HUSKY SPILL: Report turned over to prosecutors

HUSKY SPILL: Report turned over to prosecutors

Postby Oscar » Thu Mar 23, 2017 5:42 pm

Report into Husky oil spill turned over to prosecutors

[ http://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-ne ... 1490288771 ]

Alex MacPherson, Saskatoon StarPhoenix Published on: March 23, 2017 | Last Updated: March 23, 2017 5:00 PM CST

PHOTO: Crews work to clean up an oil spill on the North Saskatchewan river near Maidstone, Sask on Friday July 22, 2016.

Crude oil flowed into the North Saskatchewan River from a Husky Energy Inc. pipeline for more than seven hours before it was shut down for scheduled maintenance early on July 21, according to the provincial government’s investigation into the 225,000-litre spill.

Despite alarms from its leak detection systems, the Calgary-based company did not immediately halt the flow of oil, and it is now up to Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice prosecutors to determine if charges are warranted, according to the provincial government.

“I am deeply concerned about this type of incident,” Energy and Resources Minister Dustin Duncan told reporters in Regina on Thursday. “I think our actions to date and going forward … show that we’ve taken this very seriously.”

The province’s report won’t be made public until prosecutors finish reviewing it, but details released this week fill gaps in Husky’s investigation, which attributed the spill to ground movement, [ http://thestarphoenix.com/business/ener ... nswers-ndp ] but was silent on the timeline and the firm’s response.

A private individual, who was crossing a bridge on Highway 21 east of Lloydminster, called the government around 8:30 a.m. on July 21 after seeing oil on the river, said Doug MacKnight, assistant deputy minister from the ministry of the economy.

Husky did not confirm the source of the spill until around 10 a.m., despite alarms from the leak detection systems in place on the 19-year-old pipeline, MacKnight told reporters on a conference call Thursday. He declined to say when the alarms began.

There are “varieties of reasons” why leak detection system alarms sound, but it should be incumbent on companies to verify “as quickly as possible” whether oil has been released and shut down the pipeline in question, Duncan said.

That the Husky spill and a 200,000-litre Tundra Energy Marketing Ltd. spill on Ocean Man First Nation in January were not discovered by the pipeline operators is “incredibly concerning” said Cathy Sproule, the Saskatchewan NDP’s Environment critic.

“If we don’t have a robust enough detection system that we have to rely on people happening by, we can do much better than that,” Sproule said. “There are a lot of pipelines in Saskatchewan and we’ve got precious waterways, so we really … need to be certain.”

The NDP has previously called for the establishment of an arms-length pipeline watchdog in Saskatchewan. [ http://thestarphoenix.com/business/ener ... -regulator ] The province’s pipeline regulations have also been targeted by provincial auditor Judy Ferguson in a pair of scathing reports. [ http://thestarphoenix.com/business/ener ... early-2017 ]

Husky “respect(s) that there is a process underway” and is improving the safety of its pipelines with geotechnical assessments and policies to ensure mandatory shutdowns a set time after alarms sound, Husky spokesman Mel Duvall said in an email.

About 15,000 litres of crude remains unaccounted for, and work to assess the effects of spring breakup on the remaining oil is expected to begin next month, Ministry of Environment assistant deputy minister Wes Kotyk told reporters Thursday.

The government raced to examine major pipeline river crossings [ http://thestarphoenix.com/business/ener ... -crossings ] and introduce beefed-up pipeline legislation in the weeks after the spill. [ http://thestarphoenix.com/business/ener ... ors-report ] On Thursday, it introduced “compliance audits” for pipeline operators and said it was developing new river crossing standards.

“It’s fair to say, of course, that we’ve learned a lot through this investigation,” MacKnight said. He declined to comment on whether a more robust pipeline regulatory regime could have prevented the Husky spill this summer.

North Battleford Mayor Ryan Bater, who was a council member when the spill forced the city to shutter its river water intake, said the government has a responsibility to introduce and police measures that protect cities and towns along the province’s waterways.

“Our concern is that we don’t want this to happen again.”
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Re: HUSKY SPILL: Restart pipeline that leaked into SK River

Postby Oscar » Sun Oct 15, 2017 11:16 am

Husky given OK to restart pipeline that leaked oil into Sask. River

[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatche ... -1.4351798 ]

Husky will be required to submit weekly data from strain gauges installed on the pipeline

The Canadian Press Posted: Oct 12, 2017 11:23 AM CT| Last Updated: Oct 12, 2017 12:00 PM CT

The Saskatchewan government has given Husky Energy the OK to restart a pipeline after a major oil spill along the North Saskatchewan River in July 2016.

