused the deaths of the birds.
“Syncrude will take the time necessary to conduct a very thorough investigation into this incident. We are committed to finding out what happened and how we can prevent a similar incident in the future,” wrote Slade.
The company continues to work with the Alberta Energy Regulator which will make public the findings of its investigation. In the past, Syncrude has said that any new wildlife protection measures taken because of the results of their investigation would be made public, though it’s unclear whether the entire investigation and its findings would be publicly available.
