Trans Mountain in Depth

Trans Mountain spills in Southwestern BC
The following are the known spills in Southwestern BC since Kinder Morgan purchased the pipeline from Terasen Gas.

Abbotsford, July 15, 2005: Approximately 210,000 litres of crude were released into the area surrounding the Sumas facility, making its way into Kilgard Creek on Sumas Mountain. http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/pipeline/2005/p05h0044/p05h0044.asp

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Burnaby, July 24, 2007: Construction crews ruptured an underground pipeline and caused an oil geyser that released approximately 250,000 litres of synthetic crude oil into the land and marine environment of Burrard Inlet. http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2011ENV0061-001473.htm

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Burnaby, May 6, 2009: A contractor discovered that oil was leaking from one of the tanks Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby Mountain terminal. In total, almost 200,000 litres of crude oil were spilled. Fire and HazMat teams were called to the scene and contained the spill. http://bc.ctvnews.ca/major-oil-spill-at-kinder-morgan-b-c-facility-1.396578

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Abbotsford, January 24, 2012: A pipeline rupture at the Sumas Tank Farm in Abbotsford occurred earlier this year, spilling approximately 110,000 litres of tar sands crude. People living in the area reported odours, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. http://vancouver.mediacoop.ca/story/rusty-mess/10519

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REPORTS


Understanding the Environmental and Human Impacts, Export Implications, and Political, Economic, and Industry Influences A_Comprehensive_Guide_to_the_Alberta_Oil_Sands_-_may_2011 http://pipeupnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/a_comprehensive_guide_to_the_alberta_oil_sands_-_may_201111.pdf


A Report by Cornell University global labor institute: Cornell University Impact-of-Tar-Sands-Pipeline-Spills http://pipeupnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/cornell-university-impact-of-tar-sands-pipeline-spills.pdf


Description of tar sands bitumen and the problems and risks of its transport. Note table comparing diluted bitumen and crude oil on p.6. NRDC Tar Sands Safety Risks http://pipeupnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/nrdc-tar-sands-safety-risks1.pdf


Co-published by ForestEthics , Environmental Defence and the Wilderness Committee 2008_Tarsands_Report_ http://pipeupnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/2008_tarsands_report_web1.pdf


National Transportation Safety Board. 2012. Enbridge Incorporated Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Rupture and Release, Marshall, Michigan, July 25, 2010. Pipeline Accident Report NTSB/PAR-12/01. Washington, D.C. Abstract: On Sunday, July 25, 2010, at 5:58 p.m., eastern daylight time, a segment of a 30-inch-diameter pipeline (Line 6B), owned and operated by Enbridge Incorporated (Enbridge) ruptured in a wetland in Marshall, Michigan. The rupture occurred during the last stages of a planned shutdown and was not discovered or addressed for over 17 hours. During the time lapse, Enbridge twice pumped additional oil (81 percent of the total release) into Line 6B during two startups; the total release was estimated to be 843,444 gallons of crude oil. The oil saturated the surrounding wetlands and flowed into the Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River. Local residents self-evacuated from their houses, and the environment was negatively affected. Cleanup efforts continue as of the adoption date of this report, with continuing costs exceeding $767 million. About 320 people reported symptoms consistent with crude oil exposure. No fatalities were reported… Full report
http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2012/PAR1201.pdf


A FOREST ETHICS REPORT BY AARON SANGER, U.S. CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR U.S. REFINERIES AND CANADA’S TAR SANDS Without oil refineries, our current transportation system would not function. Refineries produce the vast majority of the energy we use for moving people and things from one place to another. Refineries are also one of the most hazardous parts of our transportation system, especially to the already vulnerable segments of our society. Minority communities and the poor, the young and theold, and those suffering from diseases that affect their heart and lung systems—these are the groups that already pay most dearly for our current dependence upon reneries for transportation fuel. And these are the same people who are now facing additional health costs because of the growing rela- tionship between U.S. refineries and Canada’s tar sands. Full Report http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/106157859?access_key=key-1963d112l3kty0qsm6sb


In response to growing public concerns about the safety of tar sands pipelines and the risks that tar sands spills pose to their communities, industry lobbyists at the American Petroleum Institute (API) and its surrogates have been busy making the argument that industry’s plans to transport millions of barrels of tar sands on the U.S. pipeline network requires no due diligence. The Kalamazoo tar sands spill in Michigan tragically demonstrated the consequences industry’s failure to evaluate the safety risks of the pipeline transport of tar sands diluted bitumen – after more than two years and nearly a billion dollars in cleanup cost, officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have found that nearly 40 miles of the Kalamazoo river is still contaminated by submerged tar sands. In the face of a public increasingly concerned by proposals to build tar sands pipelines like Northern Gateway through British Columbia, Keystone XL through the Ogalla aquifer to the Gulf Coast, and the Enbridge’s pipeline through Canada’s eastern provinces and New England, industry lobbyists have been making a number of disingenuous arguments to avoid doing due diligence. But their arguemnts simply do not withstand close scrutiny. Let’s take a closer look:
Full Article http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswift/rebutting_industrys_claims_on.html


BLUE GREEN CANADA is an alliance between Canadian labour unions, environmental and civil society organizations to advocate for working people and the environment by promoting solutions to environmental issues that have positive employment and economic impacts. The alliance is based upon the realization that a future sustainable economy must provide good jobs and protect the environment, not one or the other. This report is the first in a series of reports exploring some of the less-examined aspects of Canada’s resource development and the global transition to a green economy. These reports are part of Blue Green Canada’s contribution to the discussions of a Canadian energy strategy. Full Report http://bluegreencanada.ca/sites/default/files/resources/More%20Bang%20for%20Buck%20Nov%202012%20FINAL%20WEB.pdf


The making of Canada as a Petro-State and how oil money is corrupting Canadian politics” released Tuesday by the Ottawa-based Polaris Institute found that six main oil industry players, including Enbridge and TransCanada, met with federal cabinet ministers 53 times between September 2011 and September 2012, the period when the business-friendly Bill C-38 — which guts environmental legislation — was being designed. During this same time period, only one meeting between a federal cabinet minister and an environmental organization took place (Greenpeace met with Joe Oliver in March, 2012). Full Report http://polarisinstitute.org/files/BigOil’sOilyGrasp_0.pdf


Framing the Future: Embracing the Low-Carbon Economy outlines the potential economic opportunity for Canada as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy. It emphasizes Canada’s existing strengths and identifies areas for action aimed at developing a strong, resilient, and less carbon-intensive Canadian economy.

http://nrtee-trnee.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/framing-the-future-report-eng.pdf