U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday that it won't grant an easement for the Dako

[Cebu_4_2]

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Army Corps blocks route of Dakota Access oil pipeline

Posted: Sunday, December 4, 2016 5:01 PM EST Updated: Sunday, December 4, 2016 5:01 PM EST
http://images.worldnow.com/AP/images/12600936_G.jpg (AP Photo/David Goldman). Law enforcement vehicles line a road leading to a blocked bridge next to the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.
http://images.worldnow.com/AP/images/12600937_G.jpg (AP Photo/David Goldman). A child climbs a snowy hill near the Oceti Sakowin camp where demonstrators have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.
http://images.worldnow.com/AP/images/12600938_G.jpg (AP Photo/David Goldman). A line of the cars wait to enter the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.
http://images.worldnow.com/AP/images/12600939_G.jpg (AP Photo/David Goldman). Benji Buffalo, a Grovan Native American from Montana, shovels snow outside his tent at the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.
http://images.worldnow.com/AP/images/12600940_G.jpg (AP Photo/David Goldman). A Native American tribal flag stands atop a hill overlooking the Oceti Sakowin camp where people have gathered to protest the Dakota Access oil pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016.


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By JAMES MacPHERSON

Associated Press CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Sunday that it won't grant an easement for the Dakota Access oil pipeline in southern North Dakota.

The decision is a victory for the several thousand camped near the construction site, who've said for months that the four-state, $3.8 billion project would threaten a water source and cultural sites.

The pipeline is largely complete except for the now-blocked segment underneath Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir. According to a news release, Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy said her decision was based on the need to "explore alternate routes" for the pipeline's crossing.

"Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with the Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it's clear that there's more work to do," Darcy said. "The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing."

The company constructing the pipeline, Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, had said it was unwilling to reroute the project. It and the Morton County Sheriff's Office, which has done much of the policing of the protests, didn't have immediate comment.

U.S. Secretary for the Interior Sally Jewell said in a statement that the Corps' "thoughtful approach ... ensures that there will be an in-depth evaluation of alternative routes for the pipeline and a closer look at potential impacts" and "underscores that tribal rights reserved in treaties and federal law, as well as Nation-to-Nation consultation with tribal leaders, are essential components of the analysis to be undertaken in the environmental impact statement going forward."

The federal government has ordered people to leave the main encampment, which is on Army Corps of Engineers' land, by Monday. But demonstrators say they're prepared to stay, and authorities say they won't forcibly remove them.

Earlier Sunday, an organizer with Veterans Stand for Standing Rock said tribal elders had asked the military veterans not to have confrontations with law enforcement officials, adding the group is there to help out those who've dug in against the project.

About 250 veterans gathered about a mile from the Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires, camp in southern North Dakota for a meeting with organizer Wes Clark Jr., the son of former Democratic presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark. The group had said about 2,000 veterans were coming, but it wasn't clear how many actually arrived.

"We have been asked by the elders not to do direct action," Wes Clark Jr. said. He then talked about North Dakota authorities' decision to move away from a key bridge north of the encampment by 4 p.m. Sunday if demonstrators agree to certain conditions, saying the National Guard and law enforcement have armored vehicles and are armed.

"If we come forward, they will attack us," Clark said. Instead, he told the veterans, "If you see someone who needs help, help them out."
Authorities said they'll move from the north end of the Backwater Bridge if protesters stay south of it and come to the bridge only if there is a prearranged meeting. Authorities also asked protesters not to remove barriers on the bridge, which they have said was damaged in the late October conflict that led to several people being hurt, including a serious arm injury.

"The question was asked if we would consider pulling back from the Backwater Bridge," Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney said in a Saturday news release after a conversation between law enforcement and the group's organizers, "and the answer is yes! We want this to de-escalate."

Protesters also are not supposed to walk, ride or fly drones north of the bridge, Laney said. Any violation will "will result in their arrest," the statement said.

The bridge blockade is something that Standing Rock Sioux tribal chairman Dave Archambault has been asking to be removed, the Bismarck Tribune reports , and something he said he would to talk to Gov. Jack Dalrymple about when they meet in person. A date for that meeting hasn't been set.

