This is how we transport Canada’s energy safely and securely.

In 2016, CEPA’s Steering Committee on Pipeline Retirement continued research on how retired pipelines could act over the long term. The multi-stakeholder committee consists of four representatives from CEPA member companies, a representative from the National Energy Board and a representative from each of two landowner groups: L’Union des producteurs agricoles and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. In conjunction with the Petroleum Technology Alliance of Canada, research programs are leading to guidelines for safe, economic and environmentally sound pipeline retirement.

So far, research has been completed to better understand:

• The mechanisms that lead to corrosion and loss of structural integrity over time,
• Frost heave and its potential for causing exposure of abandoned pipe segments, particularly in southern Canadian croplands,
• The risks posed by pipe coating degradation products, and
• The effectiveness of cleaning technologies for pipelines and looking at the residual contaminants and methods to detect them.

CEPA is committed to pipeline retirement plans focused on what’s best for the environment, safety and the community.

In fact, this biennial conference, which started in 1993 and is held in years that alternate with those of the International Pipeline Conference (IPC), is about taking collective action to continuously improve in areas such as safety and the environment.

In April 2017, over 800 pipeline experts from North America, Europe and Asia gathered in Banff, Alberta to attend sessions and explore ideas related to the workshop’s theme of ‘Raising the Bar’.

A total of 12 topics were covered:

• Industry-wide Issues
• Regulatory and Standards
• Upstream Pipelines
• Asset Management
• Cracking
• Human Factors
• Pipeline Risk Management
• Inspection & Monitoring
• External Corrosion
• Internal Corrosion
• Managing Geohazards
• Emergency Management & Preparedness

Nine tutorials were also offered, covering a wide range of issues, including Human Factors, Welding, and Safety and Loss Management Systems.

Since the conference – which featured keynote speakers including Carl Weimer from the Pipeline Safety Trust; Steve Hrudey, President of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA); Alan Murray, Former NEB Chief Engineer; and Chief Todd Peigan from Pasqua First Nation – workshop participants have been looking at ways to work together to address the industry’s challenges in these areas.

For instance, participants from the session on developing more meaningful pipeline metrics are now working on developing a CSA (Canadian Standards Association) consensus standard that will help pipeline operators and regulators more meaningfully and accurately convey pipeline performance to stakeholders. This includes defining common terms that would be used to define performance and outlining a framework that can be used for assessing performance.

CEPA and our members are actively involved in the Banff Pipeline Workshop – with employees and members attending sessions, leading panels and organizing workshops and tutorials. It’s a critical opportunity to learn from others and share our own initiatives.

When an organization has a strong safety culture, it becomes a mindset and a discipline that influences employees’ actions, it’s in their DNA.

The Safety Culture Task Force, made up of CEPA members, is focused on embedding an industry-wide safety culture that positively impacts overall safety outcomes and performance. Since 2015, the task force has implemented initiatives that are advancing the pipeline industry’s safety culture, including embracing the National Energy Board’s Safety Culture Framework and surveying CEPA members’ ten thousand employees.

The results of that work have been developed into leading safety practices, and are being captured in a guidance document to enable all CEPA members to enhance their own organization’s safety culture. The document is scheduled for release in the second half of 2017.

In addition, a new incident sharing process is in development to make sure all members can learn and adapt quickly from the experiences of their peers.

The International Pipeline Conference (IPC) is a biennial conference held in Calgary, Alberta, to provide a unique forum for learning, sharing and international collaboration across the pipeline industry. The conference generated $335,000 in profits, which was distributed between four projects sponsored by CEPA to fund leading-edge research and development through IPC’s non-profit foundation. CEPA co-hosts the conference with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). An equivalent amount of funds is available to ASME to dedicate towards funding research activities related to the pipeline industry.

With a theme of ‘leading and innovating’, the 2016 conference featured a diverse range of technical sessions and information. Professionals from more than 30 countries shared ideas and discussed innovations and advancements in safety and environmental protection and demonstrated technologies that make pipelines safer and more sustainable.

