ERCB issues enforcement actions against three energy companies

The Energy Resources Conservation Board has issued enforcement actions against Plains Midstream Canada, Pembina Pipeline Corporation and Pengrowth Energy for pipeline spills that occurred in 2011. The ERCB issued four high-risk enforcement actions against Plains Midstream Canada in relation to the April 28, 2011, 28,000 barrels spill of crude oil on the Rainbow Pipeline in Northern Sunrise County. Plains was found to have inadequate backfill and compaction procedures, inadequate operations and maintenance procedures, inadequate leak detection and response, and failure to test its emergency response plan. The investigation report also describes Plains’ substandard efforts, beyond initial notification, to ensure that the public and other stakeholders were kept informed of the incident and its progress. Plains has been directed to engage a third party to conduct an audit of the company’s ability to manage communications during a crisis, with the results submitted to the ERCB no later than April 30, 2013. The site has been cleaned up, and reclamation and remediation efforts are still underway. As well, a high-risk enforcement action was issued against Pembina Pipeline Corporation and a low-risk enforcement action against Pengrowth Energy for pipeline spills that occurred in mid-2011. A high-risk enforcement action was issued against Pembina Pipeline for neglecting to immediately inform the ERCB about a pipeline spill on July 20 near Swan Hills. Pengrowth Energy has been issued a low-risk enforcement action for operating the pipeline for more than a year under faulty construction practices before a pipeline failure on June 26, 2011, near Swan Hills. The ERCB has issued directions to both companies to take specified action to ensure that these occurrences do not happen again.