Province gives Husky 30-day extension to explain pipeline spill
[ http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/p ... story.html ]
Alex MacPherson, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, October 22, 2016
Oily water floats through James Smith Cree Nation lands on Friday, August 25, 2016, in this handout photo. A First Nation in northern Saskatchewan says oil from the Husky Energy pipeline leak has shown up in the spawning grounds of an endangered species.Officials from James Smith Cree Nation say an oil plume and foam was discovered in the Saskatchewan River where lake sturgeon spawn. (Photo) Bryan Eneas / Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The provincial government took Husky Energy Inc. at its word when the Calgary-based company said it needed more time to explain what caused one of its pipelines to fail east of Maidstone this summer.
Husky was granted a 30-day extension after it told the government late Wednesday that two technical reports — one metallurgic, one geotechnical — being prepared by third-party engineering firms were not finished.
“Our understanding is simply that the reports are not completed,” Doug MacKnight, assistant deputy minister of the Ministry of the Economy’s petroleum and natural gas division, told reporters on a conference call Friday.
MacKnight said he didn’t know which engineering firms Husky contracted to prepare the reports, which will form part of its explanation of what caused about 225,000 litres of heavy crude to spill near and into the North Saskatchewan River on July 20.
Husky spokesman Mel Duvall refused to identify the companies, but said in an email Friday afternoon that the “original scope of work” was finished, and that additional questions and analyses led to the delay.
“We have asked for the extension to allow the reports from the specialists involved in the investigation to be completed,” Duvall said in the email. “We believe it is important that the report be thorough and comprehensive in its findings.”
Husky is required under provincial law to submit a “detailed incident report” within 90 days of its initial report, which was filed on July 26 and later amended to say the spill was detected on July 21 rather than July 20.
Duvall said earlier this week that the company expected to file its final report “around Oct. 21.” [ http://thestarphoenix.com/business/ener ... -this-week ] A spokesman for the Ministry of the Economy, which regulates the province’s pipelines, said it would contain information about the cause and timeline of the spill.
The single-page document Husky submitted Friday states about 225,000 litres of crude escaped from a 406.4 millimetre pipeline, and that the land area of the spill was 41,500 square metres. It is silent on what caused the incident.
“It’s not common (for a company to request an extension) but then again this is an uncommon incident,” MacKnight said, adding that while Husky could ask for another extension, the government doesn’t expect that to happen.
MORE:
[ http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/p ... story.html ]
HUSKY OIL SPILL - Maidstone, SK
50 posts
• Page 4 of 4 • 1, 2, 3, 4
Re: HUSKY OIL SPILL - Maidstone, SK
by Oscar » Fri Oct 28, 2016 4:22 pm
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Re: HUSKY OIL SPILL - Maidstone, SK
by Oscar » Wed Nov 09, 2016 11:02 am
The Council supports call for probe into Husky oil spill in North Saskatchewan River
[ http://canadians.org/blog/council-suppo ... ewan-river ]
November 7, 2016 – 11:32 am
The Council of Canadians supports the call for an independent probe into the Husky oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River.
In the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, our friend and ally Don Kossick writes, "Husky Energy was supposed to file a major and conclusive report on the disastrous oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River to the provincial government. Instead, it filed a one pager and asked the government for an extension later into November. This request was granted."
Kossick says, "This raises a series of questions. Why, with the time elapsed since the spill this last summer, has Husky not been able to analyze what happened and the destruction caused by the oil in the river system? What is the role of government in letting Husky take the time it wants to file a report?"
He highlights, "Both Husky Energy and the Brad Wall government need to be examined in what they did and did not do to stop and mitigate this disaster. Both are culpable in what happened. This underlines the need for an independent assessment of what took place."
The Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network has called for an independent inquiry and an independent audit of the costs — both now and in the future.
As Kossick points out, "An independent water study supported by civil society groups has already raised serious concerns about Husky’s 14-hour delay in reacting to the spill, and about the harmful impact of the released chemicals on communities, animals and amphibian life along the river."
The Council of Canadians joined with allies to commission a scientific investigation by E-Tech International into the July 20 Husky oil spill. Their report was based on the results of nine composite sediment samples collected on August 16-17. E-Tech hydrogeologist Ricardo Segovia has warned, "[The spill] is going to cause long-term problems. You can’t go back to the way things were before … because there’s that chance that (contaminants) can be stirred up from the sediments, you have to be constantly monitoring those water intakes for the next several years at least."
The Husky oil spill compromised the drinking water supply for more than 70,600 people - in North Battleford, Prince Albert, Melfort, and the Muskoday First Nation. The three cities had to shut off their water plant intakes and secure alternate sources of drinking water, while the Muskoday First Nation had to truck in its water.
