Rainbow pipeline given conditional go-ahead to resume operation

Plains Midstream Canada has been given the go-ahead by the Energy Resources Conservation Board to resume operation of its Rainbow pipeline 20 days after making the application.

The pipeline had been shut down since April 29 when approximately 28,000 barrels of light, sweet crude oil were spilled in traditional Lubicon Lake territory.

The application was received by the government regulatory board on July 27, confirmed Bob Curran, ERCB spokesman.

“We’ll assess the information they provided to us and once that is complete we’ll make a determination on their request to restart the line,” said Curran.

That determination was announced in a news release in which the ERCB stated, “Following a comprehensive review and assessment, and a third-party engineering review of the incident, the Energy Resources Conservation Board has provided conditional approval to Plains Midstream Canada (Plains) to resume operations of the NPS 20 Rainbow Pipeline.”

The engineering assessments determined that failure was due to high-stress on an existing crack in a fillet weld that was made on a weld-on sleeve. “Plains has committed to excavating and inspecting all sections of the pipeline containing these types of weld-on sleeves on an expedited schedule,” said the ERCB news release.
However, in a regular update concerning the clean-up at the site, Plains stated, “The ERCB has outlined conditions that need to be met before the Rainbow Pipeline can be returned to service. We are currently reviewing the conditions, and will assess when we can resume operations. We do not have a firm timeline for restart of the pipeline.”

The portion of Rainbow pipeline which ruptured at the end of April was located about 20 km from Little Buffalo. The oil spill was largely contained on the 30-metre-wide pipeline right-of-way, although some escaped into a nearby wetland. A beaver dam contained the spill to a pond. A number of beavers, ducks and migratory birds died because of the contamination.

 “We remain confident the pipeline is ready and safe to operate and can resume operation independent of the clean-up efforts. We are committed to working on the site until the land is properly restored to meet all environmental standards,”  wrote Victoria Persons, communications officer with Plains, in an email.
Curran said clean-up efforts are not monitored by the ERCB.

Clean-up at the site continues. After 14 weeks of work, which excludes 10 days of down time due to wild fires in the area, approximately 49 per cent of the original estimated 4,500 metres cubed released had been collected.

Once clean-up and remediation is completed, which Plains estimates will take up to six month, the reclamation and restoration process will begin.

“We remain committed to completing a comprehensive clean up and we will continue to work until the land is restored to meet all applicable environmental standards,” wrote Persons.

Persons indicated that Plains had provided tours of the clean-up site for several chiefs, Elders, and band representatives, and are in “regular communication with community leaders.” Plains hosted a community meeting in June in Little Buffalo and “presented a detailed update on the clean-up efforts, and answered numerous questions from community members and their leaders.”

The incident marked the largest crude oil spill in three decades in Alberta. The pipeline runs 772 km between Zama, Alta., and Edmonton. It is 44 years old.