Veterans Stand for Standing Rock's GoFundMe.com page had raised more than $1 million of its $1.2 million goal by Sunday - money due to go toward food, transportation and supplies. Cars waiting to get into the camp Sunday afternoon were backed up for more than a half-mile.

"People are fighting for something, and I thought they could use my help," said Navy veteran and Harvard graduate student Art Grayson. The 29-year-old from Cambridge, Massachusetts, flew the first leg of the journey, then rode from Bismarck in the back of a pickup truck. He has finals this week, but told professors, "I'll see you when I get back."

Steven Perry, a 66-year-old Vietnam veteran who's a member of the Little Traverse Bay band of Odawa Indians in Michigan, spoke of one of the protesters' main concerns: that the pipeline could pollute drinking water. "This is not just a native issue," he said, "This is an issue for everyone."

Art Woodson and two other veterans drove 17 hours straight from Flint, Michigan, a city whose lead-tainted water crisis parallels with the tribe's fight over water, he said.

"We know in Flint that water is in dire need," the 49-year-old disabled Gulf War Army veteran said. "In North Dakota, they're trying to force pipes on people. We're trying to get pipes in Flint for safe water."

On Monday, some veterans will take part in a prayer ceremony in which they'll apologize for historical detrimental conduct by the military toward Native Americans and ask for forgiveness, Clark said. He also called the veterans' presence "about right and wrong and peace and love."

[crimethink]

This decision will be in effect for about six weeks more. Construction can resume on January 21st.

If there is a viable alternative route to the south, I sympathize with those who actually live there, but celebrations are deluded over this decree by the current leadership at USACE.

[Tumbleweed]

A video here with arial photos of the encampment and commentary.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3242mwxtRuw

[Tumbleweed]

Another video with an interview of a veteran from the Cheyenne tribe. I've been to powwows in years past where the indians honor their veterans. It gives some insight in to what the indians are thinking and what they hope to accomplish.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOY66tUvp7o

[crimethink]

It gives some insight in to what the indians are thinking and what they hope to accomplish.

If I wasn't so busy with everything, I'd do some proper research on the terrain and geology of the proposed route, and figure out why they simply haven't moved it south. I sympathize with their concerns, and am curious if there is a reasonable compromise (not "never build it").

[Glass]

The pipe line appears to be crossing the Missouri river just north of it's widest point and just about where the Sioux native reservation starts. It is a couple hundred (?) miles south of Bismark. It is an underwater pipeline and if any leaks occur pollution will be directly into the widest part of the river. This part of the river is mainly used as a reservoir. It's also clearly supporting the indian nation plus anyone else down stream.

the pipe line runs directly south east as the crow flies. Map here: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Bakken_map_osm_basemap.png
North west Dakota, directly across the north east corner of South Dakota, diagonally across the breadth of Iowa and into South Central Illinois.

[Tumbleweed]

I've done a little looking for information on the safety of these pipelines and I need to do more. Below is an article on pipelines they already operate in the region and information on spills they've had.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05042016/keystone-pipeline-leak-doubts-pipeline-safety-transcanada




A leak in South Dakota of the Keystone 1 pipeline has raised more concerns about safety. Credit: Reuters


Update: On Thursday, April 7, TransCanada said it had found an estimated 16,800 gallons of oil in the Keystone I pipeline right of way. That figure is 90 times higher than the company's original estimate of 187 gallons. Company spokesperson Mark Cooper said in a written statement that the oil came from a "small leak" in the pipeline. The line has been shut down since Saturday.



An oil spill that surfaced in South Dakota over the weekend prompted Canadian pipeline company TransCanada to shut down its Keystone I pipeline, a predecessor to the controversial Keystone XL project.
TransCanada had still not confirmed the leak as of Tuesday, calling it a "potential incident." According to Chris Nelson, chairman of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, the leak was first reported by a passerby. TransCanada reported to the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday that 187 gallons of oil had leaked, Nelson said. The line is expected to remain closed all week.



