Charges laid against Calgary-based Journey Energy over 2017 pipeline spills

By Phil Heidenreich Global News

Posted June 21, 2019 6:07 pm

Updated June 21, 2019 11:42 pm

2 min read

If you get Global News from Instagram or Facebook - that will be changing. Find out how you can still connect with us.

This article is more than 5 years old and some information may not be up to date.

A Journey Energy pipeline suffered two leaks in June 2017. They were approximately half a kilometre south of Winfield, Alta. July 3, 2017. Les Knight, Global News

A Calgary-based energy company is scheduled to go to court this summer to answer to charges laid in connection with a pair of pipeline spills in 2017.

On Thursday, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) said it has laid five charges under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and Pipeline Act against Journey Energy Inc. for two pipeline releases that happened in June 2017.

Winfield is located about 130 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.

In a news release, the AER said Journey reported that 9,000 liters (nine cubic metres) of emulsion was “released from two breakpoints on a pipeline approximately one kilometre southeast of Winfield, Alta.”

The energy regulator defines emulsion as a mixture of crude oil and produced water.

Story continues below advertisement

“On June 28, 2017, Journey notified the AER of the first release,” the AER said. “The next day, Journey reported a second release from the same pipeline that had impacted a waterbody. Several dead animals — including fish, squirrels and amphibians — were discovered following the incident.”

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

In July 2017, officials told Global News that 36 fish and two voles were found dead near the leak sites.

Journey’s first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 14 in Breton, Alta.

The AER said the charges faced by Journey Energy are one count of releasing a substance to the environment that caused or may have caused an adverse effect, one count of failing to report the release of the substance as soon as possible, two counts of failing to take all reasonable measures to remediate and failure to confine the effect of the substance and one count of failing to demonstrate that the procedures contained in the manuals were being implemented.