EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 5/10/23

PIPELINE NEWS

• Politico: Snags in the carbon-capture pipeline

• Bismarck Tribune: Summit analyzing potential south-Bismarck route for CO2 pipeline; north-Bismarck residents oppose project

• AgWeek: Landowners vent frustrations over Summit carbon pipeline project

• KIWA: Outcome Of Clay County Case Could Have Implications For Carbon Pipeline

• U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee: Ahead of Pipeline Safety Reauthorization, Chairs Rodgers and Duncan Request Details From PHMSA Regarding its Pipeline Safety Programs

• Canadian Press: TC Energy pauses construction on section of Coastal GasLink project

• Associated Press: $3.4M fine proposed over 2021 California oil pipeline leak

• WV Gazette Mail: Columbia Gas Transmission proposes plan for gas storage wells and pipeline project in Kanawha County

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• The Hill: 9 states, DC and NYC call for federal action on gas stoves

STATE UPDATES

• NOLA.com: John Bel Edwards asks for help explaining carbon capture

• Miami Herald: Oil gushed into the Gulf and people got sick. A secret Florida warehouse may hold clues

• Stateline.org: California just can’t quit Big Oil

• Grand Junction Sentinel: Meetings planned, comments sought on Thompson Divide proposal

EXTRACTION

• Petroleum Economist: Technology the answer for oil sands’ net-zero goals

• Boston University School of Public Health: Air pollution from oil and gas production responsible for $77 billion in annual US health damages, contributes to thousands of early deaths, childhood asthma cases nationwide

OPINION

• Euractiv: Is 2023 the year when carbon capture and storage finally takes off?

• The Narwhal: Minnow, walleye and perch are at risk after Imperial Oil wastewater leaks in Alberta
  

PIPELINE NEWS

Politico: Snags in the carbon-capture pipeline
DEBRA KAHN, 5/9/23

“The Biden administration is pouring billions into carbon capture, but one of its key constituencies is resisting,” Politico reports. “Environmental justice groups are worried about the networks of pipelines that companies are proposing to transport carbon dioxide, they’re worried about the gas staying in the aquifers and wells that it would be injected into, and they’re worried that the overall effort will distract from the need to reduce emissions from existing industrial operations. The growing opposition is threatening to delay the full rollout of billions of dollars in new federal spending on carbon capture — and it’s showing the difficulties the Biden administration faces in trying to prioritize both industrial carbon removal and disadvantaged communities. Activists are alarmed by the sheer volume of funding for carbon capture, which includes $3.5 billion for direct-air capture “hubs” and another $2.5 billion for six carbon capture facilities. They say it implies the administration is prepared to override their objections, despite its stated emphasis on environmental justice. “As long as that enormous amount of money is being rapidly pushed out by the federal government, that undermines any attempts to engage with or have conversations with environmental justice communities,” Jane Patton, campaign manager for plastics and petrochemicals at the Center for International Environmental Law, told Politico… “Industry is well aware of the opposition and is working on assuaging groups. Nicole Parra, a former state lawmaker working with California Resources Corp., a petroleum company that’s seeking a federal grant to build a direct-air capture system in California’s Central Valley, carries around a 16-point list of demands from a coalition of environmental justice groups. “Literally, it’s in my hand right now,” she told Politico. Among the demands: a minimum distance of 10 miles between projects and disadvantaged communities; and a requirement that projects not increase air, water, noise or light pollution.”

Bismarck Tribune: Summit analyzing potential south-Bismarck route for CO2 pipeline; north-Bismarck residents oppose project
DAVID VELÁZQUEZ, 5/9/23