The government said in an email to media that testing, inspection and evaluation of the repairs to the line have been done.

A Husky spokesperson said the company is looking to restart operations by this weekend or Monday. It will take anywhere from 10 to 14 days to fill the pipeline and have things flowing normally.

The pipeline leaked 225,000 litres of heavy oil mixed with diluent onto a riverbank near Maidstone, Sask. About 40 per cent of the spill reached the river.

Husky's own investigation concluded that the pipeline buckled because of ground movement.

The government says measures have been taken to mitigate the risk of a future failure at that spot, including thicker pipe on a sloped portion, ground movement monitors and gauges to measure strain along the replaced sections of pipe.

Saskatchewan's Justice Ministry is still reviewing Husky's response to alarms before the spill to decide whether charges should be laid.


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[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon ... -1.4037953 ]

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[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon ... -1.3998010 ]
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Re: HUSKY SPILL: Report turned over to prosecutors

Postby Oscar » Mon Mar 26, 2018 9:51 pm

Husky Energy faces 10 charges in 2016 oil spill into Saskatchewan river

[ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon ... skatchewan ]

Oil producer could be subject to maximum fine of $1M

CBC News Posted: Mar 26, 2018 10:52 AM CT| Last Updated: Mar 26, 2018 8:20 PM CT

(PHOTO: Shoreline cleanup for the Maidstone-area oilspill continues to this day. (Jason Franson/Canadian Press) )

Husky Energy is now facing a total of ten charges in relation to a 2016 oil spill in Saskatchewan.

The July 2016 Maidstone-area spill saw 225,000 litres of oil leak from a damaged pipeline, around 40 per cent of which made its way to the North Saskatchewan River.

On Monday, the province confirmed one charge is being laid under the provincial Environmental Management and Protection Act (EMPA). Saskatchewan's Ministry of Environment has repeatedly stated that the decision to lay charges would come from Crown prosecutors, not the province.

Environment and Climate Change Canada later said it laid nine charges against Husky on March 22, eight under the federal Fisheries Act and one under the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.

The 10 total charges result from a 19-month joint federal-provincial investigation.

The charges allege that Husky did "unlawfully permit the discharge of a substance to the environment that caused an adverse effect," according to the premier's office.

According to the Premier of Saskatchewan's office, the company faces a possible maximum $1 million fine.

'Very unsettling situation'

Saskatchewan Minister of Environment Dustin Duncan said the spill led to significant changes in the provincial Pipelines Act; changes that include greater regulation, auditing powers, penalty provisions and licensing flowlines.

"We take this very seriously. There, to my knowledge, hasn't been a charge with respect to the unintended release of oil from a pipeline in the province's history," he told reporters on Monday.

Duncan said the site cleanup was completed by the end of last year, but Husky will have to work with the province's Water Security Agency and the Ministry of Environment to make sure nothing else is required.

He said he expects full co-operation.

"In the last year, despite a very unsettling situation, Husky was very responsive when it came to the cleanup but also responding to the concerns by First Nations, by communities along the river, as well as to the requests that were made by the government department," Duncan said.

Husky in court this week

In response to an emailed request for comment from CBC, Husky Energy declined an interview, saying it will take time to fully review charges before responding.

"Fundamentally, we accept full responsibility for the incident, as we have from the beginning. We deeply regret this happened and we are sorry for the impact it had. We have worked hard every day since to make things right and we have learned from it," wrote Mel Duvall, media and issues manager with Husky.

Husky is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Lloydminster on Thursday, both for the EMPA charge and a number of federal charges, the province said in its statement.

The province said it will not be releasing its report investigating the spill until the appeal process for the court matters has passed.

In Duvall's email, he thanked the government, Indigenous people, and communities in the region "for their support and understanding throughout."


Related Stories


■ U of S researcher lands $224K grant to study effects of Husky oil spill on fish
■ 'Anything that is recoverable, will be': Husky oil spill clean-up resumes
■No decision on charges against Husky as oil spill cleanup nears end: Sask. gov't
■Judge rules 93 Husky oil spill documents to remain sealed
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