The leak is the most recent of dozens reported since the pipeline, which moves about 500,000 gallons of oil per day from the tar sands of Alberta to refineries in the U.S., was commissioned in 2010.
According to Nelson, the leak was not revealed by the company's own leak detection systems. Environmentalists familiar with pipeline leaks said the equipment's failure to detect it is cause for concern.
"It's another piece of evidence in the inherent risk of some of these systems and our oil transportation infrastructure," said Anthony Swift, the Canada program director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Contrary to industry talking points, the reality is pipeline systems do fail."
Keystone I was commissioned in 2010 with a number of advanced leak detection technologies. In its first year, the pipeline leaked 35 times in the U.S. (https://www.nrdc.org/experts/anthony-swift/transcanadas-record-presents-strong-case-rejecting-keystone-xl-tar-sands) and Canada (http://www.canada.com/business/Feds+recorded+pipeline+spills+accidents+last+years/5053005/story.html). Most were minor leaks; one was major spilling more than 21,000 gallons of oil in North Dakota.



This leak comes as TransCanada seeks to build the Energy East Pipeline, which would carry 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day 2,800 miles from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in eastern Canada.
"Just last month hearings began in the province of Quebec on TransCanada's proposed Energy East Pipeline and TransCanada was making a lot of very big claims about how in near minutes they would detect any leak and be able to shut down the pipeline in event of a spill," said Keith Stewart, who leads the energy campaign for Greenpeace Canada.
TransCanada states on its website that its Energy East Pipeline would employ leak detection technology that "can detect events immediately" (http://www.energyeastpipeline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Energy-East-Pipeline-Leak-Prevention-And-Detection.pdf) allowing "the line to be shut down and valves surrounding the area to be closed within minutes, limiting the impact of a potential spill."
"Given that the Keystone Pipeline is less than a decade old it doesn't give us a lot of confidence in their claims of how good the technology is to detect spills and thus minimize them," Stewart said.


An investigation of 10 years of federal leak data by InsideClimate News in 2012 (http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120919/few-oil-pipeline-spills-detected-much-touted-technology)found leak detection systems used by pipeline companies detected only 5 percent of pipeline spills in the U.S.
Leak detection experts said the current leak is likely too small to easily detect.
"I know the public would love to have a leak detection system that is 100 percent reliable but it's an extremely difficult challenge," said Richard Kuprewicz, president of Accufacts, Inc., a consulting firm that provides expertise on pipelines to government agencies and industry. Kuprewicz has worked with TransCanada in the past, but is not currently.
Kuprewicz said companies typically rely on a combination of sensors inside pipelines that measure temperature, pressure, flow rates and other hydraulic data as well as external sensors that can detect fluid outside the pipeline. Internal sensors are unlikely to detect small leaks and external sensors are prohibitively expensive to use everywhere along a pipeline's path, Kuprewicz said.



The spill was most likely tar sands crude, also known as diluted bitumen, Swift said.
"Keystone I transports almost exclusively diluted bitumen," he said. "While we don't know the classification of the oil spilled, it was almost certainly tar sands."



Spills of diluted bitumen or "dilbit" are more difficult to clean up than conventional crude oil and pose a significant environmental and safety hazard. An Enbridge pipeline rupture in July 2010 (http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120626/dilbit-diluted-bitumen-enbridge-kalamazoo-river-marshall-michigan-oil-spill-6b-pipeline-epa) released more than a million gallons of dilbit, mostly in the Kalamazoo River. The massive spill displaced 150 families, forced a two-year closure of a section of the river (http://books.insideclimatenews.org/enbridgeanniversary) and cost pipeline operator Enbridge at least $1.2 billion to clean up.



A 2015 study by the National Academies of Science found dilbit behaves like conventional oil in the first few days following a spill but then quickly degrades into a substance so chemically and physically different that it defies standard spill responses (http://insideclimatenews.org/news/09122015/unique-hazards-tar-sands-oil-spills-dilbit-diluted-bitumen-confirmed-national-academies-of-science-kalamazoo-river-enbridge).



TransCanada did not respond to an InsideClimate News request about the type of oil in the pipeline at the time of the leak and Nelson, whose agency is not responsible for overseeing the cleanup, said he did not know.
"The lack of transparency when it comes to what is moving in these pipelines is a problem," Swift said. "Often spill responders don't know the characteristics of the crude oil that they are dealing with in a spill and not all crudes behaves the same way."