“The company planning to build a carbon dioxide pipeline through part of southern North Dakota is analyzing a potential route south of Bismarck at the request of state regulators,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “There has been significant opposition to the Midwest Carbon Express project by landowners to the north of the capital city. Summit Carbon Solutions Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Powell said the southern route analysis will be submitted to the Public Service Commission in mid-May. He declined to discuss details during a Tuesday hearing the PSC conducted in the Emmons County seat of Linton when questioned by Randall Bakke, who represents Bismarck-area landowners opposed to the project… “Residents north of Bismarck have expressed safety concerns with the route of the pipeline, as well as worries that it’s too close to developing north Bismarck. The city is expanding to the north much more quickly than it is to the south. The Burleigh County Commission in early March passed an ordinance that requires companies building hazardous liquid pipelines to submit emergency plans to local officials. Commissioners that month also adopted new zoning regulations that require companies building pipelines for hazardous liquids to obtain a special county permit and follow certain rules. Commissioners also have asked the PSC to hold off on deciding on a permit for Summit’s CO2 pipeline until updated federal rules for such projects are in place… “Other North Dakota counties also have updated local regulations in response to Summit’s pipeline plans… “Personal testimony from landowners at Tuesday’s hearing ranged from concerns about safety to frustration with Summit’s easement negotiations to questions about whether climate change is a threat. Emmons County landowner Pamela Stramer told the PSC that she has spent more than $8,000 in legal fees and wasted countless hours trying to keep Summit from entering the property that her family has owned for four generations.”

AgWeek: Landowners vent frustrations over Summit carbon pipeline project
Jeff Beach, 5/9/23

“A resident of Emmons County said she fears that if North Dakota approves a carbon capture pipeline bringing in carbon dioxide from other states, it will lead to a parade of other similar projects,” AgWeek reports. “Why do our government heads of state, representatives and government officials agree to allow our beautiful state to be turned into a dumping ground for other states’ garbage,” Julia Stramer said. Emmons County has been a hotbed of resistance to the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, with the county commission passing ordinances to make it more difficult to site the pipeline through the county in south-central North Dakota… “Stramer’s land is on the proposed route but she has refused to sign a voluntary easement… “Another Emmons County resident, Stephanie Doolittle, also vented her frustration. “The attacks by Summit Carbon Solutions on the landowners of North Dakota, or personal lack of respect and consideration for all of us through this whole process is eye-opening,” she said. Among the others testifying were North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and Jerry Briggs, a first-responder to a carbon dioxide leak in Mississippi in 2020. Goehring said he has been getting a lot of calls and emails about the massive project, with concerns about things such as soil compaction and damage to drain tile that could affect the productivity of farmland… “Brought in by attorney Randy Bakke, who represents an opponent of the pipeline, Jerry Briggs was part of the emergency response to the CO2 pipeline leak in 2020 near the village of Sataria, Mississippi. He described finding a car with three people inside unconscious with foam around their mouths after breathing the CO2. The vehicle was still in drive but quit running because the carbon dioxide spewing from a broken pipe robbed the vehicle of oxygen. Briggs said he was unaware there was a CO2 pipeline in the area but later added that it was unusual for the pipeline operator, Denbury, to not have informed emergency responders… “Randall Walloch is a farmer and rancher who’s house is less than a mile from the planned route and the area where he does his calving is even closer. “By putting a pipeline in, it would destroy fertile topsoil and cause severe compaction which will decrease yields for years, or forever,” Walloch said. Lyle Bopp is a Sargent County commissioner who said he has signed an easement with Summit. But he also has concerns about a possible leak. He said Sargent County was given safety assurances by the developers of the Keystone oil pipeline, which has leaked in nearby areas.”

KIWA: Outcome Of Clay County Case Could Have Implications For Carbon Pipeline
SCOTT VAN AARTSEN, 5/9/23

“A ruling by a district court judge in Clay County case could have an impact on plans by at least one company planning to build a carbon capture pipeline in the state,” KIWA reports. “Navigator Heartland Greenway filed suit against landowner Martin Koenig after Koenig denied the company access to his land to do a survey for the Navigator CO2 pipeline. In his order, Judge John Sandy says the state law authorizing surveys without the consent of landowners violates both the Iowa Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. A spokesperson for the pipeline company says they plan to appeal.”

U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee: Ahead of Pipeline Safety Reauthorization, Chairs Rodgers and Duncan Request Details From PHMSA Regarding its Pipeline Safety Programs
5/9/23