IPC by the numbers

• 1500 attendees
• 300 technical papers
• 19 tutorials
• 5 panel sessions addressing topics such as integrity assurance, leadership and innovation, and pipeline design
• 275 brands at the International Pipeline Expo, representing a range of products and services

What launched over twenty years ago as a joint initiative between CEPA and ASME, has grown into the world’s premier pipeline conference.

Through events like IPC, CEPA is driving continuous improvement of Canada’s pipeline industry, bringing together experts from around the world to share the latest technology and innovations that can improve safety and environmental practices.

Highlights from IPC 2016

Spectra Energy employee receives Lifetime Achievement Award
The IPC Lifetime Achievement Award is given to leaders who have advanced the safety of the pipeline industry. The 2016 recipient, Henry Yamuachi of Spectra Energy (now Enbridge Pipelines), epitomizes that dedication. Henry recently retired at the age of 90 after spending almost 60 years advancing safety in our industry, and providing mentoring and guidance to young pipeline professionals and peers.

Innovation on display
Complementary and concurrent to the conference, the International Pipeline Expo featured 275 of the industry’s most recognized brands and today’s foremost technologies, products and services from over 50 countries.

YPAC looks into the future
The Young Pipeliners Association of Canada held a panel to identify the must-have talents required for a successful career in the pipeline industry and facilitate discussion among participants about the future of pipelines.

During the design and planning stages of the project, the team discovered these historic coalmines (operated from 1892 to 1949) near the south end of the project in the Whitemud Creek ravine.

This project, which is part of ATCO Pipelines’ Southwest Edmonton Connector Project, was designed to cross the ravine using a trenchless construction method called horizontal directional drilling (HDD).

As the path for the underground pipeline would intersect the old mines, ATCO Pipelines needed to not only successfully construct the pipeline but keep the operating pipeline safe from any ground movement caused by the abandoned mine. The solution was to fill a targeted area in the old mine with a low-strength cement grout. This was completed using a method called jet grouting, where the team drilled over 100 holes and injected the grout into the old mine from the surface.

Once solidified, the grout had similar strength to the surrounding bedrock, stabilizing the mine and creating a safe environment to perform HDD. The use of jet grouting also minimized the risk of a future mine collapse that could impact the pipeline and surrounding area.

The grouting was completed in early 2017, and geophysical testing and coring of the area confirmed that the area was safe. This project also made history as the first time jet grouting has been used to stabilize a defunct mine for an HDD crossing.

In 2016, CEPA formed a new stand-alone security work group to anticipate and address emerging and existing hazards such as pipeline tampering. Our member’s primary concern is public safety, and tampering with pipelines can be extremely dangerous, not only for the individuals conducting the illegal activity, but for the general public and the environment.

CEPA’s new security work group currently has a number of initiatives underway to ensure the industry is prepared for, and protected against, any potential security issues.

The joint exercise was designed to build greater resilience to public safety and security threats, and was based on a simulated scenario involving a bomb threat to a pipeline. This exercise provided opportunities to highlight capabilities, policies, procedures and linkages that already exist or could be fostered amongst participating partners.

These types of integrated exercises that DRDC CSS support help develop or amend procedures to improve coordination between police, other law enforcement organizations, security agencies, first responders and the pipeline industry when responding to threats against critical energy infrastructure.

In 2016, the DRDC CSS held a second exercise to evaluate the interoperability between first responders, government agencies and industry to test key learnings from the previous exercise. Trans-Northern once again took part, along with the RCMP, regional police and fire departments, the National Energy Board and others.

Key learnings, outcomes and procedures developed from the exercise will be shared with police departments, fire departments and pipeline companies across Canada as one part of Canada’s National Strategy and Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure.

Training and emergency response exercises like these are vital to building a robust security framework that prepares everyone involved and keeps Canadians safe.