[Glass]

Leak detection = not enough oil coming out the other end = large pressure drop somewhere = back track check on pressure levels = rough idea the leak is somewhere in this segment near where pressure drops below pumping pressure = get in the truck and go look from here to here. ok Found it and it's a ship load.

Anything less than that is ignored and over time small amounts add up because they never get cleaned up.

So basically the pipeline is 100% guaranteed by design to pollute the environment. The only variables are: 1) by how much and 2) who cares.

I'm sure I saw a story this past week that said there had been something like 48 leaks in a year. Some big number. I'm looking for it now. Most likely on zerohedge or similar

[Tumbleweed]

This is an article that speaks to some of the concerns of both indians and whites that depend on the river for water. There are concerns in the area because it's prone to landslides. I've seen them myself in this region along the rivers.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09112016/dakota-access-pipeline-standing-rock-prone-oil-spills



The Dakota Access pipeline, being constructed near Cannon Ball, N.D., is prone to leaking in landslide-prone areas, says a pipeline safety expert. Credit: Reuters


A detailed analysis by a pipeline safety expert found the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers underestimated the potential for the Dakota Access pipeline (https://insideclimatenews.org/tags/dakota-access-pipeline) to spill oil into the Missouri River, and called the Corps' environmental assessment "seriously deficient."



The review, by a pipeline safety expert hired by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, called for a rerouting of the pipeline away from areas prone to landslides.
"The Environmental Assessment is incomplete," said Richard Kuprewicz, president of Accufacts, Inc., a consulting firm that advises government agencies and industry on pipeline safety and who conducted the review. "I don't agree with the finding of no significant impacts."



Kuprewicz was asked by the tribe to provide an outside review of the Army Corp's final environmental assessment, which had concluded the pipeline would have no significant impact on the environment where it crosses the Missouri river at Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota.



That assessment by the Army Corps, the federal agency with jurisdiction over the pipeline project, permitted Dakota Access LLC to proceed with both river crossings. The decision in July was seen as a key in green-lighting the 1,172-mile project that would carry roughly half a million barrels of crude oil per day from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota to a transfer station in Illinois. (The Environmental Protection Agency had previously urged the Army Corps to revise its environmental assessment (https://insideclimatenews.org/news/30082016/dakota-access-pipeline-standing-rock-sioux-army-corps-engineers-approval-environment) out of safety concerns.)



The Standing Rock tribe, whose reservation is a half-mile downstream from the river crossing at Lake Oahe, where the reservation draws its drinking water, opposes the current pipeline route. Thousands of mostly Native Americans have joined members of the Standing Rock tribe in protesting the pipeline, many calling for it to be shut down entirely.
On Sept 9, the Obama Administration said the Army Corps would withhold granting a final easement (https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09092016/energy-transfer-dakota-access-oil-pipeline-construction-standing-rock-sioux-tribes-obama-administration)for the Oahe river crossing and would conduct an internal review of its environmental assessment.



The election of Donald Trump as president could have a significant future impact on the project. He has not commented specifically about Dakota Access, but has expressed support for fossil fuel infrastructure projects. That includes Keystone XL, which President Obama rejected last year. Trump has said TransCanada should submit a new application for that pipeline when he takes office.



Kuprewicz's outside review concluded the Army Corps failed to properly evaluate the risk of oil spills where the pipeline crosses the Missouri River at Lake Oahe. He also faults the Army Corps for overstating the ability of leak detection technology to quickly identify oil spills and for underestimating the worst-case scenarios for major leaks.
Kuprewicz's concern about leaks is based on areas susceptible to landslides.
"If you have a pipeline routed in a landslide area, the only thing [you can do] there is to route it out of the landslide area," Kuprewicz said.



Army Corps spokesperson Moira Kelley said the Army Corps is reviewing Kuprewicz's report and exploring a range of options. President Obama said last week that the Army Corps was considering rerouting the pipeline.
Energy Transfer Partners, the parent company of Dakota Access LLC, defended the Army Corps' initial assessment, which was prepared by Dakota Access LLC and approved by the Army Corps.
"We are confident the USACE [US Army Corps of Engineers] has adequately addressed the portion of the project subject to their review," Energy Transfer Partners spokesperson Vicki Granado said in a statement (https://plus.google.com/u/1/116039479672183553478?prsrc=4), "They are the experts in this area and we believe they have done an excellent job addressing any comments received to date."



