Syncrude acknowledgesTar Sands "reclamation" is skin deep

onMar 21, 2008 @ 14:32 PDT

“If people aren’t looking closely, it blends into the natural landscape.”

That was the triumphant description of the first piece of land “officially certified as reclaimed from any of Alberta’s oil sands” – it’s good enough to impress the government, but even the Syncrude spokester admits the claim won’t stand up to scrutiny.

All this was reported this week in a celebratory story in the Globe and Mail:Piece of oil sands first to be certified as reclaimed.

The Globe reported that Syncrude and “government officials” thought this announcement was “a milestone in easing concerns over the megaprojects.”

Not hardly.

By Richard Littlemore

Northern Ireland Turned Into 'Sacrifice Zone’ to Feed UK’s Appetite for Meat, New Report Finds

ByShauna Corr

onJul 8, 2026 @ 22:00 PDT

Nearly two thirds of country’s pig and poultry farms leach polluting manure into lough that supplies half the region's drinking water, according to latest research.

Series: Pigs, Poultry, and Pollution: Investigating Intensive Agriculture

Series: Investigating Intensive Livestock Pollution

us/Colorado Cut $11.4 Million in Penalties for Oil Firms Submitting Fake Cleanup Data

BySarah Hofmann

onJul 7, 2026 @ 11:29 PDT

Residents, activists, and a state commissioner critiqued the deals, approved under the top oil regulator, who is stepping down following a DeSmog investigation.