The well and blowout have cast doubts on the safety of underground extraction methods, according to documents obtained by the Toronto Star and a government scientist who has been on site. The scientist says there are four separate sites involved, all of which are on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. Over 30,000 kg of oil vegetation has been cleared from the most recent of the four sites.

These Cold Lake Natural Resources Ltd operations are on the traditional territory of the Beaver Lake Cree First Nation which is pursuing a constitutional challenge that argues the cumulative impacts of oil sands industrial development are infringing their treaty rights to hunt, fish and trap.

"This is a new kind of oil spill and there is no 'off button,' " said Keith Stewart, an energy analyst with Greenpeace who teaches a course on energy policy and environment at the University of Toronto. "You can't cap it like a conventional oil well or turn off a valve on a pipeline."