A key distinction may be whether the landslide prone area falls under the scope of the Army Corps' environmental assessment, which looked only at federal property, an area covering the Missouri River and immediately adjacent lands. Kuprewicz said that a landslide near the Missouri, but off federal property, could still cause oil to leak into the river and therefore should be subject to Army Corps review.



Recent court rulings, however, suggest the Army Corps does not need to assess the pipeline beyond federal property.
"The decisions by two separate federal courts show that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acted with great care and followed the law with respect to the river crossing permits issued to Dakota Access," Granado said.



Dakota Access is now mobilizing equipment to the drill under Lake Oahe and "remains confident" that it will receive the required easement for its proposed route "in a time frame that will not result in any significant delay in proceeding with drilling activities," the company said in a statement.



Mohammad Najafi, a pipeline construction safety expert at the University of Texas at Arlington, who did not take part in the Army Corps assessment or Kuprewicz's review, said a landslide falling on top of the pipeline would cause it to rupture and leak.
"The pipe is not designed for that load," Najafi said. "There will be a lot of weight on the pipe, that would cause the pipe to break, that's obvious."



Najafi said rerouting the pipeline away from landslide prone areas would be the best solution. He added, however, that increasing the wall thickness of the pipe or encasing it in concrete might suffice if rerouting the largely completed pipeline is prohibitively expensive.



Kuprewicz found fault with claims in the Army Corps' assessment that remote sensors could detect major leaks and the pipeline could be shut down within minutes.
"I've been in too many investigations now where they've claimed they are going to shut the line down in less than 10 minutes and it's [actually] 3 hours later," Kuprewicz said. "You are overstating the technical ability of the equipment to do its job."



Najafi agreed.
"They get a lot of false alarms with this type of equipment and the operators don't know which ones are right and which ones are wrong," he said. "By the time action can be taken, millions of gallons of oil can be spilled."
A number of groups including the Standing Rock tribe and the Interior Department have called on the Army Corps to prepare a more thorough environmental impact statement. Kuprewicz said the quality of the research is more important than the name.
"You can do an EIS [environmental impact statement] that takes longer, but if you don't do that adequately, that is just an illusion as well," he said.

[Glass]

I have not been able to find the story I thought I saw about how many leaks on that pipeline this year. Came across the same ones Tumbleweed has linked. There seems to have been 2 significant leaks this year close to or in the oil fields. In February and April. February might be 2015?

The feeling I get regardless is too many leaks and this pipeline is pumping bitumen which apparently has it's own unique nasty characteristics.

[cheka.]

only a matter of time. i suspect they lack only a few tie-ins to have the main run complete

[Tumbleweed]

This is an article about oil spills from pipelines that Enbridge operates. I believe they are the ones that are going to operate the Dakota access pipeline when it's built too. There are interesting comments that follow the article.


https://line9communities.com/history-of-enbridge-spills/





History of Enbridge Spills



Using data from Enbridge’s own reports, the Polaris Institute calculated that 804 spills occurred on Enbridge pipelines between 1999 and 2010. These spills released approximately 161,475 barrels (25,672.5 m3) of crude oil into the environment … Will YOUR Community Be Next?



2013 (July 1st) – Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issues a citation against Enbridge for contamination of North Ore Creek by an Enbridge pipeline maintenance activity.



2013 (June 23rd) – Cheecham, Alberta – Line 37 – Approx. 750 barrels (investigation ongoing). Line 37, constructed in 2006, a 17-kilometre-long, 12-inch diameter pipe links the Long Lake oil sands upgrader to the Cheecham terminal and is part of Enbridge’s Athabasca system.Unusually heavy rainfall in the region, that caused the 2013 Alberta floods, may have caused “ground movement on the right-of way that may have impacted the pipeline.”Enbridge’s Athabasca (Line 19) shares a portion of right of way with Line 37 and Enbridge’s Wood Buffalo/Waupisoo (Line 75/18) which also shares a portion of right of way with Line 37, a major part of the network that serves Alberta’s oil sands,were closed down as a precautionary measure. Operations between Hardisty and Cheecham were restored on June 23 when Enbridge’s Athabasca pipeline (Line 19) was restarted



2012 (November 20th) – Mokena, Illinois – 905 barrels.



