Chris Bloomer President and CEO, CEPA
The industry recognizes that renewables and fossil fuels must coexist to supply the world with a constant source of energy into the future. However, making the transition to a greener energy portfolio will take time, and fossil fuels will play a critical role in supporting that evolution. Another important issue is energy poverty. According the International Energy Agency (IEA) over a billion people don’t have access to basic energy services, even in some areas of Canada. Our country can play a significant role in helping to reduce energy poverty by sharing innovative ideas and technologies and by distributing more of our energy to global markets whether it be oil, natural gas or hydroelectric power. OTTAWALIFE: What are the real numbers in terms of jobs created by pipeline building in Canada? Can you be specific in terms of the numbers and types of jobs created (full-time versus part-time or contract jobs etc.)?
The transmission pipeline industry is responsible for almost 34,000 fulltime equivalent jobs across Canada, supporting many households. OTTAWALIFE: What types of trades’
workers are involved in building Pipelines?
Please visit aboutpipelines.com and read the CEPA Foundation performance report. There is information about the engineering, design, construction and manufacturing companies who play a crucial role in our industry. OTTAWALIFE: Can you explain the link between pipelines and refineries?
Oil pipelines are connected to refining infrastructure in North America and would link to the world's refineries PHOTO: MATHIESON & HEWITT PHOTOGRAPHERS
with access to tidewater. OTTAWALIFE: What is the industry
policy with regards to spills when they happen and sharing that information with the public?
Regulatory requirements are quite stringent when it comes to what a company must do when they have a leak on their pipeline. Incidents must be reported to the regulator who will require the company to provide details of their investigation (into the incident)
99.999 The per cent safety record for delivery of petroleum products by CEPA member companies, in 2015. Source CEPA
pipelines, as evidenced through CEPA Integrity First®. CEPA Integrity First® is an industry-led program established by CEPA to demonstrate commitment to continuously improving in the areas of safety, environment and socioeconomics. Integrity First® brings together some of industry’s greatest minds and most influential leaders to define, share and implement leading practices to improve performance in critical areas. The program enables CEPA’s member companies to work collectively to strengthen the pipeline industry’s performance, engagement and communications. CEPA’s members recognize that no incidents are acceptable and through adherence to Integrity First®, which is a condition for CEPA membership,they collaborate on everything related to safety and hold each other accountable to continuously improve their operating performance. OTTAWALIFE: Are CEPA and your
once it is complete. CEPA and its member companies believe that it is important for Canadians to understand the performance history of our industry, so we have created an online searchable map that identifies the location of pipelines operated by our members, and just this past September we included incident history. Further embracing the principle of transparency, CEPA is publishing on an annual basis a report on performance, which clearly lays out where the industry is doing well and where there exists opportunities for improvement. OTTAWALIFE: Is there an industrywide standard and policy related to spills when they happen?
CEPA and its members are focused first and foremost on pipeline safety and the prevention of all incidents throughout the entire lifecycle of
partners concerned about the increasing amount of fuel being transported by rail? Do you have any figures to show how pipeline construction will decrease the amount of fuel being transported by rail?
Pipelines are the most cost-effective way to transport crude oil.They require significantly less energy to operate than trucks or rail and have a much lower carbon footprint. While the movement of crude by rail has significantly increased and rail is one complementary mode of transportation, it is not necessarily a safer mode of transportation.We view other modes of transportation, such as rail or trucks, as a complement to pipelines. Transmission pipelines in Canada transport 3.3 million barrels of oil per day — that would be equivalent to 4,200 rail cars or 15,000 tanker trucks n 33 OTTAWALIFE DECEMBER 2016