The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday, June 18, edition that Alberta is allocating $50-million to enhance technologies for managing oil sands tailings ponds. The Globe's Emma Graney writes that the funding, sourced from the province's carbon price on large emitters, will be managed by Emissions Reduction Alberta. A competition will invite private companies to develop more effective and economical tailings and water treatment technologies. Successful projects can receive up to $15-million, with a minimum request of $1-million, while Emissions Reduction Alberta will contribute no more than half of any project's funding. The issue of how to deal with tailings ponds has bedevilled Alberta for years. Remediating oil sands mines could cost $130-billion, said a 2018 internal Alberta Energy Regulator memo. Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said Tuesday that managing tailings ponds is a complex problem. She noted that tailings also take water permanently out of the system, preventing it from being used by others who need it. The program will be focused on technologies that treat oil sands waste water, accelerate and lower the costs of land reclamation, and reduce the use of fresh water in oil sands operations.