Video of all pipeline spills since 1986

Since 1986, petroleum pipelines have killed 500 people, injured 2,300 and done $6 billion in property damage. This video shows the incidents on a time-lapse map.

Enbridge seeks quick OK of new U.S. pipeline

July 17: Enbridge Open House

Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Time: 5:00-7:30pm
Place: Archie High School, Archie, MO

While it's not a true public hearing, Canadian oil company Enbridge is hosting a pre-construction open house in Archie, Missouri this week. If you have concerns about the existing and planned petroleum pipelines, this is your chance to show up and express them. If you have questions or want to get involved, please contact us.

Dilbit Sinks

Cleanup efforts at Enbridge's spill in Michigan

Dilbit (aka diluted bitumen, aka tar sands oil) has some properties that make it different from conventional oil. When it spills onto rivers and lakes, some dilbit sinks to the bottom. This is an important difference because the cleanup methods that oil companies use when oil spills on a body of water are all geared toward the fact that oil floats on top of the water. Booms, skimmers and vacuums are used to clean oil off the water's surface. But dilbit is not oil.

Spills

Ruptured pipeline from the Marshall Michigan spill

This is not a complete list, but just a few of the larger spills in this part of the world over the last decade.

2013 - Mayflower, Arkansas

Company: Exxon
Pipeline: Pegasus (1940s)
Spilled: 500,000 gallons of dilbit
Mayflower, meet Exxon: When oil spilled in an Arkansas town

What is Dilbit?

Bitumen prior to dilution

dilbit = tar sands

"Dilbit" is the oil industry term for diluted bitumen, which is commonly known as tar sands oil. Another synonym for bitumen is asphalt. Bitumen is a tar-like substance that has various chemicals and hydrocarbons added to it so that it will flow through pipelines. The industry refers to the substance as “dilbit”. Here’s some of our main concerns: Dilbit contains benzene, mixed hydrocarbons and n-hexane. All three are toxins that can affect the human brain and central nervous system.

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