By Stanley Tromp, Canadian Press, 26 Jan. 2014
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U.S. scientists are warning that
there are environmental risks, regulatory holes and serious unknowns regarding
the shipment of Alberta
oilsands products by pipeline, rail and tanker.
The findings are in a
153-page report from last September by the emergency response division of the U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. The unit has expertise in preparing for, evaluating
and responding to oil and
chemical spills in coastal environments.
Enbridge (TSX:ENB),
the company behind the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to the British
Columbia coast, counters that most of the concerns raised in the report are
out-of-date, overstated or being resolved.
The study examined the different ways to transport Alberta's bitumen, a
molasses-like crude oil,
over U.S. land and water. Those
included rail, the proposed Kinder-Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline to Vancouver,
the Keystone XL line to Texas from Alberta,
and Northern Gateway.
"Most oilsands products
are transported to market via existing and proposed pipelines; however, a sharp
increase in the use of rail and marine transport can be expected while new
pipelines are constructed to match the increased production of oilsands
products," the report says.
It was written by six experts
at the University of Washington and supervised by Prof. Robert Pavia of the
university's School of Marine and Environmental Affairs.
"While there are many
arguments about the level of risk, no one believes the risk is zero,"
Pavia told The Canadian Press, adding that he was speaking personally. "In
my mind it's not a question of whether a spill will occur, but how
well-prepared we are for a spill once it does occur."
In the case of Northern
Gateway, not only might there be potential to harm Washington state shores, there
could be hazards from tankers leaving Kitimat, B.C., to travel through the
waters of Alaska, near the Aleutian Islands to Asia. The proposed
1,177-kilometre-long pipeline would carry 525,000 barrels of bitumen daily from
Alberta to the northern
B.C. port.
Both Canada and the United
States need to renew and expand efforts to reduce any risks, Pavia said.
Last December, a federal
joint review panel supported the project -- providing Enbridge meets 209
conditions. The final decision rests with the federal cabinet.
The U.S. report notes there are information gaps about the
transport of bitumen.
"Little research is
currently available regarding the behaviour of
oilsands products spilled into water, and how they weather in the
environment," the report says.
"Most tests have been
conducted in the laboratory, so predicting the actual behaviour
of oilsands products for a range of spills is difficult." The risks
associated with carrying oilsands products over water "are not
well-defined."
The study does point out that only a handful of spills
have occurred in the U.S.
and Canada.
Enbridge communications
manager Ivan Giesbrecht said that's a positive thing.
"This further supports
that these products do not pose increased risk for transmission pipeline
corrosion," he said in an interview.
In 2007, a neighbourhood in Burnaby, B.C., was covered in synthetic
crude when excavation equipment ruptured a pipeline. In 2010, a pipeline leaked
20,000 barrels of oil into
the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.
Last September's report also
points out that anyone responding to an oilsands spill could face both oil that is light and floating or
heavier oil that could
sink.
"This could impact fish
and birds that move between water and air, such as those that may inhale toxic
fumes, or become coated by oil.
Sinking oil could move into
the water column and harm fish larvae.
"Current capabilities to
detect and recover oil when
it sinks or is suspended in the water column are poor."
Giesbrecht said each spill is
unique and depends on where and when it occurs. He said it is also "an
incorrect assumption," one not supported by studies or observations, that diluted bitumen in water
would split into two portions of floating and sinking oil.
A Canadian government study released earlier this month
shows that diluted bitumen does sink in salt water when battered by waves and
mixed with sediment. If the bitumen is free of sediment, the crude floats even
after evaporation and exposure to light.
The U.S. study
says research is needed into the public health impacts of oilspills,
weathering effects and biodegradation, and there should be more testing with a
wider variety of oilsands products.
Giesbrecht said that Enbridge
plans to join, with government and industry, a committee of technical experts
to research spill behaviour and response. He also
said the industry has already started to conduct such research.
Giesbrecht said Enbridge
doesn't agree with the findings of the U.S. study.
He said the company is committed to applying industry best practices and to
developing leak-detection technologies.
The report also noted
"regulator shortcomings," including that oilsands products aren't
subject to the U.S. excise
tax that provides funds for spill cleanup, and that there was scant product
information provided by the facilities that transport the oil they're handling.
"There are additional
gaps in policies and regulations that warrant scrutiny as transport of oilsands
products and other unconventional oils
increases," the report said.
Federal and state railway
regulators have played a minor role in oil spill planning, but given recent high-profile accidents, like
the deadly crash and explosion in Lac-Megantic, Que.,
the report suggests more regulatory oversight over rail transport should be
considered.
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