In March 2017, PTAC and CEPA signed a memorandum of understanding to work together on pipeline industry advancements in areas such as pipeline integrity, reliability and efficiency to mitigate safety risks, reduce environmental impacts and limit the social impacts of pipelines.

PTAC has played a key role in the advancement of technology in the petroleum industry since its formation in 1995, just as CEPA advances innovation in the pipeline industry. Together, CEPA and PTAC will pool their vast knowledge and considerable expertise to focus on continuous improvement in the areas of safety and the environment.

Every year, accidental damage to underground infrastructure costs Canadians an estimated one billion dollars, which is why CEPA members are dedicated to raising awareness of how unauthorized digging puts community safety at risk, and poses a threat to the protection of the environment.

Tree Canada is a national charitable organization committed to Growing Better Places to Live by engaging corporations, government, municipalities and individuals in helping to green Canada’s communities and reforest areas in need nation-wide. The 2017 partnership between CEPA members and Tree Canada helped re-establish forests that have been affected by wildfire, invasive insects or damaging winds.

That’s what ATCO’s leaders and employees confronted in early May 2016. Their quick action and sustained response during the Fort McMurray wildfires helped prevent a catastrophic situation from becoming unthinkably worse.

In the Fort McMurray area, ATCO has natural gas transmission and distribution assets, electricity transmission and distribution, as well as workforce housing. ATCO’s pipeline laterals feed into four gate stations to serve the entire city with natural gas.

ATCO Pipelines, a business unit within ATCO, routinely maintains close and collaborative working relationships with producers and other pipeline companies in the area. Once it was clear the wildfires would overrun pipelines and endanger the city, those close relationships became even more critical.

ATCO Pipelines collaborated with Suncor Energy and TransCanada Pipelines to isolate the gas feed and prevent it from feeding the fire. Not long after, with eyes glued to measurement on SCADA screens in their control room, the emergency response and operations teams detected one of their four gate stations was destroyed.

Like many others who played a part in the response, there were countless stories of heroism from the ATCO team as they responded to the disaster. It was not unusual for team members who’d lost their own homes and possessions to show up to help with the response. The company ensured occupational health and mental health professionals were readily available to monitor the physical and mental health of those who worked through the fires.

The team is extremely proud of their safety record – zero lost-time injuries in more than 14 years. Despite severe time pressures and having to take some controlled risks, the team kept their safety record intact.

Leaders at ATCO emphasize that being a CEPA member was a huge advantage during the fires. Previous mutual aid exercises had allowed them to build strong relationships with their peers. Throughout the inferno and after, those training exercises, as well as the resulting camaraderie and collaboration, paid off.

After the fires
ATCO participated actively in the post-fire response efforts – offering shelter to emergency responders and evacuated residents, and providing meals and other necessities. In fact, ATCO donated almost 70,000 meals throughout May and June 2016.

The organization also worked around the clock to restore service to the area, so first responders had access to electricity and a natural gas supply as they undertook re-building efforts. And by September 2016, ATCO was able to replace the burnt out gate station.

In January 2017, for their efforts, ATCO was awarded an Emergency Recovery Award by the Edison Electric Institute for their employees’ response, commitment to safety and collaboration during this major disaster.

But did you know that the CSA Group is also responsible for establishing standards for the transmission pipeline industry? In fact, CEPA works closely with the CSA to develop codes and standards for the construction and operations of pipelines. Our recent collaboration involves the development of consensus standards for The Land Use Planning for Pipelines and Pipeline Safety Metrics.

These are being created by a multi-stakeholder partnership that includes federal, provincial, and municipal governments, industry, labour, emergency response groups, public interest groups and academics.

The standards, once completed will be used throughout the lifecycle of pipelines to ensure high safety and environmental standards are maintained.

