Americas News
Canada Projects Up Oil Spill Risk: Study
Three planned projects off Canada's West Coast greatly increase the risk of oil spills, the Vancouver Sun reports, citing a new U.S. study.
The study, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found the potential for spills in the Haro Strait-Boundary Pass would increase by 4.75 times if the projects add the anticipated new traffic of 1,250 large ships per year.
The projects, Kinder Morgan's $5.4 billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, Deltaport's $2 billion container expansion, and the $640 million Gateway Pacific Terminal, would multiply the risk of spills from hundreds of barrels of oil per year to more than 1,000 barrels.
The results of the study, initiated by the EPA to determine risks in waters along the Canadian and U.S. coast, are expected to be finalised this month and will be followed by recommendations for mitigation strategies such as slowing ships' speed and adding rescue and escort tugs.
"That will allow ongoing collaborative efforts to make timely and well-informed traffic management decisions heading into the future," said Todd Hass, an official with Puget Sound Partnership who co-chaired the study's advisory group.
A Canadian government panel late last year called for unlimited liability for companies involved in oil spills.
