1754 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

^ You know, the environmental damage caused by this Arkansas spill is incredibly minor. Miniscule.

[eseedhouse]

^ You know, the environmental damage caused by this Arkansas spill is incredibly minor. Miniscule.

But wait. I heard the man on CFAX last week telling me it can't happen. Now you tell us how "minor" it is. And have we forgotten about the Gulf?

[eseedhouse]

Just this, on and on for two whole days. Minor.

http://www.thestar.c...eystone_xl.html

[VicHockeyFan]

This spill is also a super-tiny blip on US news. Go ahead, search the big news providers for mentions, it's all Canadian coverage. I truly don't know why as Canadians we get so worked up over it. And the way our media has portrayed it, as "Canadian crude" that was spilled (as it travelled from Illinois to the Gulf).

God, we are self-deprecating, at the expense of our own prosperity.

The Pegasus pipeline carries 96k barrels per day. Or 32,500,000 barrels per year. This thing spilled 10k. Nobody was hurt, the affected property owners (maybe 90 individuals out of 350 million citizens that use oil each day in the US) will be compensated well, and it's all fine. More oil is spilled in driveways every single hour in the US, by leaky oil pans and crank cases than was spilled here.

[eseedhouse]

This spill is also a super-tiny blip on US news.

Ah, that proves it's unimportant. If it isn't on the news, it doesn't exist! We all know that the US media are entirely unbiased, of course.

Go ahead, search the big news providers for mentions. I truly don't know why as Canadians we get so worked up over it.

Oh, I don't know. Maybe human empathy or something meaningless like that.

Maybe you should spill ten thousand gallons of diluted bitumen down the middle of Douglas street to see of Victorians would feel about this "minor" spill. No doubt downtown businesses would laud you for providing a new tourist attraction.

And the way our media has portrayed it, as "Canadian crude" that was spilled (as it travelled from Illinois to the Gulf). God, we are self-deprecating, at the expense of our own prosperity.

"An Exxon- Mobil spokesman has stated on the record that at the time of the rupture that Pegasus was carrying Canadian Wabasca heavy crude oil which had been diluted with lighter fuel in order to allow it to flow easily through the pipeline system."

"The Canadian Energy Pipeline Association known as CEPA has sourced Wabasca Crude as "oil sands". The Pegasus pipeline was refurbished with "leak -proof technology" in 2009 when it was expanded to specifically transport Canadian oil sands bitumen from the U.S midwest to the Gulf Coast refining hub. Exxon has confirmed that they are now responding to a spill which they estimate to be 10.000 gallons."

Reference: http://www.digitaljo.../article/346941

It's "Leakproof technology" so nothing can go wrong!

[VicHockeyFan]

You people are so small-picture. It makes me sad. We have a lower standard of living than the lowest US state, like Alabama, because we are too caring. And stupid.

eseedhouse, if you are OK with $5 per litre gas, we can have your safeguards in place. But in lieu of that, we will have some spills, and we will take care of them better than any other country in the world.

[rjag]

Funny reading the reactions here about the spills. OMG the sky is falling, quick shut down all the pipelines and crater our economy, cancel all the social programs and healthcare because there isnt any money to pay for it!!!

http://www.isa.org/I...ContentID=76955

More oil is spilled naturally every day from 1 single source than this one pipe break and its been going on for thousands of years.

While I agree that any pipe break is bad and should be thoroughly investigated and cleaned up I disagree that this should be used as clear evidence that we should all dig a hole and stick our heads in it.

Its not good when it happens but there is absolutely no way that you can have 100% risk free pipes just like you cant guarantee that all airliners wont crash or trains wont derail or you will live to 100 and not get sick....there is inherent risk in everything we do but it behoves us to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to reduce this risk.

[eseedhouse]

You people are so small-picture. It makes me sad. We have a lower standard of living than the lowest US state, like Alabama, because we are too caring. And stupid.

