August 19th, 2014
(Fredericton, NB) Lois Corbett, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, released the following statement in response to the report from the Council of Canadians on the Energy East Pipeline proposal and significant water crossings:
“We were very happy to collaborate on this excellent research report about the potential risk of oil spills to water in New Brunswick.”
“The company wants to cross a lot of rivers and streams on its way to the export market,” said Corbett. “This report documents the risk to our cherished fishing rivers, our summer vacation lakes and the Bay of Fundy.”
TransCanada’s pre-application to the National Energy Board lays out the potential route of the Energy East pipeline across important water bodies in the province, including the Saint John, Miramichi,Tobique, Salmon and Madawaska Rivers, Coal Creek, which drains into Grand Lake, and the Bay of Fundy.
Key findings include:
- The threat of a dilbit (diluted bitumen) spill is pronounced in the case of the crude leaking directly into a waterway from a pipeline crossing. Dilbit can seep into groundwater, contaminating aquifers and flowing into streams, rivers and lake;
- More than 1 million litres of oil could contaminate water in 10 minutes during a spill;
- Recent studies by federal government scientists have said that in cold salt water, a spill of bitumen would be particularly devastating as it has been shown to sink and form tar balls in marine conditions like the Bay of Fundy; and,
- Municipalities and provincial governments along the pipeline path should commission independent scientific analysis to best evaluate the threat of a dilbit spill in their area.
Contacts: Lois Corbett, Executive Director (506) 458 8747
Matt Abbott, Fundy Baykeeper, (506) 529 8838
Andrea Harden, Council of Canadians, (613) 233 4487 x 240
The report and map are available at: http://www.canadians.org/energyeast-waterways