2012 – Grand Marsh, Wisconsin – 1,200 barrels – pipeline installed in 1998. Cause: Flaws in the longitudinal welds had been seen during X-ray checks of girth welds.



2012 (Feb 15th) – Arenac County, Michigan – oil discovered in soil around an Enbridge oil pipeline.



2010 (September 9th) – Romeoville, Illinois – Line 6A – 7,500 barrels.



2010 (July 26th) – Marshall, Michigan – Line 6B – 27,132 barrels. Cause: Known but unrepaired cracks and external corrosion. CLICK HERE (http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/hitlist.cfm?docketID=49814&CurrentPage=1&EndRow=15&StartRow=1&order=1&sort=0&TXTSEARCHT=) for Full NTSB Accident Report Information Docket



2010 (April 17th) – Deer River, Minnesota – Line 2. Cause: Crack-like feature associated with the longitudinal weld seam on inside of the pipe.



2010 (April) – Virden, Manitoba – Pipeline ruptured spilling more than 9.5 barrels (1.51 m3) of oil, and leaked into the Boghill Creek which eventually connects to the Assiniboine River.



2010 (January 2nd) – Neche, North Dakota – Line 3 – 3784 barrels released – only 2,237 recovered. Cause: Material defect.



2009 (May 21st) – Superior, Wisconsin – 155 barrels – An Enbridge pipeline pig sending trap leaked due to operator error, spilling about 6500 gallons of crude oil. 700 cubic yards of contaminated soil had to be removed.



2009 (January) – Enbridge pipeline leaked about 4,000 barrels (640 m3) of oil southeast of Fort McMurray at the company’s Cheecham Terminal tank farm. Most of the spilled oil was contained within berms but about 40 barrels (6.4 m3), sprayed into the air and coated nearby snow and trees.




In 2009, Enbridge Energy Partners, a U.S. affiliate of Enbridge Inc., agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit brought against the company by the state of Wisconsin for 545 environmental violations.In a news release from Wisconsin’s Department of Justice, Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen said “…the incidents of violation were numerous and widespread, and resulted in impacts to the streams and wetlands throughout the various watersheds”.The violations were incurred while building portions of the company’s Southern Access pipeline, a project to transport crude from the oil sands region in Alberta to Chicago.



2007 (November 27th) – Clearbrook, Minnesota – killed two employees. Enbridge was cited for failing to safely and adequately perform maintenance and repair activities, clear the designated work area from possible sources of ignition, and hire properly trained and qualified workers.



2007 (November 13th) – Clearbrook Minnesota – Line 3. Enbridge discovered a leak on their 34-inch Line 3 at Mile Post 912. Later, the pipeline exploded during repairs, on November 27, causing the deaths of two employees. DOT officials said that two Enbridge workers died in a crude oil explosion as they worked to make repairs on the former Lakehead system pipeline. Enbridge was cited for failing to safely and adequately perform maintenance and repair activities, clear the designated work area from possible sources of ignition, and hire properly trained and qualified workers.



2007 (April) – Glenavon, Saskatchewan – Roughly 6,227 barrels (990.0 m3) of crude oil spilled into a field downstream of an Enbridge pumping station.



2007 (February 2nd) – Rusk County, Wisconsin – 4,800 barrels – only 2,066 recovered. A construction crew struck an Enbridge pipeline with equipment. Some of the oil filled a hole more than 20 feet (6.1 m) deep and was reported to have contaminated the local water table.



2007 (January 1st) – Superior, Wisconsin – 1,500 barrels / 50,000 US Gallons spilled onto farmland and into a drainage ditch. Cause: Incomplete fusion of a longitudinal weld at the pipe maker that failed as pressure cycle was established as the cause. The same pipeline was struck by construction crews on February 2, 2007, in Rusk County, Wisconsin, spilling 201,000 US gallons (760 m3) of crude, of which about 87,000 gallons were recovered. Some of the oil filled a hole more than 20 feet (6.1 m) deep and contaminated the local water table.




