Legacy - February 2014

Legacy – February 2014 Wild Game Fish Conservation International 2014 – Year of Healthy Marine Ecosystems In 2013, opening on the Keystone XL pipeline proposal, the EPA recommended to the State Department that pipelines that carry dilbit (such as the proposed Keystone XL) should no longer be treated just like pipelines that carry any other oil. "We have learned from the 2010 Enbridge spill of oil sands crude in Michigan that spills of diluted bitumen (dilbit) may require different response actions or equipment from response actions for conventional oil spills. These spills can also have different impacts than spills of conventional oil. […] We recommend that the Final EIS [environmental impact statement ] more clearly acknowledge that in the event of a spill to water, it is possible that large portions of dilbit will sink and that submerged oil significantly changes spill response and impacts. We also recommend that the Final EIS include means to address the additional risks of releases that may be greater for spills of dilbit than other crudes. For example, in the Enbridge spill, the local health department issued voluntary evacuation notices based on the level of benzene measured in the air."[16] Alternatives to diluent  Heated pipelines  Constructing upgraders closer to production References: 1. Alberta Oil Sands Bitumen Valuation Methodology (pdf), 2008-9995, Calgary, Alberta: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Dec 2008 2. Canada's Oil Sands: Opportunities and Challenges to 2015 (Energy Market Assessment).

Calgary, Alberta: National Energy Board. May 2004. pp. 115–118. ISBN 0-662-36880-0.

Retrieved 14 Mar 2012. Condensate: "A mixture comprised mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons recovered as a liquid from field separators, scrubbers or other gathering facilities or at the inlet of a natural gas processing plant before the gas is processed." Dilbit: "Bitumen that has been reduced in viscosity through addition of a diluent (or solvent) such as condensate or naphtha." Diluent: "Any lighter hydrocarbon, usually pentanes plus, added to heavy crude oil or bitumen in order to facilitate its transport on crude oil pipelines." Synbit: "A blend of bitumen and synthetic crude oil that has similar properties to medium sour crude."

"Synthetic crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons generally similar to light sweet crude oil, derived by upgrading crude bitumen or heavy crude oil."

3. a b Walker, Ian C. (1998), Marketing Challenges for Canadian Bitumen (pdf), Tulsa, OK: International Centre for Heavy Hydrocarbons, p. 2 4. Harrison, Lynda (September 2011). "Riding the Rails, Oil companies climb aboard potential alternative to pipelines". Oil & Gas Inquirer (Calgary, Alberta: JuneWarren-Nickle's Energy Group). Retrieved 14 Mar 2012.

5. "Altex model". Altex Energy Ltd. Retrieved June 16, 2012. "On December 2, 2009, Purvin and Gertz reported that Alberta produces about 80,000 bbls/d of natural gasoline (primarily pentane and hexane) and another 65,000 bbls/d of Naphtha from its indigenous natural gas.

These hydrocarbons have been added to bitumen (typically a 10-12 API product) to produce a pipelinable product called dilbit (19-21 API). In recent years the indigenous supply of natural gasoline not been sufficient to meet the demand. To meet bitumen producer’s requirements, about 40,000 bbls/d of natural gasoline has been imported into Alberta, primarily using rail road tank cars. The National Energy Board (“NEB”) tracks these volumes and in a recent