Tamarack Acquisition Corp. has been ordered to pay an $80 000 penalty after pleading guilty in provincial court to one charge under the Water Act.
Tamarack received a temporary diversion licence from the AER to withdraw groundwater for well drilling operations near Veteran, Alberta, between January 2017 and April 2018.
As water was being withdrawn from the ground, Tamarack did not record how much water it was withdrawing. Instead, the company recorded this information after the fact, breaking a condition of the licence.
The Veteran area is home to many diverse wetlands, as well as birds and other wildlife. When making decisions on energy development, the AER ensures these wetlands are protected.
The penalty includes a fine of $2000; the remaining $78 000 will be directed to creative sentencing projects that educate landowners and other non-industry stakeholders on requirements companies must follow when using water for energy development.
The penalty follows charges that the AER laid against Tamarack earlier this year.
For more information, check out the agreed statement of facts and court order on our Compliance Dashboard.
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