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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Pipeline Operators Aren't Required to Tell Them

This is dumbfounding:
"Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report that was harshly critical of the federal government’s regulation and oversight of pipeline safety following a spill of more than one million gallons of dilbit [dilluted bitumen] into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010. The accident underscored not only how different dilbit is from conventional oil, but how unprepared we are for the impending flood of imports.

"After the dilbit gushed into the river, it began separating into its constituent parts. The heavy bitumen sank to the river bottom, leaving a mess that is still being cleaned up. Meanwhile, the chemical additives evaporated, creating a foul smell that lingered for days. People reported headaches, dizziness and nausea. No one could say with certainty what they should do. Federal officials at the scene didn’t know until weeks later that the pipeline was carrying dilbit, because federal law doesn’t require pipeline operators to reveal that information." (David Sassoon, New York Times)
Officials didn't know what to do because they didn't know what was in the pipeline.
Because the pipeline operators aren't required to tell them.

You can't get on an airplane with a bottle of water, but you can run pipelines all over creation without telling anyone what's in them.

And corporations complain about over-regulation.

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