Duck a la crude kills 500 in Alberta

Some 500 ducks died after touching down on toxic refuge ponds in Alberta’s oil sands.

The ducks were exposed to residual oil on the surface of a partially-frozen basin at Syncrude Canada Ltd.’s Aurora North Site mine. Syncrude is the largest producer of oil from oil sands. The company says it did not use noisemakers designed to scare birds from the contaminated ponds,

Why? Because “extreme winter weather conditions” delayed the deployment of the noise makers.

Ironic, or hypocritical, or both, since oil production from the Alberta oil sands is the No. 1 reason Canada will fall far short of its 2012 Kyoto targets. And, probably is currently increasing more intense storms in northern Alberta, where spring is just now starting.

Company officials also did not immediately report the ducks’ dire situation, as required by law. That will get them a cool $1 million Canadian fine. Of course, the way our dollar is tanking, that could be worth $2 million U.S. in a couple of years.

I’m sure Syncrude won’t be such cheap bastards next spring.