This serves as a warning of the potential impacts of the 890,000 barrel per day Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline (which would cross 1,309 watercourses) and the 1.1 million barrel per day TransCanada Energy East pipeline (which would cross 2,900 waterways).
As Kossick notes in the Star-Phoenix, "Oil and water do not mix. We as citizens have to be vigilant about protecting the water that gives us life."
For more on the Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network, please click here:
[ https://www.facebook.com/groups/kisiskatchewan/ ]
Brent Patterson's blog,
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
[ http://canadians.org/blog/council-suppo ... ewan-river ]
November 7, 2016 – 11:32 am
The Council of Canadians supports the call for an independent probe into the Husky oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River.
In the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, our friend and ally Don Kossick writes, "Husky Energy was supposed to file a major and conclusive report on the disastrous oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River to the provincial government. Instead, it filed a one pager and asked the government for an extension later into November. This request was granted."
Kossick says, "This raises a series of questions. Why, with the time elapsed since the spill this last summer, has Husky not been able to analyze what happened and the destruction caused by the oil in the river system? What is the role of government in letting Husky take the time it wants to file a report?"
He highlights, "Both Husky Energy and the Brad Wall government need to be examined in what they did and did not do to stop and mitigate this disaster. Both are culpable in what happened. This underlines the need for an independent assessment of what took place."
The Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network has called for an independent inquiry and an independent audit of the costs — both now and in the future.
As Kossick points out, "An independent water study supported by civil society groups has already raised serious concerns about Husky’s 14-hour delay in reacting to the spill, and about the harmful impact of the released chemicals on communities, animals and amphibian life along the river."
The Council of Canadians joined with allies to commission a scientific investigation by E-Tech International into the July 20 Husky oil spill. Their report was based on the results of nine composite sediment samples collected on August 16-17. E-Tech hydrogeologist Ricardo Segovia has warned, "[The spill] is going to cause long-term problems. You can’t go back to the way things were before … because there’s that chance that (contaminants) can be stirred up from the sediments, you have to be constantly monitoring those water intakes for the next several years at least."
The Husky oil spill compromised the drinking water supply for more than 70,600 people - in North Battleford, Prince Albert, Melfort, and the Muskoday First Nation. The three cities had to shut off their water plant intakes and secure alternate sources of drinking water, while the Muskoday First Nation had to truck in its water.
This serves as a warning of the potential impacts of the 890,000 barrel per day Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline (which would cross 1,309 watercourses) and the 1.1 million barrel per day TransCanada Energy East pipeline (which would cross 2,900 waterways).
As Kossick notes in the Star-Phoenix, "Oil and water do not mix. We as citizens have to be vigilant about protecting the water that gives us life."
For more on the Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network, please click here:
[ https://www.facebook.com/groups/kisiskatchewan/ ]
Brent Patterson's blog,
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9965
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
Re: HUSKY OIL SPILL - Maidstone, SK
by Oscar » Fri Nov 18, 2016 11:43 am
Husky Energy says ground movement to blame for pipeline spill that contaminated drinking water of thousands
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... king-water ]
By Elizabeth McSheffrey & The Canadian Press in News, Energy | November 17th 2016
Crews run tests and examine the site of a July 21 Husky pipeline leak that spilled more than 200,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River. Photo courtesy of Chief Wayne Semaganis.
Husky Energy says ground movement is the reason a section of its pipeline burst in late July, leaking more than 220,000 litres of crude oil into the North Saskatchewan River and jeopardizing the drinking water of thousands downstream.
The company said a detailed report into the incident showed the sudden break was caused by "geotechnical activity" that forced a section of the pipe to buckle.
The pipeline leaked an estimated 225,000 litres of heavy oil and condensate and affected an area of about 41,500 square metres, with about 40 per cent of the spill liquid flowing into the river.
The incident forced the Saskatchewan cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort to shut off their water intakes from the river and find other water sources for almost two months. First Nations along the river were left scrambling as well, and one even had to crowd fund in order to recoup spill cleanup costs.
Husky said it has spent about $90 million responding to the spill and wrapped up shoreline clean−up efforts in October after recovering about 210,000 litres of what spilled. Provincial regulators continue with their own investigation into the incident and will file a separate report.
MORE:
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... king-water ]
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... king-water ]
By Elizabeth McSheffrey & The Canadian Press in News, Energy | November 17th 2016
Crews run tests and examine the site of a July 21 Husky pipeline leak that spilled more than 200,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River. Photo courtesy of Chief Wayne Semaganis.
Husky Energy says ground movement is the reason a section of its pipeline burst in late July, leaking more than 220,000 litres of crude oil into the North Saskatchewan River and jeopardizing the drinking water of thousands downstream.
The company said a detailed report into the incident showed the sudden break was caused by "geotechnical activity" that forced a section of the pipe to buckle.
