On a Wednesday a week before this last Christmas, the energy transport company responsible for the largest and most costly inland oil spill in US history gave Canada an early present with a 57,000 gallon spill.
The energy delivery company, Enbridge, was forced to close one of its pipelines into Wisconsin after 1,350 barrels of oil spilled at the terminal. A company statement said, “There are no impacts to the public, wildlife or waterways. Nearby residents and businesses may detect a faint odour.” It seems to be no big deal compared to their really big one, 800,000 gallons of thick Canadian tar sands crude into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan. Tar sands are thick and heavy. They require dilution with dangerous chemicals like benzene before they can be forced through pipes under pressure. When the thick bitumen like oil spills it won’t float. It eventually sinks to the bottom of waterways making the mess especially difficult to clean up. The estimate from Enbridge for the Michigan clean-up without reimbursing impacted homeowners and residents comes in at about $1.2 billion.
The energy delivery giant’s statement continued with, “We are committed to the goal of reaching zero spills and will thoroughly investigate the incident for lessons learned.” You bet. Remember the oil spill track record when you consider Keystone or any other pipelines... rail delivery, tanker ships, oil platforms and well sites. Time to transition off the old fossils.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/18/3605276/enbridge-oil-spill-canada/