Enbridge Advisors: Technology Blahblah Lessons Learned From Exxon Valdez Blah Big Spills Unlikely

Technology, experience and emergency planning make it unlikely that a major marine oil spill will cause environmental damage on the scale of the disastrous Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, community groups organized by Enbridge heard on Wednesday. The spill of 257,000 barrels of oil into Prince William Sound has been described as an industrial accident that degenerated into a technological and organizational disaster.

Three expert observers — all of whom were on-site for extended periods following the Alaska spill confirmed that description in a presentation at the annual general meeting for Enbridge’s community advisory boards. Enbridge formed the boards in 2009 as a grassroots effort to respond to public concerns about its $5.5 billion Northern Gateway pipeline project from Alberta to the B.C. coast.

Last year all three men gave expert testimony at a National Energy Board joint review panel on Northern Gateway.

The trio said they’re confident that the lessons learned in Prince William Sound will not be forgotten. For example, salt marsh areas suffered sustained damage from the spill — well-intended but heavy-handed efforts to recover oil from those areas instead compacted it into the seabed of the marsh. “That was the first time we had a big spill in Alaska. A lot was learned,” Chris Wooley, an anthropologist, said. “We have now a process in place where oil spill response includes local input, local knowledge, training — things are much different now than they were in 1989.

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