Canadian Tar Sands Company Liable for Duck Deaths

If South Dakota's sportsmen are concerned about preserving waterfowl for our recreation and tourism industry, they should be concerned about the expanding Keystone pipeline system and the dirty tar sands oil TransCanada will transport. Even if those pipelines never leak and pollute South Dakota's wetlands, the production of the oil they carry has already killed wildlife in Alberta.

I reported on duck deaths in the toxic tar sands tailings ponds in 2008; now an Alberta court has found tar sands producer Syncrude guilty of killing nearly 1600 ducks (well over anyone's limit). Syncrude faces up to 800,000 dollars Canadian in fines for its negligence.

Syncrude initially reported that 500 ducks were killed when it didn't maintain its bird-shooing cannons in working order. The company now admits it lowballed that number: the actual count was more like 1600. Gee, oil companies underestimating the impact of their mistakes... where have I heard that before?