Bitumen spill effects on waterways, oceans unknown, draft federal report says

See the link to CBC News:

Exerpts below:

“Critics say the federal government has been trying to hide legitimate concerns about the consequences of oilsands pipelines by keeping a report under wraps on the possible environmental threats posed.

—“If this report has been around since 2013 and not been released, then it makes me think they must be trying to hide something.”

—Francois Poirier, president of TransCanada’s Energy East pipeline project, downplayed such concerns.

–Toxicology research ‘lacking’

—“In particular, research on the toxicology of bitumen is lacking,” says the draft report, which was commissioned in response to concerns raised at the Northern Gateway pipeline hearings.

“—-An early draft of the report lays out 10 specific “knowledge gaps” about bitumen and various substances used to dilute it when it’s pumped through pipelines.”

—“Very little information is available on the physical and chemical characteristics of oilsands-related products following a spill into water,” it says. “Research on the biological effects of oilsands-related products on aquatic organisms is lacking.”

—“A better understanding of the fate and behaviour of these products is critical for assessing the potential risk to aquatic organisms.”

See the link to CBC News: