We don’t know enough about oil spills affecting the environment: expert
Posted November 25, 2015 9:07 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s an issue that’s getting more attention than ever thanks to the fuel spill in English Bay and all of the pipeline projects being debated in BC.
A new report is out from an expert panel with the Royal Society of Canada which argues we still do not know enough about the effects oil spills in water can have on the environment.
The panel wants to see government, industry, and academics come together to fill the knowledge gaps.
Kenneth Lee is the head of that panel, and says diluted bitumen — or dilbit — doesn’t necessarily do more damage if it goes into water than other kinds of crude.
“It’s much more than you know gee, dilbit’s really bad and light oils evaporate. It just gives you the idea of what happens, that there are so many factors that we have to understand.”
Lee adds the chemical makeup of crude is only one factor in how much damage is done.
Weather and the length of time it takes for crews to respond, also play a big role.
As for what the National Energy Board or the federal Natural Resources department does with the report? It’s not for Lee to say.
“How much risk they’re willing to accept is up to them, that that’s something that the regulator does. We’re assigned to provide the facts for them to make those decisions.”
In its report, the panel names seven topics that should have high priority for being researched.
They include the impact of spills in high-risk and poorly understood parts, like the Arctic, and how several types of crude behave in different ecosystems and conditions.