XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics   
   From: ConsRCons@govt.cda   
      
   U.S. study warns of risks and unknowns in shipment of Alberta oilsands   
   products   
      
      
   The Canadian Press - January 26, 2014   
      
      
   VANCOUVER - 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   concerns raised in the report are out-of-date, overstated or being resolved.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."   
   [. . . ]   
      
   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 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.   
   ____________________________   
   CBC News Posted: Jan 25, 2014   
      
   [TransCanada]  Natural gas pipeline explodes near Otterburne, Man.   
   [that would be the company wanting the Keystone pipeline approved]   
   Thousands without heat south of Winnipeg as arctic blast moves in   
      
   http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/natural-gas-pipeline-expl   
   des-near-otterburne-man-1.2510873   
      
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        “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save   
   the environment.”    ― Ansel Adams   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)