1/15/2010

Enbridge Oil Spill

as of early 2007 Enbridge spilled more than 3.3 million gallons of crude oil into the Canadian environment since 1990.
 I've just picked this up from Terrace Daily Online

Friends of Wild Salmon have reported from an earlier spill.


Enbridge’s recent 126,000-gallon oil spill from a pipeline in North Dakota, discovered last Friday, has confirmed northern BC residents’ concerns about the company’s proposed oil pipeline through their region.

“Enbridge simply cannot prevent oil spills from its pipelines,” said Jennifer Rice, Chair of Friends of Wild Salmon. “And in our watersheds, even one oil spill of this magnitude is unacceptable.”

Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline would carry oil from the Alberta tar sands to a supertanker port at Kitimat, crossing several wild salmon watersheds.

“Had the spill occurred here in Northern B.C along Enbridge’s proposed pipeline, the effects could have been catastrophic to the Skeena’s wild salmon economy, estimated to be worth over $100 million per year,” added Rice.

“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 rivers along the proposed Gateway pipeline contain important salmon redds [spawning gravel] and an oil spill would inflict havoc on the incubating eggs and small fish rearing in these rivers,” explained Todd Stockner, a longtime Steelhead angling guide from the Kispiox Valley. “Salmon eggs can be found in these rivers for as much as seven months of the year and even a small amount of oil would kill them.”

In 2000, a pipeline spill in northeastern BC spilled one million liters of oil into the Pine River, spreading 20 kilometers downstream from the spill site and causing significant fish mortality. The spill contaminated the Chetwynd’s water supply, and water has been trucked in or drawn from other sources to meet the community’s drinking water needs.

“If an accident like the North Dakota spill or the Pine River spill were to occur near the Kitimat River, Kitimat residents’ drinking water source would likely be polluted,” said Margaret Ouwehand, a member of the organization Douglas Channel Watch.

According to the Enbridge website, the company had 80 pipeline spills in 2008, up from 59 pipeline spills in 2007.

This from

 February 2, 2007, Enbridge pipelines ruptured for the second time in Northern Wisconsin.  The latest spill sent approximately 126,000 gallons of crude oil into the environment.

So my thought is that anyone who says these pipelines are good for us are only looking at the cash they will have in their own pockets. Not the negative impact on the environment.

5 comments:

Grant G said...

Not to mention if an accident happened with a super tanker it would destroy the BC Coastline for decades.
Where is Tzeporah Berman and David Suzuki?

Why aren`t they screaming from the roof tops about premier green jeans push to be a petro state?

Gary E said...

"if" Grant? No the question is "when?"
And yes, where are these socalled environmentalists? Oops, I forgot. They jumped ship.

Kim said...

Time for the revolution.

Gary E said...

Absolutely Kim. But I find we are all sitting around talking about it. Even the HST Recall is slowly dying. Campbell is giving out bits of Candy in the ridings most affected.
So where do we start?

BC Mary said...

Gary:

Have a look at OPINION 250 in Prince George where Ben Meisner has announced the Taseco / Prosperity Mine.

BC Mary left a mild comment wondering why they had to pollute two God-given pristine lakes and then build two new lakes ...

You should see the reactions! Two people stood up for Fish Lake and Little Fish Lake (and for BC Mary) but the rest of them ... wow.

But with the info. you've added here, I think I'll go back into OPINION 250 again and get a few more bells ringing.
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