Pipeline opponents are lining up again in B.C., but their case is off-point and exaggerates pipeline risks.
The last several weeks have seen new, if somewhat contradictory, developments on the Trans Mountain pipeline file.
Kinder Morgan received approval last year to twin the existing Trans Mountain pipeline, which runs from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C. The approval was immediately supported by Alberta premier Rachel Notley and prime minister Trudeau.
But attitudes have hardened in British Columbia. In a July 18 letter to George Heyman, B.C.鈥檚 new Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, just-elected B.C. premier John Horgan instructed him to 鈥渆mploy every tool available to defend B.C.鈥檚 interests in the face of the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, and the threat of a seven-fold increase in tanker traffic on our coast.鈥�
B.C.鈥檚 attorney general clarified somewhat, pointing out that the province faces lawsuits if it delays the pipeline by stalling on permits. But he said the province can 鈥渆nsure that permits require that construction be done in a way that minimizes spills, protects the environment and ensures appropriate cleanup.鈥�
B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver wants the NDP government to 鈥渦se every legally available tool to stop the pipeline from going ahead.鈥� And Weaver鈥檚 party has leverage, since its three MLAs give the minority NDP government its voting majority in the legislature.
So it鈥檚 appropriate to review the question of pipeline and tanker safety.
A new study by the Fraser Institute provides context about the safety of transporting oil and gas. The study found that when moving a million barrels of oil, pipelines were 2.5 times less likely to have a release of product compared to rail transport.
And even then, most spills are small and don鈥檛 harm the environment. Seventy per cent of pipeline occurrences result in spills of less than one cubic metre of oil. Seventeen per cent of occurrences don鈥檛 release any oil. And only 17 per cent of occurrences take place in the actual line pipe - the vast majority happen in facilities where oil is handled. And those facilities often have secondary containment mechanisms and procedures.
But what about that seven-fold increase in tanker traffic off B.C.? Isn鈥檛 that risky? Surprisingly, despite the fact that oil transported by marine tankers has about doubled from 1975 to 2016, the number of spills declined by 98 per cent.
In fact, when comparing the amount of spills for marine tankers in the decades from 1970s to the 2010s, the number of spills between seven and 700 tonnes has dropped from 543 to 35 while the number of large spills in this period dropped from 245 to 12. And there has not been a major spill in Canadian waters since the mid-1990s.
One oil spill is too many, of course, and further work should be done to bring the number of leaks, spills and accidents down further.
But unlike the scary rhetoric of pipeline opponents, real-world data shows that oil can be moved safely, and less expensively, by pipeline. Rail will have its place and it, too, is very safe. But driving more oil to rail slightly increases the risk to people and the environment. The rail transport process also leads to more greenhouse gas emissions.
Pipeline opponents may have reasons for their opposition, such as trying to prevent oilsands development. But exaggerating risks to Canada鈥檚 environment runs afoul of Canada鈥檚 own data and experience with moving oil safely.
