Canadian oil sands producers launch environmental performance alliance
Canada’s oil sands producers have formed a new alliance,Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), focused on
accelerating the pace of improving environmental performance in
Canada’s oil sands.
Chief executive officers of 12 companies
have signed the alliance’s founding charter, committing to COSIA’s
vision to “enable responsible and sustainable growth of Canada’s
oil sands while delivering accelerated improvement in environmental
performance through collaborative action and
innovation.”
Launched on March 1, 2012, the alliance was
created in recognition of the need to meet the public’s
expectations of the industry. The alliance will bring
together leading thinkers from industry, government, academia and
the wider public, building on previous collaborative successes.
Jean-Michel Gires, President and CEO of Total
E&P Canada Ltd., says COSIA creates a new dynamic for the oil
sands industry, promoting new approaches for intellectual property
management of environmental technology and better working
relationships with universities, research agencies, technology
providers, regulators and oil sands stakeholders in the communities
where industry operates.
In a statement released by COSIA, a commitment
was made “to take innovation and environmental performance in the
oil sands to the next level through a continued focus on
collaboration and transparent exchange.”
To this end COSIA will set environmental
performance goals and report publicly on progress towards these
goals “by breaking down barriers to innovation, and by identifying,
developing and applying solutions-oriented innovation to the most
pressing oil sands environmental challenges.”
“The true value of COSIA is reflected in its
members’ commitment to a greater level of collaboration. COSIA
brings industry together through a common goal of improved
environmental performance. By pooling our resources, we want to
drive innovation and accelerate environmental performance across
the entire sector,” said Steve Williams, President and Chief
Operating Officer, Suncor Energy, who will be a speaker at the
target=”_blank”>GLOBE 2012 Opening Plenary.
Environmental Priority
Areas
COSIA intends to develop and
implement performance initiatives focused on driving accelerated
progress in four key Environmental Priority Areas (EPAs):
target=”_blank”>tailings,
target=”_blank”>water,
target=”_blank”>land and
target=”_blank”>greenhouse gases.
Working with various industry, government and
community stakeholders we will improve performance, measurement,
reporting and accountability in the four priority areas.
Its work program will build on the experiences
and successes of existing organizations including the Canadian Oil
Sands Network for Research and Development (CONRAD), the Oil Sands
Leadership Initiative (OSLI) and the Oil Sands Tailings Consortium
(OSTC).
Members of the new alliance
include BP Canada Energy Company, Canadian
Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy
Inc., ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp., Devon Canada
Corporation, Imperial Oil, Nexen Inc., Shell Canada
Energy, Statoil Canada Ltd., Suncor Energy
Inc., Teck Resources Limited, Total E&P Canada
Ltd.
Structure and Governance
COSIA is led by a Chief Executive (CE), Dr. Dan
Wicklum, who is accountable to the signatory company Chief
Executive Officers. Work in the EPAs within the alliance is
overseen by working groups composed of shareholder company
experts.
Wicklum, a former professional football player,
holds a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology (University of Montana, 1998)
and served as Executive Director of, The Canadian Forest
Innovation Council before joining Environment Canada in various
senior science management roles including Director General of
Wildlife and Landscape Science and Director General of Water
Science and Technology.
The EPA groups will create Joint Industry
Projects (JIPs), which will draw on input from others including
company and government representatives and other stakeholders.
Collectively these groups will work together to accelerate
performance in the Environmental Priority Areas.
The EPAs will report to the Chief
Executive, and through him outward to the shareholder
companies.
More information on COSIA is available
video presentation of the COSIA launch is available
target=”_blank”>here
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