Extracting info: Why’s it so hard to get the goods on oil spills?
Leslie Young, Global News, May 22 2013
CALGARY – It can be tough to get a good sense of how safe Alberta’s oil industry is when you can’t access the information you need.
The Case of the Disappearing Dilbit: How Much Oil Was Released in 2010 Pipeline Spill?
Lisa Song, Inside Climate News, May 6 2013
A crucial number is removed, without explanation, from the EPA website that is tracking the cleanup of the 2010 dilbit spill Michigan’s Kalamazoo River.
Plains Midstream charged in 2011 Rainbow Pipeline spill
Karen Kleiss, Edmonton Journal, April 26, 2013
Government acts after receiving Greenpeace report
EDMONTON - One day after receiving an advance copy of a scathing Greenpeace report, the Alberta government charged Plains Midstream Canada in connection with the Rainbow Pipeline oil spill.
Mayflower, meet Exxon: When oil spilled in an Arkansas town
Edward McAllister, Reuters, Globe and Mail, Apr. 11 2013
MAYFLOWER, ARK. — Warren Andrews had just finished putting up balloons for his stepdaughter’s 18th birthday party at their suburban home in Mayflower, Ark., when his wife came inside and said something was wrong.
After stepping out of his house, and taking one glance, he immediately dialled 9-1-1.
2 file federal suit over Arkansas oil spill
Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, April 5 2013
MAYFLOWER, Ark. — Two women who live near an ExxonMobil pipeline that ruptured last week and spilled thousands of barrels of oil in central Arkansas filed a federal lawsuit against the company on Friday.
Enbridge says clean-up in Calhoun County beginning to cut into bottom line
WKZO, Kalamazoo, March22 2013
MARSHALL (WKZO) -- Enbridge Energy Partners estimates that the EPA’s order requiring it to dredge sections of the Kalamazoo River where submerged oil remains will push the clean-up bill an additional 175-million dollars, to almost one billion dollars total.
That would be above and beyond what is covered by their insurance policy.
Enbridge: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
Jack Lessenberry, Dome Magazine, August 24 2012
Enbridge pipeline opponents lack national platform of Keystone XL
August 19, 2012
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Katy Bodenmiller was worried about the proposed pipeline work near her house in Groveland Township, Mich., so she started looking for help.
Energy Board demands Enbridge Michigan spill report
The Canadian Press, CBC News, Aug 18, 2012
More than 20,000 barrels of oil dumped into Kalamazoo River in 2010
The National Energy Board has asked Calgary-based Enbridge to provide documentation of improvements it has made since a massive oil spill in Marshall, Michigan two years ago.
U.S. destroyer, oil tanker collide
CNN, August 12 2012
(CNN) -- A U.S. guided missile destroyer was involved in a collision with an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy announced.
Oil Sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline: Background and Selected Environmental Issues
Jonathan L. Ramseur, Coordinator, Congressional Research Service, July 16 2012
Summary
If constructed, the Keystone XL pipeline would transport crude oil (e.g., synthetic crude oil or diluted bitumen) derived from oil sands in Alberta, Canada to destinations in the United States. Because the pipeline crosses an international border, it requires a Presidential Permit that is issued by the Department of State (DOS). The permit decision rests on a “national interest” determination, a term not defined in the authorizing Executive Orders. DOS states that it has “significant discretion” in the factors it examines in this determination. Key events related to the Presidential Permit include:
San Bruno lawsuits: PG&E knew bad records posed a danger to public, engineer says
By Joshua Melvin, Marin Independent Journal, July 31 2012
REDWOOD CITY -- Pacific Gas & Electric knew its gas line records were inaccurate and knew those errors could mean death or injury to the people who lived near its pipes yet chose not to fix the problem, according to testimony from a senior company engineer.
DOT Prohibits Enbridge Energy from Reopening Pipeline 14 in Adams County, Wisconsin After July 27 Spill
Press Release, US Dept of Transportation, July 31 2012
Corrective Action Order Requires Enbridge to Submit Restart Plan for PHMSA Approval
Enbridge Line 14 pipeline expected to restart Wed: official
Reuters, Chicago Tribune, July 31, 2012
Enbridge Inc could get approval from U.S. regulators to restart the Line 14 crude oil pipeline by Wednesday evening after a spill in Wisconsin forced its closure, a local official said.
U.S. pipeline agency to probe Enbridge oil spill in Wisconsin
Reuters, Chicago Tribune, July 28, 2012
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. pipeline safety agency said on Saturday it is investigating an oil spill in Wisconsin on Enbridge Inc's network that forced the Canadian company to close part of the main pipeline system delivering Canadian crude to U.S. refiners.
How little leaks can become big oil spills
Mark Hume, The Globe and Mail, Jul. 15 2012
When pipelines rupture, it usually takes hours before the flow of oil is shut off.
'Culture of Deviance' at Enbridge, Finds US Transport Safety Board
By Andrew Nikiforuk, TheTyee.ca, July 10 2012
'Corrosion' of safety culture 'throughout the Enbridge organization' led to Kalamazoo disaster.
Feds: Enbridge detected defect years before massive oil spill
Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press, July 10 2012
The Enbridge case -- Fines, regulations, studies must add up to oil spill prevention
Editorial, Detroit Free Press, July 6 2012
A record fine.
That's a bit of comfort as Michigan deals with the aftereffects of the huge 2010 oil spill in the Kalamazoo River. At least the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which announced the fine against pipeline owner Enbridge Energy this week, seems to understand the magnitude of the event.
Failure of Northern Gateway pipeline could cost taxpayers, former insurance executive warns
By Peter O'Neil, Edmonton Journal, July 5, 2012
OTTAWA - Taxpayers aren’t adequately protected in the event Enbridge Inc.’s proposed Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline suffers the same kind of catastrophic failure that resulted in a $765 million US spill in Michigan two years ago, says a former Canadian insurance executive.
Biologists call for action to stop multiple oil and mud spills off Newfoundland
By Sue Bailey, The Canadian Press, July 4, 2012
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - More than 34,000 litres of oil and drilling mud that spilled off Newfoundland last year are a threat to wildlife that highlights a need for more offshore oversight, say biologists.
PHMSA Announces Enforcement Action Against Enbridge for 2010 Michigan Oil Spill
News Release, PHMSA, July 2 2012
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today proposed a record $3.7 million civil penalty and 24 actions against Enbridge Energy for the July 25, 2010, crude oil spill near Marshall, Mich.
News Spill Crisis: 'Whatever, We're Going Home'
By Andrew Nikiforuk, TheTyee.ca, June 22 2012
Inside the Edmonton Enbridge control room that botched the worst bitumen pipeline leak ever.
Elk Point pipeline spill releases 230,000 litres of heavy crude: Enbridge
By Mariam Ibrahim and Karen Kleiss, Edmonton Journal, June 19, 2012
EDMONTON - Cleanup is underway after an oil spill Monday along Enbridge’s Athabasca pipeline, southeast of Elk Point, the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board says.
Pipeline leak near Sundre takes toll on Gateway project
By James Wood And Chris Varcoe, Calgary Herald, June 17, 2012
Opponents point to spill, warn of risks
An oil spill in central Alberta flowed into the Red Deer River system, but its ultimate effect may be felt thousands of kilometres away, over the Rocky Mountains.
