Oil spill belches 126,000 gallons of crude onto pristine prairie just across Minnesota border

Ken Korczak, Kittson County Top News Examiner, Jan 12, 2010--Yet another massive oil pipeline spill disgorged 126,000 gallons of crude oil onto the pristine countryside -- this time just across the border of Kittson County, Minnesota, near Pembina, North Dakota -- the second such large-scale spill in our region in under three months.

The Pembina oil spill came from the newly installed and so-called "Albert Clipper" pipeline which carries ultra-dirty tar sand oil from Manitoba, down through northwest Minnesota, ending in Superior, Wis.

In December, a pipeline operated by the Koch Pipeline Company, dumped 210,000 gallons of crude into the ground near Staples, Minnesota.

In both cases, pipeline officials claimed minimal environmental damage. In the case of yesterday's spill near Pembina, frozen ground prevented much of the oil from penetrating the ground, entering the groundwater or hurting wildlife. Enbridge said the spill has been "contained" and is being "cleaned up."

Environmental groups have been severely critical of Enbridge's Alberta Clipper, both over fear of oil spills, and for the fact that the oil it carries is dredged from tar sands, which is the most polluting kind crude oil, requiring the most energy to refine

Over its lifecycle, tar sand crude emits more global-warming pollution than any other type of oil, environmentalists say. They also claim that tar sands development in Alberta is "creating an environmental catastrophe, with toxic tailings ponds so large they can be seen from space, and plans to strip away forests and peat lands of an area the size of Florida."

But Enbridge has defended the safety of its pipeline, saying on its Web site that:

Enbridge is committed to protecting the public and the environment, and we build safety into every step of pipeline construction and operation. The design of the pipeline meets or exceeds industry standards and federal pipeline safety regulations. ... We use modern construction and land restoration techniques to prevent soil erosion, protect agricultural topsoil, repair agricultural drain tiles and irrigation systems and alleviate soil erosion.

In addition to criticism from environmental groups, many private landowners have claimed heavy-handed treatment from pipeline officials and government entities, whom they claim pressured them to gain access to their land for the pipeline route.

Many private landowners also are leery of the potential for massive oil spills, two of which have now come to pass in a three-month period.