Enbridge shuts oil pipeline in Saskatchewan after release - UPI.com

 

CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Canadian pipeline company Enbridge said it shut down a pipeline in Saskatchewan after more than 1,000 barrels of oil were spilled.

Enbridge closed its Line 4 pipeline after the release was discovered late Tuesday. The company said there were no environmental or public health concerns as the spill was limited to an on-site pumping station.

"Nearby residents and businesses may detect a faint odor," the company said in a statement Wednesday. "Air monitoring is being conducted and levels are well within safety limits."

Enbridge Line 4 carries an average 796,000 barrels of oil sourced from Alberta to a terminal point in Wisconsin. The company said it notified its clients of the pipeline's closure, but had no estimate for a return-to-service date.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said Tuesday a "pinhole" leak was discovered on the company's pipeline network in the state's Upper Peninsula. There was no resultant contamination, though the discovery sparked regional concerns about pipeline integrity.

Schuette is a member of a pipeline monitoring task force in the state, which he said continues its "exhaustive review of the safety of petroleum pipelines in Michigan, and to implement every possible safety precaution to protect the ecology and the economy of the Great Lakes."

An Enbridge spill from its Line 6b in southern Michigan in 2010 was the largest inland spill of its kind. A new Enbridge pipeline through Minnesota, Sandpiper, is slated to carry oil from the Bakken reserve area in North Dakota in 2017, a year later than expected.

Sandpiper would ship up to 225,000 bpd through Minnesota. It would then transfer oil to other pipelines for delivery to the U.S. and Canadian refinery markets.

Minnesota regulators in September called on Enbridge to study the environmental issues surrounding six alternative routes through the state proposed by outside groups.

Enbridge said it was undergoing a thorough investigation into the release from Line 4.

"We are committed to the goal of reaching zero spills and will thoroughly investigate the incident for lessons learned," the company

Enbridge shuts oil pipeline in Saskatchewan after release - UPI.com