“House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) sent a letter to Tristan Brown, Acting Administrator for the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The letter, sent on behalf of the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Republicans, requested details on the implementation of PHMSA’s pipeline safety programs to ensure America’s pipelines continue to transport natural gas, liquid fuels, and feedstocks across the country as safely, reliably, and efficiently as possible. “As the Committee of jurisdiction overseeing your agency, the Energy and Commerce Committee and its members will exercise legislative and oversight authorities to ensure PHMSA complies with its statutory authorities and maintains focus on its public safety mission… “We are conducting a thorough review of existing pipeline safety laws and the status of their implementation. We are also reviewing recent safety incidents to ensure that PHMSA, State regulators, and pipeline operators are incorporating lessons learned, integrating new technologies, and continuing to improve safety. “There are numerous overdue congressional mandates and open rulemakings that have not been finalized by PHMSA. We also understand that PHMSA has assumed new responsibilities and directives from recently enacted laws and Executive Orders, which may have delayed the implementation of the PIPES Act and outstanding mandates from prior pipeline safety laws… “On April 21, 2023, President Biden signed an “Executive Order to Revitalize Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All,” requiring a “whole-of-government” approach to environmental justice. Does this Executive Order apply to PHMSA, and if so, how does PHMSA plan to comply with the Executive Order?.. “How much does PHMSA expect the proposed regulation will increase the price of natural gas for American consumers?.. “Does PHMSA estimate environmental costs and benefits related to climate change that are incurred outside the United States for use in agency rulemakings? Does PHMSA utilize the Social Cost of Carbon, the Social Cost of Methane, or other tools or models to estimate environmental costs related to climate change?”

Canadian Press: TC Energy pauses construction on section of Coastal GasLink project
5/9/23

“TC Energy Corp. says it has proactively halted construction on a 20-km stretch of its Coastal GasLink project over concerns about erosion and sediment control,” the Canadian Press reports. “The Calgary-based pipeline company says the affected section of pipeline is located near the Little Anzac River north of Prince George, B.C. TC Energy says the region has been affected by challenging spring melt conditions caused by an abundance of snow this winter, a quick spike in temperatures, and heavy rainfall. The Coastal GasLink pipeline construction project has encountered recurring issues with erosion and sediment control over the past year that have resulted in ongoing compliance and enforcement actions by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office (EAO). TC Energy says it made the precautionary decision to pause construction prior to the EAO issuing new stop-work orders on May 4 and 5. The company says it has also launched a third-party review of its erosion and sediment control plans for the area.”

Associated Press: $3.4M fine proposed over 2021 California oil pipeline leak
5/9/23

“An energy company should be fined nearly $3.4 million for safety violations involving a 2021 oil pipeline spill that fouled Southern California beaches, a federal regulator said,” the Associated Press reports. “Amplify Energy Corp. ignored 83 alarms indicating the offshore pipeline had leaked and failed to notify federal authorities or shut down the pipeline to San Pedro Bay until 17 hours after the first alarms, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a letter proposing the fine that was sent April 6 to the company’s president… “The October 2021 spill of 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of crude oil created a miles-wide sheen in the ocean and sent blobs of crude ashore, primarily affecting the cities of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. It further shuttered beaches for a week and fisheries for more than a month, oiled birds and threatened area wetlands. Amplify Energy said the spill was linked to damage from two ships it accused of dragging anchors and striking the pipeline during a January 2021 storm. It reached an $85 million settlement with the vessel companies… “The company announced last month that it received approval from federal regulatory agencies to restart the pipeline.”

WV Gazette Mail: Columbia Gas Transmission proposes plan for gas storage wells and pipeline project in Kanawha County
Mike Tony, 5/9/23

“A gas pipeline company has filed an implementation plan for building and operating two new gas storage wells on a new well pad and construct nearly 600 feet of related pipeline in Kanawha County,” the WV Gazette Mail reports. “Columbia Gas Transmission LLC filed the plan as required by federal regulators Monday to construct and operate two new injection and withdrawal wells and 586 feet of related pipeline and abandon more than 5,000 feet of pipeline in the Coco B storage field near Pinch… “FERC staff released an environmental assessment last fall concluding the project wouldn’t significantly impact “the quality of the human environment” with appropriate mitigation measures… “Columbia said it would hold one project-specific environmental compliance training session in Kanawha County in early-to-mid October 2023.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

The Hill: 9 states, DC and NYC call for federal action on gas stoves
RACHEL FRAZIN, 5/9/23

“Nine states as well as the cities of New York and Washington, D.C., are calling on the federal government to issue regulations related to gas stoves,” The Hill reports. “In a letter dated Monday and submitted to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the state and city attorneys general call for “voluntary standards or mandatory regulations” in order to “reduce the emissions of harmful pollutants from gas stoves.” But, they specifically express preferences for mandatory standards over voluntary recommendations, specifically calling for mandatory standards for ventilation and emissions of hazardous substances. “Attempts to develop voluntary standards can stall or result in inadequate standards that will not protect against the health risks to consumers,” they wrote regarding emissions.  “Due to this possibility and the importance of protecting the health of consumers, the CPSC should initiate a rulemaking to develop mandatory gas stoves standards,” they wrote… “The states that supported federal action in this week’s letter were: Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state.” 

