Greenpeace Canada blasts Syncrude lawsuit
ReutersTORONTO (Reuters) - Greenpeace Canada blasted alawsuit brought against it by Syncrude Canada Ltd, saying themove was designed to intimidate critics of the sprawling oilsands developments in northern Alberta.
The suit comes after Greenpeace protesters targeted awaste-water pipe at Syncrude's Aurora mine, north of FortMcMurray, Alberta, on July 24, demanding a halt to rising crudeproduction from the oil sands, which the environmental groupsays is wrecking the environment.
"This is a punitive lawsuit designed to financially cripplea non-profit organization and intimidate critics of the tarsands," Mike Hudema, oil sands campaigner for Greenpeace, saidin a statement on Friday.
"Syncrude does not want a lantern hung on the world'sdirtiest oil project."
Protesters put a cap on the pipe to a toxic waste-waterpond at the mine site.
They also raised a banner that read "World's Dirtiest Oil:Stop the Tar Sands" and placed a skull-and-crossbones flag onanother pipe into the tailings pond.
The tailings pond garnered global attention earlier thisyear after 500 ducks died after landing on the waste water,which contains byproducts of heavy metals and other toxins.
"We are seeking an injunction for them not to trespass onour site in the future and put themselves at risk and ourpeople at risk," said Alain Moore, a spokesman for Syncrude.
He added that the protesters had trespassed in anindustrial area where there is large, complex miningequipment.
"We do know the oil sands is a topic of debate anddiscussion in Canada and we want to be an active part of thatdebate," said Moore.
"We just feel that trespassing on a site and putting livesat risk isn't an effective way to debate."
Syncrude is also seeking damages of C$120,000 ($113,000).
Greenpeace is calling for the Alberta government to stopapproving new projects to exploit the region's massive oilsands, which hold the biggest petroleum reserves outside theMiddle East.
Syncrude, the world's largest producer of synthetic crudeoil, is a joint venture owned by Canadian Oil Sands Trust, Imperial Oil Ltd, Petro-Canada,ConocoPhillips, Nexen Inc, Nippon Oil Corpunit Mocal Energy Ltd and Murphy Oil Corp. ($1=$1.06 Canadian) (Reporting by Jennifer Kwan; editing by Rob Wilson)