As the summer winds along towards Labour Day, and as we again think about fall activities and challenges, I want to bring into focus a matter that is happening just to the north of us - in B.C.
The matter is the Enbridge pipeline hearings before the National Energy Board, which relate to a proposal to ship dil-bit (diluted bitumen) via pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat, and then onward by tanker to Asia.
The material in question - dilbit - is gooey slurry of unprocessed petroleum along with fine pieces of rock, mixed with a liquid (benzene) to make it flow easier.
Think of molasses just out of the fridge. It is the product of surface mining of the oilsands, and after steaming and chemically separating most of the non-petroleum matter.
It is mixed with solvent in Alberta to allow it to be pumped via a pipeline to Kitimat. At Kitimat, the solvent is extracted and returned in another pipe back to Alberta to be used again.
Concern has been raised about pipeline spills over the route - a pristine wilderness area that is home to many First Nations. The route chosen is such that access to the pipeline will be difficult to near impossible during many months of winter.
A spill of the material will be difficult if even possible to clean up - it is gooey mass that will kill anything within contact. The company wanting to build and operate has been roundly condemned by the U.S. government for failing to manage its pipelines in the U.S.
Once the mass reaches Kitimat it is to be re-concentrated and loaded into more than 200 supertankers per year to navigate a narrow channel containing 100-plus islands out to the open sea. This is where, in winter, winds of over 90 km/h are found on many days.
An American transportation expert has studied the available data and said there is more than a 100 per cent chance of a shipping accident. When that occurs the dil-bit, on leaving the supertanker, sinks to the bottom and spreads over the ocean floor. Technology is yet to be invented to satisfactorily recover this material under these conditions.
Enbridge talks about "leading edge technology" to control pipeline spills and tanker groundings, and it will set aside hundreds of millions to spend on cleanups.
However, the organization is a limited liability partnership (LLP), which has very limited assets, and no cash on hand for a spill.
The lessons of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska tell us that after two decades and $8 billion spent, there is still oil to be cleaned up.
So at what point do we say the environmental studies cannot be rushed and many questions must be answered before any "yes" can be considered? Your response is needed by the federal government via your MP: Kerry-Lynne.Findlay@ parl.gc.ca.
