Yet another oil spill in Alberta. That’s three in the last six weeks and a fourth just over a year ago. That is irresponsible. The many Enbrige pipeline commercials are getting as hypocritical as the HST commercials. I used to think opposing the pipeline was opposing progress and economic prosperity. Now, the pipeline is just irresponsible. They need more shut off values to stop leaks when they happen. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was the largest in history. These economic disasters are getting bigger and bigger. We’ve supposed to reduce them with more technology. Now greed prevents us from doing so.
The latest spill occurred earlier this week in northeastern Alberta near the town of Elk Point, where Enbridge confirmed a spill of about 230,000 litres through its pumping station on the Athabasca pipeline.
The biggest incident was earlier this month near Red Deer and Sundre in central Alberta, where 475,000 litres of oil from Plains Midstream Canada leaked, some of it spilling into the Red Deer River. In May, a Pace Energy Oil and Gas oil leak near Rainbow Lake in the northwest of the province spilled about 5,000 barrels.
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Wtf does this have to do with gangsters?
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with the gang war. Yet there are gangsters in politics and the big oil companies are some of the biggest gangsters out there. Destroying the environment like that is criminal. It's about having a social conscience.
ReplyDeleteWhile no spill is good, we should maintain perspective; 230,000 liters = 230 cubic meters. One semi-truck hauls 65 m3, while one rail car holds 85 m3.
ReplyDeleteSo this latest spill equals 4 semi or 3 rail car loads... Not that big a deal.
All the recent Alberta spills have been extremely minor compared to Valdez (41,000 - 119,000 m3) or Deepwater Horizon (780,000 m3).
We do need to keep it in perspective. That was the smallest of the four spills. One of the spills went right into the Red Deer river and contaminated an entire lake where recreational property has now become worthless.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure you wouldn't be saying that if it was your property that was effected. Plead ignorance as long as it's not in your own backyard... the Alberta way.
ReplyDeleteAlbertans have sold their soul to the devil (big oil). And now we are just starting to pay the price. I know far too many people who have been negatively affected now a days. It's every where.
My friends father in-law now has an explosive water well.
Our own water well (which was good for 15 years) suddenly had bacteria counts that couldn't be kept under control... 3 months after they drilled by us. Not to mention the smell.
That's nothing compared to what Dow Chemicals is doing up by Fort Saskatchewan. They are pumping their waste into the ground. The size of the drill bits used in drilling those holes are huge.
And all of this... is not even a drop in the hat compared to what is happening up in Fort McMurray.
And no... I am not a patch hating person... I am one of the few who can say that both my grandfather and my father were in the oil patch. It's the only life I've ever known... but I can say I hate what the drive for money has done to our province.
Thanks for the insight. I think all of us want economic prosperity. We just want to be responsible about it. It's like the huge amount of pollution pulp and paper mills make in BC. We all need paper but somehow we need to curb our greed and take responsibility for destroying the environment. Sustainability isn't just for tree hugging hippies. It's for everyone who cares about the next generation and is willing to take responsibility for their own actions.
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