Enbridge pipeline panel demands scathing U.S. spill report

United Church of Canada voices pipeline opposition

CBC News

Posted: Aug 15, 2012 10:55 AM PT

Last Updated: Aug 15, 2012 10:47 AM PT

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A Canada goose covered in oil makes its way along the Kalamazoo River after an Enbridge pipeline ruptured in Marshall, Mich. in 2010 (Andre J. Jackson/Detroit Free Press/Associated Press)

Related Stories Northern Gateway pipeline feature   External Links Read the U.S. NTSB pipeline accident report into the Enbridge oil spill into the Kalamazoo River Read the Joint Review Panel's information request to Enbridge (Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.) The federal panel reviewing the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline has demanded Enbridge submit as evidence a U.S. government report condemning the company's conduct during the 2010 oil spill in Marshall, Mich. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report was published in July, but Enbridge has not tabled any information about the spill, which leaked 3.3 million litres of oil into the Kalamazoo river, coating wildlife. Now the Joint Review Panel assessing the company's proposed oilsands pipeline from Alberta to B.C. has tabled a detailed request asking Enbridge to supply the synopsis report and the final report by noon MT on Sept. 4. The move follows a CBC interview with independent economist Robyn Allan, who revealed that the report had yet to be entered as evidence into the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline hearings. In the interview, Allan said Enbridge was underestimating the risks posed by the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline because the company's risk assessment excluded the Kalamazoo spill. The NTSB report concluded there was a "complete breakdown of safety at Enbridge" and that employees at Enbridge acted like "Keystone Kops," failing to recognize that the pipeline had ruptured and was continuing to pump oil into the surrounding area. The cleanup costs have been estimated by Enbridge and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at $800 million US, making it the single most expensive onshore spill in U.S. history, according to the NTSB. The Joint Review Panel's request to Enbridge, submitted on Tuesday, also requires the company to answer tough questions about the safety of the proposed pipeline, including issues of leak detection, construction defects and threat assessments. Church opposition With public opinion against the Enbridge pipeline mounting, the United Church of Canada announced on Wednesday its delegates have adopted a resolution expressing "categorical" opposition to the pipeline proposal. According to a church statement, the resolution was proposed by the Native Ministries Council of British Columbia Conference, after consultation with church leaders, aboriginal elders and congregation members. One of the church's biggest environmental concerns is the size of the super tankers required to transport the crude oil from the Enbridge pipeline to China and the subsequent enormity of any possible spills and resulting environmental damage.