Despite soaring profits, oil companies are not paying enough for their environmental damage
Published: December 1, 2022 1.55pm EST from the Conversation with permission.
Re-published in newspaper edition of The Globe and Mail, Alberta section, on 17 December 2022 and online at Winnipeg Free Press on 2 December 2022.
Re-published in The Tyee on 11 January 2023
At the end of the third quarter reporting season in October, the Big Four oilsands producers continued to report record profit levels. Collectively, Cenovus, CNRL, Imperial Oil and Suncor earned $5.8 billion in the third quarter and $23.1 billion in the first nine months of 2022. The average return on capital during the period was almost 25 per cent.
The only minor hiccup was Suncor’s reported loss — primarily due to a non-cash impairment charge of $3.4 billion against its Fort Hills assets. Despite the write-down, Suncor s...