The New Democrats are calling on the Saskatchewan government to make changes following the release of a report into the 2016 Husky oil spill.
The provincial government report, released in June, looks into the spill where around 225,000 litres of diluted heavy oil spilt from Husky’s pipeline in west-central Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili said Tuesday that oil producers are regulating themselves, noting the government has no way to check up on whether companies have made changes following penalties.
“It’s exactly the wrong approach. The province is the one that needs to make sure that these regulations are upheld because the province is the one with the responsibility to serve the needs of the public and protect the public,” he said.
WATCH (June 12, 2019): Husky fined $3.8M for charges arising from Saskatchewan oil spill
The province’s energy minister responded by saying it has already made changes to the Pipeline Act, including updated penalty provisions and allocating more staff and resources to pipeline inspections.
“These and other regulatory actions were recognized by the provincial auditor in her June 6 report, which indicated that all outstanding items from the previous audit on pipeline regulations have been addressed,” read a statement from Bronwyn Eyre.
Husky was fined $3.8 million after pleading guilty to three environmental charges in June.
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