In the past, the transmission pipeline industry’s safety performance was defined by ‘lagging indicators’, which measures the industry’s safety record in the form of past statistics – an example being ‘total recordable injury rate’. However, lagging indicators don’t provide forward-looking insights.

Leading indicators do – they enable the transmission pipeline industry to drive and measure activities that can prevent and control safety incidents.

With the release of the new guidance document, CEPA members now have metrics for defining safety performance by leading indicators, such as the percentage of workers trained and the number of near misses reported. This enables members to focus on future occupational health and safety performance and also look at continuous improvement areas.

Through the remainder of 2017, CEPA members will continue to enhance and refine the guidance document, with the ultimate goal of improving safety management through the full implementation of effective safety performance indicators.

After that initial connection, CEPA has decided to pursue a made in Canada solution that’s based around the needs of our members. We will continue to work with international partners, including APGA, during this ongoing process.

In August 2016, we added incidents associated with transmission pipelines operated by CEPA members to the map, in addition to showing the locations of transmission pipelines and facilities.

You can zoom, or put in an address, postal code, community or province to find information on the location and age of pipelines, which company operates them and what product they transport. In addition, you can see the location and type of transmission pipeline incidents dating back to 2008, the CEPA member involved, the substance released, date and cause.

In our 2016 Transmission Pipeline Industry Performance Report, we announced the launch of a new partnership with the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) to promote collaboration across various programs related to emergency preparedness and response. The first-responder awareness program is designed to protect first responders and the communities they serve through training and communication.

Collaboration between these organizations continues to advance with the development of awareness modules to increase firefighters’ awareness of how emergency response practices are carried out by CEPA members. To date, four modules have been developed and made available through CEPA, CEPA members, and the CAFC.

Known as Bill C-46, this act builds on the industry’s already robust pipeline safety system and reinforces the polluter-pays principle – where polluters are held financially responsible for all costs and damages they incur.

As CEPA is the voice of the transmission pipeline industry in Canada, the federal government invited us to play a key role in updating this important pipeline safety legislation.

Pipeline Safety Act Highlights

• Enshrines into law the polluter-pays principle.
• Implements absolute “no fault” liability, which means the company is liable even if it is not at fault ($1 billion in the case of companies operating major oil pipelines).
• Requires pipeline operators to hold a minimum level of financial resources so that companies can cover their liability and respond in the rare event of an incident.
• Prescribes steps for funding pipeline clean-ups in the unlikely event that a company is unable to respond.

CEPA will continue to work with NRCan as the government develops supporting regulations to cover damage prevention and financial liability.

In 2015, CEPA and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers requested an independent, science-based study with the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) on how crude oil reacts in water. The intention of the study was to find ways to improve clean-up procedures after incidents and prevent environmental damage. This includes oil behaviour relevant to potential oil spills into Canadian marine waters, lakes, waterways and wetlands.

This review is one of the most comprehensive of its kind as it surveyed scientific literature, key reports and case studies, including tanker spills, an ocean rig blowout, pipeline spills and train derailments.

There are two phases to this study. Phase one focused on reviewing existing literature and scientific knowledge on the behavior of different crude oils in various aquatic environments. The panel’s report was released publicly in late 2015.

Some of the key findings from the report are:

• Research is needed to better understand the environmental impact of spilled crude oil in high risk and poorly understood areas, such as Arctic waters.
• Research is needed to increase the understanding of effects of oil spills on aquatic life and wildlife at the population, community and ecosystem levels.
• A national, priority directed program of baseline research and monitoring is needed to develop an understanding of the environmental and ecological characteristics of areas that may be affected.

The full report is available on the RSC’s website at: rsc-src.ca/en/publications-resources.

Phase two of the study was launched in late 2016 – which consists of conducting scientific testing on a wide range of crude oils transported in North America to identify their behaviors in aquatic environments. Ottawa based SL Ross Environmental Research was hired to do the testing and evolve procedures for removing crude oil from water in a variety of conditions. Results from this study will be available in 2018.