STATE UPDATES

NOLA.com: John Bel Edwards asks for help explaining carbon capture
MARK BALLARD, 5/9/23

“As he addressed a roomful of carbon capture specialists at a forum Tuesday, Gov. John Bel Edwards paused, then abandoned his prepared remarks to make a simple request of the crowd,” NOLA.com reports. “He wanted their help, he said, in selling Louisiana’s public on the new technology. “We have a responsibility to communicate with the people who are voicing concerns and objections to let them know why we believe carbon capture and storage is safe. Why we believe in the science,” Edwards said. But: “If it’s just state authorities who are talking about the science and the safety of carbon capture and storage … we’re probably not going to be successful.” Edwards traveled to the nation’s capital this week to speak at the 11th Annual D.C. Forum on Carbon Capture and Storage, hosted by the Global CSS Institute. He was the keynote speaker; it is one of several recent trips the governor has made to highlight the benefits of the technology, which has been controversial in Louisiana… “However, a proposal to store carbon underneath Lake Maurepas has attracted arguments from some Republican legislators as well as environmentalists.  “I believe that climate change is real. I believe human behavior influences that,” Edwards told the crowd. “If we turned off our fossil fuels prematurely and leave people in the cold or they can’t transport themselves, they’re going to say the hell with it.” The transition is going to take time but the situation would be better if industry starts capturing and storing carbon emissions, he added… “He ended his speech with an invitation to the leaders at the D.C. seminar. “I hope all you make your way to Louisiana and find out firsthand why you should be there with your investment,” Edwards said. 

Miami Herald: Oil gushed into the Gulf and people got sick. A secret Florida warehouse may hold clues
DAVID GOODHUE, 5/10/23

“The warehouse looks like countless others in South Florida. But what’s inside is anything but typical. Steel barrels lined up wall to wall. Shelves of vials and jars stacked along the sides of refrigerated storage rooms. Inside the containers, large and small, are samples from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 — the largest oil spill in history,” the Miami Herald reports. “The 127,000 samples — oil, clothing, protective equipment, cleaning chemicals — were collected by BP but are now in the hands of attorneys representing 150 active litigants in lawsuits against the oil giant — people who suffer from various ailments, including cancer. They say their illnesses were caused either by the crude spewing from the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, or the chemical dispersants used to break up the oil and collect it from the water and soil… “The lawsuit also says Mattiford, other cleanup workers and residents were exposed to “highly noxious chemical dispersants” used in oil collection. Some of these chemicals, the lawyers say, attached to the oil and turned into tiny particles that spread through the air when waves sprayed water mist. “It became airborne through a method called aerosolation. It was landing on equipment, signs. People were inhaling the oil,” Dylan Boigris, a Downs attorney working on the cases against BP, told the Herald.”

Stateline.org: California just can’t quit Big Oil
MATT VASILOGAMBROS, 5/8/23

California is an oil state. For a century, the Golden State has been one of the leading oil producers in the country. Although production has declined in recent decades, fossil fuels remain a major source of jobs and tax revenue,” Stateline.org reports. “That’s why a crusade against oil that is revving up in the Democratic-dominated state legislature might founder, even in this bluest of blue states. To enact meaningful fossil fuel restrictions, bill sponsors and climate activists will have to overcome the deep-pocketed oil industry and a united Republican bloc. But the biggest challenge is the resistance of some Democrats, swayed by the prospect of job losses in their districts and, critics say, generous campaign contributions… “Woody Hastings, the program manager for the Phase Out Polluting Fuels project at the Climate Center, a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit that advocates for and tracks environmental legislation, told Stateline California’s race to a green economy often hits roadblocks erected by “Big Oil.” “It doesn’t matter what letter comes after a legislator’s name, ‘D,’ ‘R,’ doesn’t matter,” he told Stateline. “Commonsense legislation would happen. It doesn’t. Why? Because you have legislators swayed by where they get their campaign contributions.” Hollin Kretzmann, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, agreed that the oil industry remains a “huge force” in California politics. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or Republican, the money flows both ways,” he told Stateline. “That’s why California has been such a laggard in this policy.” Indeed, over the past four years, the oil industry and supporting interest groups — including the Western States Petroleum Association, Chevron and others — spent $72 million on lobbying and campaign contributions at the state Capitol, according to campaign finance data compiled by the Sacramento Bee. That money has made a difference, environmentalists tell Stateline, helping to kill some measures even before they made it to the floor for a vote.”