Ah yes, we disagree with you, so we must be stupid. I think you are the "small picture" guy myself, but that's only my opinion.

eseedhouse, if you are OK with $5 per litre gas, we can have your safeguards in place. But in lieu of that, we will have some spills, and we will take care of them better than any other country in the world.

There you go telling me what I am "OK" with. I cannot claim any such ability to read other people's minds. I can only read my own mind, and often not all that well.

But your imaginings about the world are just that - imaginings, or so it appears to me.

So ask the people in the subdivision who have been displaced from their homes if they feel it is "minor" spill. Oh wait, they can't see the "big picture".

[VicHockeyFan]

eseedhouse, I suspect you've lived your life as a net "taker" from our economy. Your actions, through the entirety of your life, have not generated income for any BCers. We put you through school at taxpayers expense, then we paid your generous government salary all your life, and we will pay your pension. Your contribution to our economy is less than zero. You have been a net drain, all your life, not dissimilar to a person on the welfare rolls all their life.

That's all.

[Matt R.]

Oh, snap!

That's all.

Matt.

[rjag]

Interesting article in the NP today

If the oil in the ExxonMobil pipeline had been from another country than Canada — Nigeria, say, or Venezuela — the chances of a spill wouldn’t have been diminished one iota.

http://fullcomment.n...rkansas-suburb/

[VicHockeyFan]

I think residents of this Quebec town would prefer a pipeline.

[Holden West]

If I understand correctly, an employee parked the train at the end of his shift, set the brakes (he claims) and checked into a hotel for the night. Does it seem right that a train capable of such devastation should be totally in the hands of a single weary conductor? Is there no backup, no failsafe? If the response is that it would cost money than what's a carbon tax for? Safety has a price.

[VicHockeyFan]

Ya when I was in my very early twenties I worked part time for CP Rail. An accident like this probably means a few things were not done right. I forget the rules, but I'm guessing that a derailer should have been set a few yards downhill from this train. But alas it's a heavy piece of equipment and it can be left off the to do list way too easy.

[VicHockeyFan]

Ya when I was in my very early twenties I worked part time for CP Rail. An accident like this probably means a few things were not done right. I forget the rules, but I'm guessing that a derailer should have been set a few yards downhill from this train. But alas it's a heavy piece of equipment and it can be left off the to do list way too easy.

I'm sure we've all been in the same position. You can set the derailer as per protocol, but you also know no supervisor will visit the job site, so you make a decision, do it or not do it. A derailer weighs over 100 pounds, it's a ***** to set. Screw it, leave it off tonight, who's gonna notice.

[VicHockeyFan]

Derailer system: http://www.saferack....ail-systems.cfm

This one is pretty lightweight, only 50 pounds, but only is designed for slow speeds.

[eseedhouse]

Derailer system: http://www.saferack....ail-systems.cfm

This one is pretty lightweight, only 50 pounds, but only is designed for slow speeds.

Anything that depends upon human beings not doing something stupid as it's first line of defense against disaster is going to lead inevitably to said disaster, whether it is a pipeleine or a railway. Or a computer operating system for that matter.

[LJ]

Couldn't you just put a couple of chocks under the wheels?

If it can't start rolling it won't have any speed to worry about.

[Holden West]

Like Ed says, you have to assume someone's going to screw up so you have to have a backup safety catch of some kind.

They should have a reality show called "You Had One Job" with this conductor, the Costa Concordia captain, Officer Ligert, the Beach Drive housesitter etc.

[jonny]

I thought trains had air brake systems like tractor trailers where the brakes are normally in the applied position by springs and are released only when there is enough air pressure in the system to overcome the force exerted by the springs?

I thought these systems had to be operating with pressure in the lines for the brakes to be unapplied. So for example a parked semi-trailer will always have its brakes fully applied because the air pressure systems is not operating so there is zero PSI in the lines. If the air pressure in the system fails, the brakes are automatically applied to maximum pressure.

I thought this was the "fail-safe" in air brake systems. If so, wtf happened here?