NEB to publish emergency exercise evaluations

The National Energy Board (NEB) will post future emergency response exercise evaluations online beginning with the evaluation of the recently conducted full scale exercise at Kinder Morgan Canada’s Westridge Terminal.

The Westridge Terminal exercise took place in Burnaby and Coquitlam, British Columbia on 29 October 2015. The NEB’s evaluation concludes that the company is in compliance with NEB regulatory requirements for emergency preparedness and response.

The NEB evaluation notes that the Kinder Morgan Canada’s emergency response exercise engaged local, provincial and federal agencies that would be involved in an emergency scenario. The NEB is pleased to have participated with municipal, provincial and federal agencies, including the Canadian Coast Guard, during the exercise.

NEB emergency response and technical staff assess and evaluate emergency response exercises on NEB-regulated pipelines. Companies are accountable to respond effectively to any pipeline incident with the highest regard to public safety and environmental protection.

Corrective or enforcement action is taken when companies are unable to meet NEB regulatory requirements for emergency preparedness and response. Comprehensive criteria are used during the exercise evaluations and include: public and worker safety; environmental protection; public notification and reporting; tactical response and evaluation of security threats.

The full scale emergency response exercise and subsequent NEB evaluation is related to existing Kinder Morgan Canada facilities. The evaluation is not related to the Trans Mountain Expansion project application currently under NEB review.

“On an annual basis, the NEB conducts thorough evaluations of emergency response exercises and it’s important for Canadians to see the details of those exercises and how their national energy regulator is verifying that NEB-regulated companies are prepared to respond in case of an emergency,” said Peter Watson Chair and CEO of the National Energy Board.

Facts

• In 2015, approximately 3 million bbls of crude oil was transported through NEB-regulated pipelines; during this same period, approximately 300 bbls of oil was unintentionally released.
• In 2015, the NEB evaluated 12 full scale emergency response exercises throughout Canada.
• The NEB cooperates with other agencies to reduce regulatory overlap and provide more efficient regulatory services. The NEB shares jurisdiction for marine response exercises at NEB-regulated facilities with the Canadian Coast Guard and other federal, provincial and municipal authorities.

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/12022016/neb-to-post-emergency-exercise-evaluations-online-2467/