Trailbreaker et Portland-Montréal

Source: MontérégieWeb.com

L'oléoduc, ou pipeline, si vous voulez, qui veut devenir un transporteur de pétrole brut provenant des sables bitumineux de l'Alberta, est déjà dans le portrait. Sauf qu'il circule dans un certaine direction en ce moment et on veut l'inverser. Si on raccorde Trailbreaker et Portland-Montréal, ajoute des pompes (ce que Dunham a essayé d'arrêter) et inverse le courant? Bingo! On vend nos huiles sales de l'Alberta aux USA qui feront le raffinage.

L'oléoduc passe déjà sous le fleuve Saint-Laurent et la rivière Richelieu. Les nouvelles pompes passent près des sources d'eau potable de certaines villes du Québec. Mais le dossier est très politisé. Difficile d'y voir clair. Il y a un blog, pas très visité: http://jesourisvert.blogspot.com/

Il y a un facebook qui semble surtout cumuler les articles de journaux pertinents (peut-être est-ce la raison d'être d'une page facebook? ché pas moié!): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=297141767267&ref=ts

Mais les dangers de déversements sont toujours présents. Un peu après minuit le 6 avril 2010, un contracteur trouve un déversement de 68,100 litres d'huile brute dans un canal qui traverse un refuge faunique national en Louisiane, la fuite venant d'un pipeline appartenant à Chevron Pipe Line.

Une barge qui faisait du travail pour Exxon Mobil Corp a probablement percé le pipeline en essayant de jeter l'ancre. Le refuge est un milieu humide près de l'embouchure de la rivière Mississippi près de la Nouvelle Orléans. Imaginez un tel déversement dans le fleuve ou dans la rivière Richelieu: juste à penser à ces milliers de gens qui perdent leur source d'eau potable!Source: Toronto Star

"Pipeline leaks oil into Louisiana wildlife refuge

An oil pipeline operated by Chevron Pipe Line Co leaked at least 18,000 gallons (68,100 liters) of crude oil into the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Tuesday. The leak, discovered by a contractor shortly after midnight, discharged into a canal 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Venice, Louisiana, and investigative and cleanup teams were on scene, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

A barge working for Exxon Mobil Corp was driving long pipes called "spuds" to anchor the barge in place, and one may have hit the pipeline operated by Chevron, a Coast Guard spokesman said. Chevron shut down the affected section of pipeline and started efforts to minimize environmental impact, said a news release issued by Chevron, the Coast Guard and state of Louisiana. Coast Guard and state environmental investigators were assessing the impact and monitoring cleanup efforts from aircraft and boats, the release said.

The refuge is marshland near the mouth of the Mississippi River southeast of New Orleans and provides habitat for alligator, brown pelican and migrating birds."

Excerpts from Reuters' article here: http://www.forexyard.com/en/news/Pipeline-leaks-oil-into-Louisiana-wildlife-refuge-2010-04-06T224257Z-UPDATE-2

I just had to bring attention to this environmental disaster: in the Richelieu valley, there is already a pipeline, but grand plans are being drawn to ship crude oil from Alberta's tar sands to Portland so that the United States can refine our dirty oil themselves. To do this, the direction of the pipeline has to be reversed, pumps have to be installed. The opposition to this plan is strong in the political milieu, so it's hard to get a clear idea of what is entailed here. One thing is for sure: the pipeline already crosses the St-Lawrence and the Richelieu, and thousands would have their source of drinking water at risk should an important spill happen in Quebec.