The pipeline that leaked thousands of gallons of oil on the California coast was the only pipe of its kind in the county not required to have an automatic shut-off valve because of a court fight nearly three decades ago, a county official said. The original owner of the pipeline skirted the Santa Barbara County […]
Ruptured pipeline spills oil onto California coast
A broken pipeline spilled about 80-thousand litres (667 Barrels) of crude oil into the ocean before it was shut off Tuesday, creating a slick stretching about 6 kilometres along the central California coastline. The slick stretched along the coast and was about 50 metres into the water. The 24-inch pipeline is owned by Plains All […]
Kinder Morgan studies impact a pipeline rupture could have on Fraser River
The environmental recovery from a “full bore” oil pipeline rupture into the lower Fraser River could take up to five years. That’s according to a study done as part of Kinder Morgan’s planning for its proposed $5.4-billion The study examined the environmental impact of a spill of 1.25 million litres of diluted bitumen into the […]
Insurance may not be enough to cover potential disasters
U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) regulators are concerned most freight railroad insurance policies are barely sufficient to cover even average oil train accidents, Politico reports. In an analysis published in early August, DOT reported most large railroads are insured at about $25 million for accidents, with others insuring up to $50 million for certain hazardous cargo. […]
Damage worse than thought
Some regions in the Gulf of Mexico affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are still feeling it’s affects. It was four years ago when BP’s well ignited and pumped oil into the Gulf of Mexico for three months. Six months after the spill, a survey showed severe damage was done to coral up to […]
Comment: Pick your choice for crude transport – pipeline, train, truck or ship
Crude oil is moving around the world, around North America, around pristine wilderness, around our cities and towns. It’s going to keep moving, so what is the safest way to move it? The short answer is: truck worse than train worse than pipeline worse than boat (Oilprice.com). But that’s only for human death and property […]
Grounding in Prince Rupert Shows Tanker Risks
Earlier this month a 750-foot coal carrier ran aground outside Prince Rupert in British Columbia. While there wasn’t a spill, critics were quick to take advantage of the situation and declare a proposed pipeline in the region underscores the risks of increasing tanker traffic. The Japanese-flagged ‘Amakusa Island’ was moving from its berth at a […]
Social license requires integrity and follow through
If the oil industry isn’t going to operate on a zero spill mandate, when there are issues at sites and cleanups are not done quickly enough to satisfy area residents, a companies social license can be in jeopardy. That’s what’s happening in Louisiana. Many landowners in the southern state have been locked in a battle […]
Northern oil spill exercise drills home the unknown
The first spill response drill conducted by the Alaska government, fuel shippers, and cleanup crews in the Bering Strait has given a measure for how much is still unknown about handling oil spills in the region. Department of Environmental Conservation will sort through the data collected and revise plans that are currently on the books. Colin […]
Comment: Pipeline east little benefit for Ontario
The Northern Gateway Project, promises to keep British Columbia mired in debate for years to come. Despite the National Energy Board’s recent approval, staunch opposition from First Nations groups and environmentalists looks set to suspend the pipeline in a state of legal limbo. Across the border, meanwhile, the high-stakes world of pipeline politics means U.S. […]