Click Here for a Summary of the Line 9 Application
Facts …
- Roughly 14% of pipeline volume flow must be lost before a leak can be detected
- Percentage wise, a cubic meter of heavy crude is about 15% heavier than light crude.
You Should Know …
- Enbridge Line 9 was built in 1976 and runs between Sarnia and Montreal
- Over 9 million people live within 50 km of this pipeline
- When installed, the pipes were 1/4″ thick and 30″ diameter, wrapped in tape
- Line 9 now transports conventional light crude from east to west
- The proposal seeks approval to reverse the direction (west to east)
- Approved capacity increased from 240,000 barrels per day to 300,000 bpd
- Line 9 may carry unconventional heavy crude or diluted bitumen which is mixed with a Drag Reducing Agent (DRA) that includes undisclosed chemicals
- Approval process is moving quickly & quietly and will conclude late 2013
Reasons for Concern …
- All communities along the pipeline will experience increased risk but no benefits
- Lack of discussion and community involvement
- Line 9 pipes are exempt from an environmental assessment
- Proposed changes increase risk to the local watershed
- In the event of a leak/spill, drinking water could be affected
- Inline inspection tools do not detect 100% of features (e.g. cracks or corrosion)
- Enbridge Line 9B is very similar to Enbridge Line 6B which spilled one million gallons of diluted bitumen into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010. Enbridge is still trying to clean it up nearly three years later as ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on March 14, 2013!
- The Northern Gateway pipeline Engineering, Construction, and Operations document states in Table 5-1 that the minimum wall thickness range is 10.3-19.8mm. That is equivalent to 0.40-0.78 inches, compared to the 0.25 of Line 9.
Line 9 Communities 