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Energy Board keeping close watch on pipeline, but improvements could be made

THUNDER BAY -- The National Energy Board says it's constantly monitoring pipelines in the country, but could always do better.
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National Energy Board chair and CEO Peter Watson. (Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- The National Energy Board says it's constantly monitoring pipelines in the country, but could always do better.

NEB chair and CEO Peter Watson was in Thunder Bay Thursday as part of a national tour speaking with municipalities, First Nations and environmental groups.

"People tend to only see us in our public hearing role and they don't necessarily know much about our life-cycle and regulatory role," he said after meeting with the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association.

Watson said he's hearing many of the same issues across the country, that people want the land and water protected but also how emergency officials would respond should anything go wrong.

Companies are required to have an emergency response plan in place that reflect the part of the country they're in and take any constraints, such as geography, into account. Those plans are regularly tested but even still, Watson said he's been meeting with emergency management organization to find improvements.

"That plan is driven by local conditions," Watson said.

The NEB is also monitoring pipelines every day Watson said. It also conducts audits when necessary, issuing orders and in some cases shutting down operations.

"We are always assessing the integrity of the pipe regardless of what it's being used for," he said.

And it also oversees a company's application, like in the case of the proposed Energy East pipeline, that would see a converted natural gas line flow bitumen through Northwestern Ontario and North of Thunder Bay from Alberta to New Brunswick. Watson said converting an old line has been done before. But NEB has complete oversight throughout the process.   

"We're essentially wide open to recommend whatever we believe is in the public interest once we've assessed the economic, environmental and social issues associated with the project," he said.


 





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