News
Spill heightens new pipeline worries
Aug 3, 2010, Edmonton Journal (Read article on originating site site)
It seems that Enbridge has fallen in love with its own image. Well positioned with millions of dollars of public-relations money to promote their controversial Northern Gateway twin pipeline to move oilsands oil to Kitimat on the pristine British Columbia coast, the company showered every single newspaper of all towns along the 1,200-kilometre route, including national newspapers, with full-page ads, mostly blank, picturing local people gloating about the benefits of the projects with vague and selfish statements.
Not even two weeks ago, one of their public-relation managers (there are so many of them) was working the local chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs and councils and managed the tour de force of speaking one full hour without once mentioning the word “spill.”
It does seem that Enbridge was entranced with its own lies and had a rude awakening on July 26 when their pipeline in Michigan broke and released more than 800,000 gallons of oil into a river tributary of Lake Michigan. The story of that story reveals alarming facts:
- -Enbridge had been warned for several months prior to the accident about the need to check for decay in sections of that old pipeline.
- -The spill occurred over several hours, at least three if one believes the volume quoted (largely only approximate and minimum), making one wonder how could the system ignore the drop in pressure for so long?
This implies serious and multiple deficiencies in the monitoring and alarm systems.
- -The Governor of Michigan complained about Enbridge’s insufficient level of response. Local reports commented on the company’s lack of river preparedness for this type of accident.
The lame public-relations machine of the company is trying to convince us that this “failure” is due to the old age of the pipeline, that the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline will have all the bells and whistles that will prevent such accident.
I contend that Enbridge has shown for good that they cannot be trusted. All they have is the power of money (and very supportive high-level people in government), but they have been caught in their own carelessness. They have clearly demonstrated that they should not be allowed to build the Northern Gateway pipeline. That project should be altogether abandoned.
Josette Wier, Smithers, B.C.