MONTREAL – As politicians coast to coast engage in a war of words within the safety of TransCanada Corp.’s Energy East pipeline, Canada’s pipeline industry association is working to build confidence within an unlikely place: those who is going to be first in this area if anything goes wrong.
Across the nation, the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association is holding meetings with first responders to drum up more grassroots support, specifically in Quebec in which the project is facing some of its most vocal resistance.
“We are working in order to make certain first responders’ interests are well-served when it comes to knowing what they need to know in the event of pipeline emergencies and they establish relationships, build trust and strengthen confidence,” said Jim Donihee, chief operating officer from the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association in an interview using the Financial Post.
In recent weeks CEPA has held safety presentations in municipalities across Canada including Hamilton, Kingston, Ont., Lower Mainland B.C. and also the Montreal island suburb of in Pointe-Claire, Que, in order to introduce firefighters along with other officials as to the the association does, in addition to review systems that are in place for emergency response within the event of a rupture, explosion or other incident.
He explained that, in an emergency, representatives in the National Energy Board would rush onsite to be sure there’s oversight in co-ordinating with fire departments along with other first responders, including paramedics, police and municipal representatives.
“Understandably, you get a lot of people onsite immediately, so it’s crucial you have clear and efficient command and control when it comes to how that unfolds,” said Donihee. “It’s a very complex reaction but everybody is tailored for get onsite and to initiate the response and the cleanup as soon as possible.”
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Donihee also says full people in CEPA possess a mutual emergency assistance agreement, which, if enacted, means personnel and equipment from competing companies work together to help address the incident.
“It comes with an absolute commitment for our members that when you are looking at safety there isn’t any competition. We share everything openly and aggressively,” Donihee said. “We try to take lessons in the strong companies and to apply to those firms that may have a little bit of room for improvement.”
CEPA has 12 full members including Kinder Morgan Canada, TransCanada PipeLines Ltd, and Enbridge Pipelines Inc. and says it does not promote any particular projects.
Donihee says firefighters – both professional and volunteer – who live and work in the city are crucial targets for CEPA’s safety sessions.
“It’s incredibly important for us to the touch them and also to ensure that they’ve the information that they need to be able to respond in addition to gain their confidence. They’re ambassadors, they live in every town, every village and every city,” Donihee said.
Some fire departments say the collaboration between CEPA and first responders will promote greater response capabilities simply because they can share from equipment to expertise.
After attending the Hamilton session, Burlington, Ont., deputy fire chief Karen Roche told the Financial Post she’s convinced through the safety measures recommended by CEPA for future projects, which may include Energy East.
“They have demonstrated through this training that they take an all-hazards risk management method of all projects to enable them to be prepared for a range of situations,” she said.
Burlington is definitely an industry crossroads, and right now has got the TransCanada gas pipeline, TransNorthern and Line-9 together with pump and metering stations. It’s additionally a transportation hub for rail and trucking.
In late January, Donihee also held a session in the Montreal island suburb only a week after Mayor Denis Coderre announced the city’s official opposition to the proposed Energy East pipeline project.
In Quebec, not all first responders say they are convinced by the proposals.
Jacques Brub, director from the fire department and civil to safeguard the city of Terrebonne on Montreal’s north shore was at the meeting and states that, as they believes it is a good idea for the industry to convey safety info on behalf of its members, he isn’t yet convinced by the measures presented.
“We must convey the message of the Quebec reality that’s not even close to being understood by people in CEPA,” he told the Financial Post following the session.
Line-9 and TransCanada go through Terrebonne, with pump and metering stations, and the city continues to be slated as a municipality Energy East will pass through too.
Brub is also a member of the North Shore oversight committee of the Montreal Metropolitan Community association, which is headed by Coderre and it has officially announced it’ll oppose the Energy East pipeline at the next National Energy Board hearings.
Coderre said in January the project presents too many environmental and public safety risks for the area without significant financial benefit.
Brub asserted as they found the session useful comprehending the views of CEPA’s corporate sponsors.
“They only have the capacity to make recommendations on behalf of the members,” he said.
Although these safety sessions were an airplane pilot project and CEPA doesn’t have any set dates for the future, Donihee says he wishes to hold more session to advertise the security of its members pipelines especially where he faces the most opposition.
“We work to enhance the standards and really to foster confidence and much more open communications with all of Canadians,” said Donihee.
“Clearly there is a need here in Quebec at the moment, and that’s why we’re here and I anticipate spending additional time in Quebec.”
dvanderlinde@nationalpost.com
Twitter.com/DamonVDL
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