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Pipeline regulator wants public input on spills

Crews on spill response boats work to contain bunker fuel leaking from the bulk carrier cargo ship Marathassa, second right, on Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday April 9, 2015.
Crews on spill response boats work to contain bunker fuel leaking from the bulk carrier cargo ship Marathassa, second right, on Burrard Inlet in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday April 9, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER – The National Energy Board is inviting Canadians to speak out about the transparency of emergency management information supplied by pipeline companies.

The announcement comes from Peter Watson, the chairman for the federal pipeline regulator, just weeks after Vancouver’s harbour was fouled by a fuel leak from a grain carrier that highlighted gaps in cleanup response.

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READ MORE: Feds clash with premier, mayor over B.C. fuel spill

Watson says the energy board will respond in a “meaningful and measured” way after gathering citizens’ suggestions in the public consultation, which closes June 25.

He outlined the new strategy to the Vancouver Board of Trade during a cross-Canada tour to convince the public that the board is devoted to pipeline safety.

The NEB’s job is to assess all pipeline companies’ emergency management programs and a coalition of those companies has also been developing a common approach to publicly disclosing their plans.

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The board’s call for input also comes after Vancouver-area mayors criticized the NEB on Friday for allowing pipeline companies to get away with inadequate spill-response procedures.

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