The owner of a broken pipeline that has gushed 4.5 million litres of crude oil in northern Alberta is taking heat from the province’s Conservative premier and the leader of the federal Green party.
Premier Ed Stelmach says Plains Midstream Canada will not be allowed to reopen its aging Rainbow pipeline until the spilled oil is properly cleaned up, repairs are made and people in the nearby aboriginal community of Little Buffalo are assured the pipeline is safe.
“From what I can gather they could be doing a better job,” Stelmach said of the company’s efforts Thursday.
“We are going to hold their feet to the fire to make sure that they are there and they will have to pay all of the costs related to the cleanup of the spill.”
As Stelmach faced questions in Edmonton about the largest Alberta pipeline spill in 36 years, Elizabeth May was in Ottawa calling for an immediate investigation and serious consequences for the company if it is found to have been negligent.
The pipeline breach was first reported late Friday afternoon when reporters were told it involved a few hundred barrels of oil. It wasn’t until Tuesday that Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board reported the full extent of the spill — 28,000 barrels.
“There has been a violation of the federal Fisheries Act, not to mention the negligence of failing to notify the public for five days,” May said. “We need to ensure a full investigation and serious sanctions.”
The Green party leader and MP-elect also said the spill raises concerns about the safety of energy pipelines that criss-cross Canada and raises questions about industry plans to build more through ecologically sensitive parts of the country.
In Calgary, Mike Hallahan, vice-president of Plains Midstream, tried to reassure the public that the spill doesn’t pose a health threat to people who live in the region, including members of the Lubicon Cree.
A school in the First Nations community of Little Buffalo has been closed since Friday. People in the area have reported getting headaches, feeling nauseous and smelling a strong petroleum odour.
Hallahan read a prepared statement, but declined to answer any questions about the spill.
“Although there is an odour at the release site, the monitors at the site have detected no hydrocarbon levels above Alberta ambient air quality guidelines, and no negative health effects have been reported by workers on site to date,” he said.
“These monitors have been in place since Monday and have detected no hydrocarbon levels whatsoever. We will continue monitoring air quality at the release site and in surrounding areas.”
Lubicon Cree Chief Steve Nosky, who has flown over the spill, said a strong odour of crude oil was hanging in the air over the community of 350. He said it was not clear when the school would reopen.
“Certainly we can measure all the (toxic hydrogen sulphide gas) and the air quality, but if you have the strong smell of crude over a long period of time, that can make you sick,” he said.
People are worried about what will happen if rainfall causes a beaver dam that has contained much of the spill to overflow, he added.
“It’s potentially a disaster if it releases into the reserve,” said Nosky, who noted the dam is three kilometres from Lubicon Lake.
Hallahan said work crews have dug up and inspected the section of the failed pipeline and have determined the leak was isolated. He said repairs are complete and the corporation is waiting for Alberta regulators to allow the pipeline back into service.
Davis Sheremata of Alberta’s Energy Resources Conservation Board says regulators have not completed their inspection and assessment of the pipeline.
He said the failed section has been cut away and removed to an Edmonton lab for testing. He says investigators still aren’t sure what went wrong, why it happened or if the problem is systemic throughout the system. It could be days or longer before regulators are satisfied.
“The company is welcome to their opinion, but it is the regulator here who is going to decide what the problem is, how much of the pipeline it impacts, what has to be done to repair that, and when it has been done satisfactorily,” Sheremata said. “If it is a systemic problem, we are facing a continued shut-in until we are assured that it can be put back into operation safely and any necessary repairs or upgrades have been made.
“Until we are absolutely 100 per cent certain that the pipeline can be put back into operation safely, we will not allow it to be put back online.”
The leak was in the 44-year-old Rainbow pipeline which runs from Zama to Edmonton.