http://environmentaldefence.ca/blog/line-9-reversal-halted-due-danger-rivers-and-lakes
Line 9 reversal halted due to danger to rivers and lakes
Line 9 blocked by NEB due to safety concerns
[The Canadian National Energy Board - NEB - is widely regarded as a
cheerleader for the fossil fuels industry, and most of its board members
come from that industry. For them to actually make a decision against a
prominent company in the industry verges on precedent-setting.]
The National Energy Board (NEB) just rejected Enbridge’s request for
permission to restart its Line 9 pipeline until further notice.
It turns out that Enbridge has failed to meet one of the most important
and basic safety requirements – providing proof that there are emergency
shut-off valves on both sides of all major water crossings along the
pipeline’s route.
These valves are critical. If the pipeline were to rupture anywhere near
a river and there was no valve, huge quantities of oil could spill into
the waterway, even if the pipeline had been shut down by the company.
The Line 9b portion of the pipeline alone crosses 36 different rivers
and streams that drain into Lake Ontario. Ontario residents will be
familiar with many of these tributaries that are at risk; the Credit,
the Humber, the Rouge, the Trent, the Rideau rivers... all of which flow
directly through densely populated areas into the Great Lakes – the
source of drinking water for millions of Ontarians.
Let’s not forget what happened to the Kalamazoo River when Enbridge’s
Line 6b pipeline ruptured. Over 3 million litres of tar sands bitumen
spilled into the river, contaminating nearly 40 kilometers downstream.
More than four years later, with more than $1 billion spent, the cleanup
still isn’t finished.
The NEB defines a major water crossing as, “ a water crossing that in
the event of an uncontrolled product release poses a significant risk to
the public or the environment.”
Practically, this means that every river or water body in Ontario and
Quebec that Line 9 crosses needs check valves in order to ensure public
safety. But, Enbridge is being cagey about telling the public which
rivers have valves, and which do not.
One thing is certain – Enbridge’s definition of a ‘major river’ doesn’t
match the NEB’s definition. That likely means that many rivers crossed
by Line 9 do not currently have check valves on both sides to protect
them from a devastating oil spill.
With the NEB rejecting Enbridge’s request for permission to restart its
Line 9 pipeline, it looks like Enbridge is going to have some explaining
to do before its plans for Line 9 can go any further.
_______________________________________________
Sustainablelorgbiofuel mailing list
Sustainablelorgbiofuel@lists.sustainablelists.org
http://lists.eruditium.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel