A study that questions the credibility of TransCanada and the Energy East Pipeline was released today at a press conference at the Days Inn.
Mark Calzavara, Ontario Regional Organizer with the Council of Canadians, released a study called “When Oil Meets Water,” a nine page report on the impact the pipeline would have on the North Bay watersheds.
Calzavara criticized TransCanada for its poor track record with Natural Gas ruptures, claiming the company had eight ruptures in the past six years.
“They have had so many ruptures, they are having more ruptures lately than before and this is not a company we can trust to have a dangerous oil pipeline going through the community,” stated Calzavara.
Calzavara also pointed out other key findings including a $1 billion cost for cleaning up a Trout Lake oil spill if the natural gas pipeline near Trout Lake was transformed into a portion of the Energy East Oil Pipeline and a leak occurred.
He also pointed out that TransCanada would not be prepared for the challenges of a spill if it occurred in the cold winter months.
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and author of Blue Future, on dispelling key myths about the Energy East pipeline was also in attendance at the meeting of about 20 people at the media conference.
“It’s extremely important that we have the truth out there and not a bunch of myths,” said Barlow.
“It’s not a pipeline to provide Western Oil to Eastern Canadians, it’s an export pipeline, we don't have the bitumen refinery capacity in Canada to refine this stuff, 90 percent of this will go to export,” she added.
“We are putting at risk about 3,000 waterways across the country and the drinking water for over 5 million Canadians. It’s not a railroad, it’s not the dream that they are proposing.”
But Energy East spokesman Time Duboyce says the odds of a full pipeline rupture is a "worst case scenario. A one in several hundred, if not thousand years."
"There are many layers of leak detection that are in place. There is no such thing as a pipeline leak that can't be detected."
Duboyce also denies the claimed cost of cleanup as way over the actual costs of cleanups.
On Tuesday night, the Council of Canadians and Stop Energy East North Bay will host a town hall at St. Andrew’s United Church to discuss why they say Energy East is all risk and little reward for North Bay.
