MEDICINE HAT — A Calgary-based oil and natural gas company has been charged for an oil spill that killed 200 birds at Canadian Forces Base Suffield in southern Alberta.
Harvest Energy (TSX:HTE.UN) made its first appearance in Medicine Hat provincial court Tuesday on the charges.
According to court documents, the leak began sometime between June 18 and Sept. 8, 2008, and involved at least one species of threatened or endangered bird.
Immediately following the leak company president John Zahary expressed embarrassment and said Harvest Energy needed to improve its practises.
The Energy Resource Conservation Board has said the leak of 60 barrels of crude was caused by the company not installing a wellhead, failure of the well plug and an increase in reservoir pressure.
Harvest Energy is to appear in court again on June 24.
There are more than 10,000 producing, suspended or abandoned wells within the boundaries of CFB Suffield.