Grand Junction Sentinel: Meetings planned, comments sought on Thompson Divide proposal
DENNIS WEBB, 5/8/23

“Federal agencies have announced two upcoming meetings on a proposal to ban new oil and gas leasing and mining claims on some 225,000 acres in western Colorado for up to 20 years, and also are seeking public comments on the proposal,” the Grand Junction Sentinel reports. “The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will hold meetings on Tuesday in Delta and on Thursday in Gunnison on the proposal for what is called a withdrawal in the Thompson Divide area. The agencies have launched a public scoping period as a first step of analysis of the proposal under the National Environmental Policy Act. Scoping comments are being accepted through June 16. The proposal would apply to lands stretching from the Glenwood Springs area to Crested Butte and east of Crawford. The lands are in Garfield, Pitkin and Gunnison counties. The Biden administration announced the proposed withdrawal last fall, amid continuing efforts by some Colorado Democrats in Congress to permanently protect the Thompson Divide area from future oil and gas leasing.”

EXTRACTION

Petroleum Economist: Technology the answer for oil sands’ net-zero goals
Tom Young, 5/9/23

“The Pathways Alliance is a group of six Canadian oil sands producers working together on a multi-stage plan to achieve the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from operations by 2050. Alliance president Kendall Dilling spoke to Petroleum Economist to elaborate on the work of the group. Can you outline how Canadian oil sands producers can achieve the goal of net-zero scope one and two emissions from their operations by 2050? Dilling: Clearly, technology is the answer… “Some of the most important are in what we call natural gas decarbonisation… “Hydrogen can be used as a low-carbon substitute or blending agent for natural gas without significant equipment changes… “We are also looking at ways to dramatically reduce the amount of steam we put in the ground, injecting naturally occurring hydrocarbons such as propane instead that chemically mix with heavy oil to make it more mobile and easier to recover… “The plan is to build carbon capture on those plants, concentrate the CO2, and put it in a pipeline that takes it 400km to the sequestration area… “We are submitting regulatory applications for the project later this year. It will be at least a year until regulatory approval if all goes well, so we could be looking at FIDs in 2025 or 2026. This would put us on track to being in service by 2030, which coincides with Canada’s commitments under the Paris Agreement… “The Canadian structure is also going to be more complicated than the IRA support, which is very straightforward. We continue to work with our governments to try and close that gap so we can attract the capital and make that investment happen here rather than south of the border.”

Boston University School of Public Health: Air pollution from oil and gas production responsible for $77 billion in annual US health damages, contributes to thousands of early deaths, childhood asthma cases nationwide
5/8/23

“Despite global efforts to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, oil and gas (O&G) production is nearing record levels in the United States, posing concern among health experts about what this O&G growth means for air quality and human health,” according to the Boston University School of Public Health. “While there is extensive research on the climate effects of O&G-produced methane—a key contributor to air pollution—few studies have measured the health effects of the air pollution that O&G activity generates… “Published in the journal Environmental Research: Health, the study found that air pollution from the oil and gas sector in the United States has substantial adverse impacts on air quality, human health, and health costs. The findings show that the pollutants nitrogen oxide (NO2), fine particulate matter (PM2.5)  and ozone (O3) from U.S. oil and gas production contributed to 7,500 excess deaths, 410,000 asthma attacks, and 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma across the U.S. in 2016. Factoring in related respiratory and cardiovascular-related hospitalizations, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and other health challenges, oil and gas production was responsible for $77 billion in annual health costs. Comparatively, this total is three times the estimated climate impact costs of methane emissions from oil and gas operations. These impacts were largely concentrated in areas with significant oil and gas production, such as southwest Pennsylvania, Texas, and Eastern Colorado. But the health effects also extended into densely populated cities with little or no gas activity, such as Chicago, New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Orlando. The study results suggest that O&G emissions reduction policies, such as the forthcoming EPA methane regulations, may produce immediate and significant air quality benefits to human health along with significant climate benefits. “

