CALGARY — Jennifer Grant, director of the Pembina Institute’s oilsands program, made the following comments in response to Auditor General Merwan Saher's commitment to undertake an audit of pipeline safety:
"It's very positive to see the Auditor General committing to audit Alberta's pipeline monitoring systems and ensure they comply with regulations, and we applaud Mr. Saher for showing leadership on this important issue.
"The province’s pipeline review that was completed in late August did not live up to the expectations of Albertans and Canadians because it did not assess the actual application, compliance and enforcement of regulations or the history of spills and specific incidents of concern related to the safety of Alberta’s pipeline network.
"With 400,000 kilometres of pipelines crisscrossing the province, and an average of two crude oil spills a day for the past 37 years, ensuring the integrity and safety of Alberta's pipeline network is absolutely critical and could set an important precedent for other jurisdictions.
"This audit presents an opportunity to restore Albertans' confidence in the provincial regulator's ability to manage pipelines and the associated risks. We look forward to the results of this audit and welcome the Auditor General’s recommendations to improve pipeline safety in the province."
[30]
Contact:
[email:jenniferg]
Oilsands Program Director
Phone: 403-538-7781
Editor's note: A previous version of this release mistakenly stated there are 400,000 square kilometres of pipelines in Alberta. This version has been corrected.
