Deputy Fire Chief Dave Jephson says his neutral stance on Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline hasn’t changed since visiting the place in Michigan where a company line broke and poured oil into a river there in 2010—but he does have a better understanding of what happens to a town after an oil spill.
Jephson toured the Kalamazoo River spill site and surrounding area on a Enbridge-sponsored trip as a representative of the City of Terrace last week. Enbridge had offered to fly one council member as part of a 25-person delegation from along the Northern Gateway pipeline route to Marshall, Michigan on May 8 to view the cleanup and speak with local officials.
Jephson was chosen to represent the city after no council members were able to attend, citing work obligations and lack of passports. Of the 25 cities invited, only 13 sent representatives.
Regardless of whether Enbridge paid for the trip or not, Jephson described it as worthwhile.
“It was really interesting,” said Jephson. “I’m glad that someone from the city went. The intention on Enbridge’s behalf really was to bring people out that are along the proposed Northern Gateway to look and see what happens at a spill, how it was cleaned up, and how different agencies work together.”
The 2010 spill into the Kalamazoo River of an estimated 1 million US gallons of oil, which went undetected for hours, increased opposition to Enbridge’s plan to build the Northern Gateway pipeline across northern B.C. Cleanup efforts at the spill are set to total $1 billion.
“The intention was not to go and come home and change peoples’ minds,” said Jephson. “Ultimately, I respect the decision that council has taken. I respect the no votes and the yes votes. I have lots of friends that are on both sides of the fence.”
In early 2012, in a majority vote, Terrace council declared its opposition to any project to transport oil by pipeline across the north.
And councillor Stacey Tyers, in debate about the Michigan visit invitation, called it “propaganda.”
Jephson has photos and first-person details from Kalamazoo locals, city officials and managers, scientists and the president of Enbridge that he will use when reporting to council.
“It’s amazing what a billion dollars does,” he said, noting that one local told him the water and marsh area was better now than it was before the spill because of extensive efforts by Enbridge to clean it and restore wildlife to the area.
Part of the billion dollar price tag involved buying out 150 houses. Enbridge offered to buy the houses of people who no longer wanted to live in the area following the spill, and paid for them at assessed value, he said.
The trip highlighted new technology and safety measures, as well as the cooperation between Enbridge and the different levels of government, said Jephson, noting the need to be open about pipeline routes and planning was also a focus.
Myth-busting was also a mainstay of the trip, he said.
And as deputy fire chief, Jephson was particularly interested in emergency services’ role.
“The Marshall fire department was very much like Terrace, seven paid guys, 28 volunteers, a chief,” he said. “We asked Enbridge, how are emergency services in this region going to handle that? What role would you expect emergency services to play? And, if you’re requesting our assistance, how are you going to help fund and pay for that and give us proper training and proper equipment? Those were heavy conversations.”
The Marshall area is very different from here, he said, noting he mentioned to officials there how rapidly the Skeena could rise and fall, and questioned how crews would get to a pipeline in the mountains covered with 40 feet of snow.
Jephson knows citizens will want to discuss his trip and that there will be questions about how controlled the trip was.
“I’m not going to get into heated discussions. If a person’s against it, don’t try to convince me that they’re bad. If they’re for it, and they want it to come, don’t try to make me be that salesman to push it more,” he said.
And he says that the issue is not going away, even if Enbridge does.
“If Enbridge decides to move on, someone else is going to come in and try to do the exact same thing,” he said. “I think it’s important that individuals that make their decisions make them on facts and stand by those decisions.”