August 03, 2010
UPDATED AUG 3 - Enbridge Pipeline spill - Links and AnalysisFrançais
A rupture in an Enbridge pipeline in Michigan has leaked close to four million litres of oil into the Kalamazoo river system. Local residents have been evacuated and the Governor has declared a state of disaster while more than 400 workers attempt to contain the oil and prevent it from flowing into the Great Lakes. Scenes of oiled birds and dying fish along the banks of the rivers are all too familiar in the wake of the BP Gulf of Mexico leak.
With Enbridge planning to construct a pipeline with close to three times the capacity through Northern British Columbia, many are worried that our rivers and coastline could suffer the same fate.
Below are a selection of links about the Enbridge spill and what it may mean to Canadians
NEW Obama administration says it warned Enbridge about pipeline safety – The Toronto Star July 31
“The Obama administration said Saturday it repeatedly warned Enbridge Energy Partners about safety issues along its Lakehead pipeline system, even calling company officials to Washington earlier this year for a meeting on what it deemed “a series of major failures.” “
NEW The Enbridge Dirty Dozen – The Tyee July 31st
Michigan disaster follows 12 other big spills or penalties this decade for giant aiming to pipe tar sands oil to Kitimat
Between 1999 and 2008 Enbridge recorded 610 spills that released 132,000 barrels of hydrocarbons into farms, wetlands and waterways on the continent. According to the Polaris Institute, this volume of crude “amounts to approximately half of the oil that spilled from the oil tanker the Exxon Valdez after it struck a rock in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1988.”
NEW Enbridge knew of corrosion in pipeline – Michigan Messenger July 30
More than a year ago an assessment of Enbridge’s 6B Michigan pipeline revealed corrosion on the line but as recently as this month the company was still negotiating with regulators for more time to fix the problem.
Greenpeace occupies Enbridge’s Vancouver office – The Northern View July 28th
“Early this morning Greenpeace activists locked themselves inside Enbridge’s Vancouver office and set-up a mock oil spill outside the office in protest of the planned Northern Gateway pipeline, and say they are prepared to stay there until Enbridge gets the message that they need to cancel the proposed pipeline that would carry oil and condensate between Kitimat and Edmonton.”
See a photo of the dramatic demonstration at The Northern View
Enbridge keeps crude flowing – The Financial Post July 28
““There is obviously an interruption of flow on Line 6B and Enbridge is redirecting volumes to ensure that our markets continue to be serviced,” said Gina Jordan, spokeswoman for Enbridge in Calgary.”
Even as residents in Michigan watch the oil pour through their river system, Enbridge is keen to reassure investors that they are still shipping oil – and still making money
Planned northern pipeline unacceptable – Monty Bassett in The Province
Stretched across Main Street in Smithers, the banner reads: “No Pipelines.”
It heralds what many believe will be one of the most protracted environmental fights to rock the province in decades.
[. . .]
And while a similar review of the Mackenzie Gas Project involved a seven-member panel, the panel reviewing Enbridge’s plan has only three members. Not a single panel-list is from northwestern B.C., the region that would be most impacted by an oil spill.
Oil spill raises questions about B.C. pipeline risks – The Vancouver Sun July 30
As workers struggle to contain a massive oil spill in Michigan caused by a pipeline leak, more questions are being asked about the safety of the pipeline owned by Canadian energy giant Enbridge Inc. — and about the company’s plans to push a major new pipeline project through hundreds of kilometres of western Canadian wilderness.
The fallout from the spill is casting a shadow over another project for which the company has big plans: its Northern Gateway Project.
First nations and environmental groups have been speaking out against the projects for months. They say it poses an unacceptable risk to the environment and their livelihoods.
Click Image to return to Oil & Water homepage