The pipeline leaked an estimated 225,000 litres of heavy oil and condensate and affected an area of about 41,500 square metres, with about 40 per cent of the spill liquid flowing into the river.
The incident forced the Saskatchewan cities of North Battleford, Prince Albert and Melfort to shut off their water intakes from the river and find other water sources for almost two months. First Nations along the river were left scrambling as well, and one even had to crowd fund in order to recoup spill cleanup costs.
Husky said it has spent about $90 million responding to the spill and wrapped up shoreline clean−up efforts in October after recovering about 210,000 litres of what spilled. Provincial regulators continue with their own investigation into the incident and will file a separate report.
MORE:
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... king-water ]
- Oscar
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Re: HUSKY OIL SPILL - Maidstone, SK
by Oscar » Wed Nov 23, 2016 12:02 pm
New photos show Husky likely could have prevented oil spill, say experts
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... ay-experts ]
By Elizabeth McSheffrey November 22, 2016
After nearly four months of clean up and expert analysis, a major Canadian oil company has announced the cause of a catastrophic pipeline leak that spilled [ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/08 ... -oil-spill ] more than 220,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River earlier this year.
"Ground movement" is to blame for the disaster, said Husky Energy, whose 19-year-old pipeline leaked early on July 21 near Maidstone, Sask., contaminating the drinking water source of 70,000 people and killing more than 60 birds, fish, and small mammals.
But a collection of images obtained by National Observer and reviewed by pipeline engineering experts at the request of the National Observer, challenges whether the Calgary-based company provided correct information in reports [ http://publications.gov.sk.ca/deplist.cfm?d=310&c=5005 ] submitted last Thursday to the Saskatchewan government regulator. The experts who provided assessments, based in part on photos taken by First Nations officials, were also skeptical about whether the company and regulator accurately reported how much oil actually leaked, what caused the spill, and whether it could have been prevented with better planning, maintenance and oversight of the leaky pipeline.
And with many critics casting doubts [ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... e31585612/ ] about whether the Saskatchewan government is on top of the situation, a group of First Nations in the central part of the prairie province have taken spill response — and holding Husky accountable for the incident — into their own hands. They are concerned that the oil slick has compromised valuable cultural and economic resources, and they captured the photos of the pipeline spill that they believe have confirmed their fears.
Husky Energy has declined to comment on this story, and has not responded to National Observer’s questions and emails since August.
"I have nothing to say," Don Lemna, manager of regulatory affairs for Husky Energy said over the phone after repeated attempts to reach him via email failed.
MORE:
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... ay-experts ]
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... ay-experts ]
By Elizabeth McSheffrey November 22, 2016
After nearly four months of clean up and expert analysis, a major Canadian oil company has announced the cause of a catastrophic pipeline leak that spilled [ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/08 ... -oil-spill ] more than 220,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River earlier this year.
"Ground movement" is to blame for the disaster, said Husky Energy, whose 19-year-old pipeline leaked early on July 21 near Maidstone, Sask., contaminating the drinking water source of 70,000 people and killing more than 60 birds, fish, and small mammals.
But a collection of images obtained by National Observer and reviewed by pipeline engineering experts at the request of the National Observer, challenges whether the Calgary-based company provided correct information in reports [ http://publications.gov.sk.ca/deplist.cfm?d=310&c=5005 ] submitted last Thursday to the Saskatchewan government regulator. The experts who provided assessments, based in part on photos taken by First Nations officials, were also skeptical about whether the company and regulator accurately reported how much oil actually leaked, what caused the spill, and whether it could have been prevented with better planning, maintenance and oversight of the leaky pipeline.
And with many critics casting doubts [ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... e31585612/ ] about whether the Saskatchewan government is on top of the situation, a group of First Nations in the central part of the prairie province have taken spill response — and holding Husky accountable for the incident — into their own hands. They are concerned that the oil slick has compromised valuable cultural and economic resources, and they captured the photos of the pipeline spill that they believe have confirmed their fears.
Husky Energy has declined to comment on this story, and has not responded to National Observer’s questions and emails since August.
"I have nothing to say," Don Lemna, manager of regulatory affairs for Husky Energy said over the phone after repeated attempts to reach him via email failed.
MORE:
[ http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/11 ... ay-experts ]
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9965
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
Re: HUSKY OIL SPILL - Maidstone, SK
by Oscar » Thu Nov 24, 2016 3:34 pm
Saskatoon chapter supports call for inquiry into Husky oil spill in North Saskatchewan River
[ http://canadians.org/blog/saskatoon-cha ... ewan-river ]
November 24, 2016 - 4:09 pm
The Council of Canadians Saskatoon chapter supports the call for an independent inquiry into the Husky oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River.
