Transporting oil by pipeline is 4 and a half times safer than by rail. That’s the conclusion of a study done by the Fraser Institute.
Dr. Kenneth Green, the Senior Director of Natural Resources Studies, does say there were more accidents with pipelines from 2003 to 2013 than with rail but then 15 times more product was being moved by pipeline than rail. 73 per cent of pipeline accidents involved less than a cubic metre of oil and 16 per cent didn’t cause any spill.
Dr. Green says according to Natural Resources Canada, 99.9 per cent of crude oil and petroleum transported through federally regulated pipelines arrived at their destinations safely between 2011 and 2014.
He also points out rail cars with oil are rumbling through the centre of cities with a greater risk to people and property if something bad happens whereas pipelines go around urban areas.