OPINION

Euractiv: Is 2023 the year when carbon capture and storage finally takes off?
Chris Davies is the director of CCS Europe. He was the European Parliament’s CCS rapporteur in 2008-2009 and 2013-2014, 5/9/23

“The European Commission has finally acknowledged the absence of carbon capture and storage (CCS) from its emissions-reduction strategy but much remains to be done, Chris Davies writes for Euractiv. “It has been a long time coming but the European Commission has at last recognised that it has a gaping hole at the heart of its climate policy. The absence of carbon capture and storage (CCS) from its emissions-reduction strategy has left it without a credible means of achieving its CO2 net-zero ambition, and this despite the authoritative voice of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) many times insisting that the technology will be needed… “Environmental NGOs, alleging that CCS was simply a means of supporting the continued use of fossil fuels, delighted in their mockery of the technology… “The focus now is on the use of CCS technology to curb emissions from energy-intensive and hard-to-abate industry sectors… “The Zero Emission Platform has since held a conference in Brussels that highlighted the 73 CCS projects said now to be under development across Europe, and April marked the launch of CCS Europe, a new advocacy group supported by industrial companies, business associations and environmental NGOs that recognise the urgent need for the technology. Most importantly, a business case for CCS investment is emerging. Environmentalist critics of CCS have usually ignored the fact that the only purpose of CCS is to prevent CO2 emissions into the atmosphere; it is not a profit-making investment… “CCS deployment needs policies at the national as well as European levels, and to secure their rapid introduction it needs enthusiastic and vocal champions. The European Commission has begun to raise its voice; it needs to start shouting a lot louder.”

The Narwhal: Minnow, walleye and perch are at risk after Imperial Oil wastewater leaks in Alberta
DIANE ORIHEL, CHLOE ROBINSON AND CHRIS K. ELVIDGE, 5/9/23

“Three months ago, 5.3 million litres of industrial wastewater was reported to have overflowed from an Imperial Oil storage pond into a muskeg and forested area,” Diane Orihel, Chloe Robinson and Chris K. Elvidge write for The Narwhal. “This industrial wastewater could have filled more than two Olympic-sized swimming pools, and is now one of the largest known spills of its kind in Alberta’s history. Then came news of a separate incident where an unknown amount of industrial wastewater has been leaking from an Imperial Oil tailings pond for the last 12 months… “In addition to its significance to the Indigenous communities here, this waterway also provides crucial habitats for endangered wildlife species… “Research and real-world incidents have found that oilsands wastewater is toxic to wildlife including mammals, fish, frogs and birds. A group of organic compounds, referred to as naphthenic acids, are responsible for most of the toxicity of wastewater. These compounds exist naturally in the region, but accumulate to harmful, unnatural levels in wastewater during the mining process. Despite this, environmental guidelines for “safe” naphthenic acid concentrations do not exist. The concentrations of these acids in wastewater are studied to determine the extent of the threats to wildlife, and in particular to aquatic species, as their habitats are extremely susceptible to accumulating harmful pollutants. One of our studies found that exposure to these chemicals can also cause developing frogs to develop striking malformations, including kinked spines and missing toes. Studies have found that fathead minnow, walleye and yellow perch experience increased mortality, physical deformities and reduced growth when exposed to naphthenic acids. These are all species commonly found in the oilsands region. In one investigation, these chemicals altered hormone levels and reduced spawning success in fish. This effect could have population-level consequences in the wild. Meanwhile, in another study, the fish showed reduced survival and abnormal swimming behaviours, even after being held in clean lake water for one month following a week-long exposure to sublethal levels of naphthenic acids. The science clearly suggests that fish are negatively impacted by wastewater contaminants and even short-term contact can have lasting effects on animals in the affected area… Evidence-informed policies, built on what we know about the toxic extent of wastewater, have the potential to make accidental spills, and the environmental and social injustices they perpetuate, a thing of the past.”