HAZMAT: COVER STORY
it’s not always possible for any one agency alone to handle the management and resource needs… to work together effectively the partners must put forth a co-ordinated effort under the same management system.” ASERT, however, isn’t just about responding to incidents. It tries to prevent spills in the first place. Although the team may not have direct control over pipeline construction, for example, ASERT can work with the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) and oil and gas companies to demonstrate the cost of cleanups in ecosystems from an environmental, monetary and reputation perspective. “We know there are companies out there they may not know the implications of a spill and seldom deal with ASERT, Environment Canada or the long list of agencies that may get involved,” Bundred explains. “Creating this awareness may make them re-evaluate the placement of pipelines, operating practices, construction methods or surveillance.” Then again, Bundred knows that no cleanup is a safe bet. In oil spills along waterbodies, this practice is known as Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Techniques or SCAT. A SCAT team assesses the release level and mutually decides on the degree of cleanup needed and the capacity of the land to self-heal. Bundred says that any attempt to remove every drop of oil by cut-
ting down all vegetation, soil and stained rocks, would only lead to further habitat destruction and erosion, essentially making the cleanup worse than the spill itself. “Often nature has the ability to recover from contamination if concentrations are low and conditions are favorable,” Bundred says. “However we have seen many cleanups where sensitive environments like muskeg have been permanently damaged by recovery efforts.” While Bundred is typically removed from the immediate threats of a spill, it’s his job to be concerned about the health and safety of others directly involved in the isolation, sampling or cleanup. He says he’s “been on many spills with poor personal protection practices.” “I sometimes wonder how we performed our roles in the past without a dedicated group like ASERT to focus on emergency management,” Bundred says. “Now we are in place and I can see the challenges ahead, which are both exciting and daunting as the HMM province balances environment and development.” See sidebar article next page David Nesseth is Environment Reporter for this magazine and EcoLog. com Contact David at dnesseth@ecolog.com
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