Evaluation of Emergency Response Protocols for Crude Oil Transportation: Pipeline vs Rail
Date
2015-09
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This capstone project reviews and evaluates the emergency response protocols for
crude oil transportation via pipeline and rail. The growth of the Canada’s oil sands
and the use of hydraulic fracturing are providing access to what were previously
thought to be uneconomic oil and gas deposits. This coupled with our growing use of
crude oil is changing the energy landscape in North America. To accommodate this
changing environment, increased transportation of crude oil is necessary. The
increase in energy production and transport has had a parallel increase in public
awareness of energy and dangerous goods transport. Canadian transportation
systems operate within a highly regulated environment. However, no activity is
without risk, crude oil spills occur and sometimes, major disasters have happened.
To minimize the damages caused by accidental spills, we must employ emergency
response protocols. This paper describes and compares the emergency response
protocols of both pipeline and rail transport of crude oil. We review two large
incidents for both modes of transportation of crude oil to determine if the
emergency response protocols established forth by the governing bodies were
adequate. Based on the comparison of the two protocols, we recommend
enhancements for the two protocols and suggest further areas of research to
advance current regulatory and emergency response frameworks.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Bhura, Alisha. (2015). Evaluation of Emergency Response Protocols for Crude Oil Transportation: Pipeline vs Rail ( Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.