In 2007 there were 65 reportable spills totaling 13,777 barrels (2,190.4 m3).



2006 (March 18th) – Enbridge’s Willmar Terminal in Saskatchewan – Approximately 613 barrels (97.5 m3) of crude oil were released when a pump failed. According to Enbridge, roughly half the oil was recovered.




In 2006 there were 67 reportable spills totaling 5,663 barrels (900.3 m3) on Enbridge’s energy and transportation and distribution system.



2005 (January 18th) – Bay City, Michigan – 100 barrels – An Enbridge pipeline failed from temperature problems. The pipe was just 2 years old at the time.



2003 (January 24th) – Douglas County, Wisconsin – 2,380 barrels – An Enbridge crude oil pipeline ruptured at a terminal in Douglas County. Some of the crude oil flowed into the Nemadji River. Over 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) were spilled.



2003 (October 13th) – Bay City, Michigan – 500 barrels



2002 (July 4th) – Cohasset, Minnesota – 6,000 barrels / 950 m3. Cause: Cracking caused by train shipping induced cracking of the pipe being delivered. The pipeline ruptured in a marsh in Itasca County. In an attempt to keep the oil from contaminating the Mississippi River, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources set a controlled burn that lasted for 1 day and created a smoke plume about one mile (1.6 km) high and five miles (8 km) long.



1999 (November 1) – A Lakehead Pipeline (now Enbridge) was damaged by outside force near Crystal Falls, Michigan. 400 people were evacuated from the area. Fire was used to burn some of the released substances, so, of about 223,000 gallons of NGL’s and crude oil spilled, only about 115,000 gallons were recovered, with over 2,100 yards of contaminated soil removed in just the first 2 weeks of cleaning. The pipe broke where it was on a rock in the pipeline trench.



1999 (August 10th) – Line 9 Leak – Dent – Mile Post 2127.5



1998 (September 22nd) – Plummer, Minnesota – 8,810 barrels (1,401 m3) crude oil spill from a Lakehead (now

Enbridge) pipeline was caused by an excavator hitting that pipeline
1997 (February 25th) – Line 9 Leak – Dent – Mile Post 2149.31



1996 (November 28th) – Line 9 Leak – Dent – Mile Post 2157.21



1993 (August 5th) – Line 9 Leak – Corroded Densitometer – Mile Post 2258.01



1993 (July 14th) – Line 9 Leak – Corrosion – Mile Post 1891.505



1991 (January 26th) – Line 9 Leak – Crack – Mile Post 1886.99


1991 (March 2nd) – Grand Rapids, Minnesota – A Lakehead (now Enbridge) crude oil pipeline ruptured, spilling more than 40,500 barrels of crude oil into the Prairie River, of which 39,800 barrels were eventually recovered. About 4 million US gallons (15,000 m3) of oil had spilled from that pipeline from the early 1970s to 1991, per Minnesota records. A resident in the area noticed the smell of oil and alerted the local fire department. Approximately 300 people living in homes near the site were evacuated for safety, but were allowed to return to their homes later in the night.



1989 (July 13) – Pembina County, North Dakota – Enbridge pipeline fails, resulting in 31,300 barrels of crude oil being spilled, and about $2.4 million in damages & cleanup.



1988 (March 30th) – Line 9 Leak – Dent – Mile Post 2223.34



1979 (August 20th) – A 34-inch Lakehead (now Enbridge) pipeline ruptured near Bemidji, Minnesota, leaking 10,700 barrels (1,700 m3) of crude oil. The pipeline company initially recovers 60 percent of the spilled oil. Later in 1988, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency required Lakehead to extract more oil using new technology; removal continued on, with studies still underway in the area.



1979 (April 13th) – Line 9 Leak – Dent – Mile Post 2153.9



1979 (January 6th) – Line 9 Leak – Dent – Mile Post 1867.03



1978 (June 14th) – Line 9 Leak – Former Third Party Damage – Mile Post 2157.62



1978 (June 14th) – Line 9 Rupture – Mechanical Damage – Mile Post 2259.53
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enbridge#Spills_and_violations