Canadian Natural Resources faces 11 charges, Government says oilsands producer failed to report toxic gas release by Dan Healing, March 7, 2014, Calgary Herald
Oilsands producer Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. faces charges that could add up to $5.5 million in penalties after a release of toxic hydrogen sulphide from its Horizon upgrader near Fort McMurray in August 2012. In a news release Friday afternoon, the Alberta government said the gas release was detected by air-monitoring equipment and confirmed after complaints from residents of the nearby town of Fort MacKay. The charges under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act include: Release of a substance causing a significant adverse effect, failure to ensure complete combustion at the flare stack, release of an unapproved substance, failure to report approval contraventions and failing to report and providing misleading information to the director and the Fort McKay First Nation. Each charge carries the possibility of a fine of up to $500,000, the release said. It did not indicate how much gas was released.
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Failure Investigation Report: Failure of Piping from Frac Sand at EnCana Swan Wellsite