Kinder Morgan's historic oil spills are double the Kalamazoo disaster

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Kinder Morgan VP calls Burnaby MP Kennedy Stewart’s oil spill analysis of its Trans Mountain pipeline “stupid”, “ludicrous” and “astounding.”  What do you think?

Ducks dying, a Kalamazoo River blackened with oil, and haz-mat workers vacuuming sticky sediments in the worst land pipeline spill in U.S. history -- not the visuals Kinder Morgan wants to be associated with, especially when it had nothing to do with the disaster.

"It's a stupid comparison," bristled Kinder Morgan vice president Hugh Harden from Calgary on Wednesday.

The oil executive in charge of Trans Mountain pipeline's operations was reacting to a new pipeline spill analysis from Burnaby Member of Parliament, Kennedy Stuart.  

... The NEB records date back more than half a century, and show the total volume released by Trans Mountain was 40,000 barrels.

The Kalamazoo disaster by Enbridge released 20,000 barrels.  

...

A "ludicrous" comparison 

"Tell me how it is in any way fair, logical, or in any way reasonable to compare the operating record of a company over 60 years of 80 incidents, most of which are inside the terminal or company's property, and had no impact on the public or the environment, to one incident where 20,000 barrels of oil went into a river?,” asked Harden.

...

In response, Kennedy Stewart’s office fired back in an e-mail:  

“It is unconscionable that the Vice President of Kinder Morgan would laugh out loud at people being killed in a plane crash. Disgusting. It again underlines the total disregard this company has for our community.” 

Harden later wrote: "I would like to apologize for comparisons I used which may have been interpreted as being inappropriate and once again I regret any offence that might have been taken."

Scientists weigh in

...

Canada Research Chair and UBC ecologist, Dr. Kai Chan said:

“What really matters is the amount of area the oil seeps into, and the amount of time that it’s doing that, in those ecosystems.  And that absolutely could be greater – in the event of a bunch of small spills, in part because the response can be slower in total, because it’s not employing a large scale response team,” said Chan. 

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