This post is related to the film White water, Black gold but looks at the transportation of crude oil via pipelines and tank ship.
Pipelines: There's one huge oil pipeline that goes from Northern Alberta through the middle of Jasper National Park all the way to Vancouver. There's been a pipeline for a long time but it has been enlarged to transport more crude in recent years. How could Parks Canada and the Canadian government ever agree to such a pipeline? The company who built it, Kinder Morgan, had a pipeline leak in the middle of Vancouver a few years ago. Imagine the road breaks open and a huge black fountain goes up right outside your door - that's what the footage from the incident looked like. Enbridge has had 8 major pipeline leaks since 1992! These two companies now want to build the Northern Gateway pipeline, 11,000 km long, from north of Edmonton across massive mountains, and important rivers all the way to Kitimat at the Pacific coast. Would you trust them? Unfortunately, the representative from the National Energy Board of Canada, asked about when a pipeline was last refused building permission, replied that she would have to go back in the records to find out when that might have happened. With other words, all pipelines get approval, no matter what the public's opinion is - given the public finds out before construction begins in order to raise their concern.
Once flown through the Northern Gateway Pipeline the oil is meant to be shipped to Asia on tank ships. Apparently, 60% of all oil is transported on tankers. They are considered fairly safe. That they are not "bomb-proof" shows one of the latest accidents of a tanker stranded and broken apart: Oil Spill in South Atlantic Threatens Endangered Penguins
This accident happened 1700 km off the South African coast near a group of isolated islands that are home to a rare species of penguins. The penguins can't be removed for treatment due to fears that they might pick up diseases that their bodies can't deal with because they have never had exposure to the virus/ bacteria. The islands are pretty inaccessible too, which does not help rescue operations but has obviously protected the penguins fairly well so far. Estimates say that 10% of the 200,000-penguin population are already covered with oil! --- Back at the Western Coast of Canada, the Queen Charlotte Sound is a maze of beautiful islands, has lots of rugged coast as well as rough weather. Would you believe there will never be a tanker accident there?
You might wonder now how the oil should be transported since I agree trucks, trains and air planes don't seem safer and the first two can't cross water. Don't do it. There is no such devastating risks in the transportation of energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, biomass, or geothermal. Probably pipes were safer if they were kept in better shape and leaks avoided by tougher pipeline checks but the oh so irresponsible oil corporations will not take appropriate steps unless they are forced to and monitored. Would you expect this from a government that is strongly in favour of the oil industry?
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