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US study warns of spill dangers
Gary Park For Petroleum News
A spill of oil sands products from an ocean-going tanker off the British Columbia coast should spread to the shores of Alaska or Washington state, says a U.S. government agency report.
The warning is contained in a 153-page report by the emergency response division of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that found fault with all of the safety measures in place relating to the transport of Alberta oil sands bitumen by land and water.
It suggested there is no such thing as zero risk of contamination from spills.
But Enbridge, the proponent of the Northern Gateway pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast, dismissed the findings as outdated and failing to acknowledge efforts to mitigate the risks.
The report, compiled by six experts at the University of Washington, raised concerns about the use of pipelines to ship oil sands products and the expected rise in the use of rail and marine transport.
Preparation cited as key Prof. Robert Pavia, from the university’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, told the Canadian Press that “it’s not a question of whether a spill will occur, but how well prepared we are for a spill once it does occur.”
He said there is an obligation on both the U.S. and Canada to step up their efforts to reduce risks, noting there are gaps in the information available on the hazards of transporting bitumen.
“Little research is currently available regarding the behavior of oil sands products spilled into water and how they weather the environment,” the report said. “Most tests have been conducted in the laboratory, so predicting the actual behavior of oil sands products for a range of spills is difficult,” while the associated risks of carrying products on the ocean are “not well defined.”
However, the study did concede that only a small number of spills have occurred in the U.S. and Canada.
Enbridge said it plans to team up with government and industry and a committee of technical experts to research spill behavior and response.
The report was critical of the fact that oil sands products are not subject to a U.S. excise tax that generates funds for spill cleanup, and suggested that regulators need to plug gaps in the rules governing the rise in transportation of oil sands products and other unconventional oil, including greater regulatory oversight of rail transport.
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