LandKeepers News Archive
Enbridge’s US Oil Spill Raises Concerns
January 17 2010 | News Articles | BC Local News
By Rikki Schierer
An Enbridge oil spill just south of the Canadian border has raised some concerns over what could happen, should the pipeline project from Kitimat to Alberta be approved.
“Enbridge simply cannot prevent oil spills from its pipelines,” stated Jennifer Rice, Chair of Friends of Wild Salmon. “And in our watersheds, even one oil spill of this magnitude is unacceptable.”
Enbridge recorded the North Dakota spill of approximately 3,000 barrels, or 126,000 gallons, on Jan. 8.
The spill was detected through their control centre which monitors all of Enbridge’s approximate 11,000 kilometres of pipelines electronically. The system noted a sudden drop in pressure on line 2B on its Lakehead System in North Dakota at approximately 11:30 p.m. CT.
Steve Greenaway, VP of Public and Government Affairs for Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline, said that within moments the pipeline was shut off on either side, and crews were sent out to the area in question.
“The system has worked as we expected it would, in the sense that it was detected immediately, it was shut down immediately, the valves were turned off immediately, and the clean-up began early Saturday morning,” he said.
The leak is contained within the Enbridge right-of-way and no water or wildlife have been affected, according to an Enbridge release reporting the oil spill. Clean-up crews will remain on site until both the property owner and the federal health authority OK the situation.
The cause of the leak is yet to be determined. However, a section of the pipe has been sent to a metallurgical laboratory for testing.
“We’ve learned from each of these incidents and if there’s things we can do to improve our practices we certainly will,” Greenaway said.
Had this spill been within the proposed pipeline in Northern B.C., the effects could have been catastrophic to the Skeena wild salmon economy, Rice said, estimating the potential damages to be worth over $100,000 million per year, as the rivers contain important spawning gravel for salmon.
An oil spill would inflict havoc on incubating eggs and small fish, explained Todd Stockner, a longtime Steelhead angling guide from the Kispiox Valley.
“What would happen if this spill had occurred along the Morice River?” asked Rice. “Enbridge has no way to effectively deal with an oil or condensate spill into a fast flowing river.”
The fact that Enbridge’s own website reports an increase in oil spills should be a concern, Rice pointed out.
Greenaway countered that the majority of these spills were on Enbridge-owned properties such as pumping stations and could be as small as two gallons at a time.
“I think it was 2008 where we shipped 800,000 barrels of oil and I think we spilt something like 6,000, and that amounts to .00031 per cent,” Greenaway said. “That in itself is a pretty good track record.”
There is still plenty of time for communities throughout the proposed pipeline to bring forth their concerns, Greenaway added. Enbridge is planning to submit their regulatory application later this year, and from there there will be plenty more community meetings, open houses, and regulatory hearings, he said.
“We have a long, long, long process ahead of us, and there will be lots of opportunity for the communities to become involved in that discussion.”
This Entry is Not Tagged. Click here to Add Tags