On November 21, four months after the pipeline spill, Husky released a report that said ground movement, or "geotechnical activity", triggered by heavy rain and weak soil conditions had caused the rupture. Saskatchewan NDP environment critic Cathy Sproule says, "What I don’t see in this report is how (the spill) was handled — when it was found out, any delays that may have happened in the 14 hours between when an anomaly was detected and when the actual spill was reported."
The Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network has called for an independent inquiry into the incident.
Local activist Don Kossick has written, "An independent water study supported by civil society groups has already raised serious concerns about Husky’s 14-hour delay in reacting to the spill, and about the harmful impact of the released chemicals on communities, animals and amphibian life along the river. ...Both Husky Energy and the Brad Wall government need to be examined in what they did and did not do to stop and mitigate this disaster. Both are culpable in what happened. This underlines the need for an independent assessment of what took place."
The Council of Canadians joined with allies to commission a scientific investigation by E-Tech International into the July 20 Husky oil spill. Their report was based on the results of nine composite sediment samples collected on August 16-17. E-Tech hydrogeologist Ricardo Segovia has warned, "[The spill] is going to cause long-term problems. You can’t go back to the way things were before … because there’s that chance that (contaminants) can be stirred up from the sediments, you have to be constantly monitoring those water intakes for the next several years at least."
The Husky oil spill compromised the drinking water supply for more than 70,600 people - in North Battleford, Prince Albert, Melfort, and the Muskoday First Nation. The three cities had to shut off their water plant intakes and secure alternate sources of drinking water, while the Muskoday First Nation had to truck in its water. Earlier this week, CBC reported, "It's still not business as usual for cities downstream of Husky Energy's oil spill. Officials with the City of North Battleford said they continue to pipe water in from the neighbouring town of Battleford."
This serves as a warning of the potential impacts of the 890,000 barrel per day Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline (which would cross 1,309 watercourses) and the 1.1 million barrel per day TransCanada Energy East pipeline (which would cross 2,900 waterways).
As Kossick notes, "Oil and water do not mix. We as citizens have to be vigilant about protecting the water that gives us life."
For more on the Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network, please click here:
[ https://www.facebook.com/groups/kisiskatchewan/ ]
Tags: chapters
[ http://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]
Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
[ http://canadians.org/blog/saskatoon-cha ... ewan-river ]
November 24, 2016 - 4:09 pm
The Council of Canadians Saskatoon chapter supports the call for an independent inquiry into the Husky oil spill in the North Saskatchewan River.
On November 21, four months after the pipeline spill, Husky released a report that said ground movement, or "geotechnical activity", triggered by heavy rain and weak soil conditions had caused the rupture. Saskatchewan NDP environment critic Cathy Sproule says, "What I don’t see in this report is how (the spill) was handled — when it was found out, any delays that may have happened in the 14 hours between when an anomaly was detected and when the actual spill was reported."
The Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network has called for an independent inquiry into the incident.
Local activist Don Kossick has written, "An independent water study supported by civil society groups has already raised serious concerns about Husky’s 14-hour delay in reacting to the spill, and about the harmful impact of the released chemicals on communities, animals and amphibian life along the river. ...Both Husky Energy and the Brad Wall government need to be examined in what they did and did not do to stop and mitigate this disaster. Both are culpable in what happened. This underlines the need for an independent assessment of what took place."
The Council of Canadians joined with allies to commission a scientific investigation by E-Tech International into the July 20 Husky oil spill. Their report was based on the results of nine composite sediment samples collected on August 16-17. E-Tech hydrogeologist Ricardo Segovia has warned, "[The spill] is going to cause long-term problems. You can’t go back to the way things were before … because there’s that chance that (contaminants) can be stirred up from the sediments, you have to be constantly monitoring those water intakes for the next several years at least."
The Husky oil spill compromised the drinking water supply for more than 70,600 people - in North Battleford, Prince Albert, Melfort, and the Muskoday First Nation. The three cities had to shut off their water plant intakes and secure alternate sources of drinking water, while the Muskoday First Nation had to truck in its water. Earlier this week, CBC reported, "It's still not business as usual for cities downstream of Husky Energy's oil spill. Officials with the City of North Battleford said they continue to pipe water in from the neighbouring town of Battleford."
This serves as a warning of the potential impacts of the 890,000 barrel per day Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline (which would cross 1,309 watercourses) and the 1.1 million barrel per day TransCanada Energy East pipeline (which would cross 2,900 waterways).
As Kossick notes, "Oil and water do not mix. We as citizens have to be vigilant about protecting the water that gives us life."
For more on the Ksiskatchewan Water Alliance Network, please click here:
[ https://www.facebook.com/groups/kisiskatchewan/ ]
Tags: chapters
[ http://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]
Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ http://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 9965
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
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