Green Peace and Syncrude not getting along in the oil sands

Individuals representing GreenPeace were recently charged with trespassing (and nothing else) after infiltrating the Syncrude oil sands property and displaying a giant banner expressing their concern over the toxic nature of the projects tailing ponds.

Tailings, and the ponds that they collect in, are the toxic liquid by-products of the production process, and are what's left when the oil is 'washed' from the Alberta sand.

On their site the Peacers trumpet that "Braving toxic fumes and the same toxic tailings waste that earlier this year killed 500 ducks .... activists deployed a massive banner on the bank of the tailings pond while two other activists erected a banner on the top of another pipe which depicted a large skull and crossbones banner. The skull hung just above the pipe's opening, giving the illusion of toxic water gushing from the "mouth" of the skull."

Syncrude — a joint venture owned by Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Imperial Oil Ltd, Petro-Canada, ConocoPhillips, Nexen Inc., Nippon Oil Corp. unit Mocal Energy Ltd. and Murphy Oil Corp. — could not be reached for comment.

Industry has also launched a web site to show that it cares about the environment, you can see it here. The home page they've set up to counter the bad publicity has a quote by Marcel Coutu, Syncrude's chairman, that says:

"If you ask people for their views, you better be prepared to listen. I expect some tough criticisms of our industry, but we need to hear them directly from the public. If a criticism is unfair, we need to explain why. If it is fair, we need to act."

The bigger question is "What happens to the tailings and the collection ponds once the oil is gone?"


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Clive Mather

former President and Chief Executive Officer - Shell Canada Ltd.

Clive Mather was born in Warwickshire, England in 1947 and won scholarships to Warwick School and Lincoln College, Oxford. He joined Shell in 1969 and retired in 2007. His career included assignments in Brunei, Gabon, South Africa, the Netherlands, Canada and the UK where he was Chairman of Shell UK Limited between 2002 and 2004. His last position was as President & CEO of Shell Canada Ltd based in Calgary. Shell Canada was one of the biggest companies quoted on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with major businesses in oil & gas exploration and production, oil sands, and refining and marketing. Whilst in Canada he was also a Director of Placer Dome Inc. and the C D Howe Institute, Canada's leading think tank. He was formerly Chairman of the UK Government/Industry CSR Academy, Deputy Chairman of the Windsor Leadership Trust and Chairman of the IMD Business Advisory Council in Switzerland. He held a number of public appointments in the UK including Commissioner for the Equal Opportunities Commission, Chairman of the Petroleum Employer’s Council and Chairman of the Lambeth Education Action Zone.

Mather writes and speaks on leadership, the environment and energy internationally.

He is currently the Executive Chairman of Aibel Group Limited, the international oil and gas services company. He is the Lead Director of Iogen Corporation, a Canadian company specializing in enzyme technology and a leading producer of cellulosic ethanol. He is Chairman of the Shell Pensions Trust Ltd. He is a Director and the Chairman designate of Tearfund, the Christian charity working to combat global poverty. He also serves on the Royal Anniversary Trust, the Council of The Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) Association, and the Advisory Board of the Relationships Foundation.

In 2004 the Board of Shell Canada Limited appointed Mather as president and CEO of Shell Canada.

During 2006 Royal Dutch Shell, which owned 78% of the public stock of Shell Canada commenced an $8.7-billion takeover of the 22% of Shell Canada that it didn't own. In March 2007 the shareholders of Shell Canada Ltd. accepted a $45.00 per share cash offer from Royal Dutch Shell Plc [1]. In the year up to the acceptance of this offer shares in Shell Canada increased in value from $28.90 to just under $45

Rank:8

Age:59

Tenure:2 yrs., 10 mos.

Salary:$979 K

Bonus:$800 k

When parent Royal Dutch Shell took full control of Shell Canada last month, eliminating the need for a separate CEO, Clive Mather decided it was time to retire. So on June 6, Mather will step down after 38 years with the company, including nearly three as CEO at Shell Canada. He joined Shell in 1969, and has taken positions across the globe, including jobs in Brunei, South Africa, Britain and the Netherlands. The English-born Mather took charge of Shell Canada in 2004, spearheading the company's $2.4-billion acquisition of BlackRock Ventures Inc. and investing in the multibillion-dollar expansion of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, while advocating sustainable development.

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