The government of Alberta is cracking down on pipeline safety following several pipeline incidents that have spilled crude oil into the environment.
The Energy Resources Conservation Board will be working with an independent third party to find out how to make pipelines safer in the province.
The third party has not yet been determined.
The team will work on how pipeline integrity is managed, how safety of pipelines crossing waterways is secured, and how responses to pipeline incidents are handled.
“As leaders in energy production and regulation, our pipeline integrity standards must be among the best in the world. If changes are needed, Albertans can rest assured that we will make them,” said Energy Minister Ken Hughes. “The energy industry is the economic lifeblood of our province, and at the same time we want to ensure that Albertans have clean water, clean land and clean air. Today we are taking significant steps to ensure this will be the case for decades to come.”
Alberta has almost 400,000 kilometers of provincially-regulated pipeline.
The number of incidents has been steadily declining, from 885 in 2007 to 641 in 2011.
All incidents, ranging from contact with a pipeline that does not cause a release to a spill, must be reported to the ERCB.
