Line 9 - Tar Sands

A proposal to bring dirty tar sands oil through Ontario & Quebec

Line 9 is an aging oil pipeline owned by Enbridge Inc. that runs through some of the most densely populated parts of Canada.

Right now, the 38-year-old pipeline carries conventional oil and runs across Ontario and Quebec. As part of a larger plan to export tar sands oil east through Canada and the U.S., Enbridge recently applied to reverse Line 9 and has asked for permission for the line to carry heavy crude, which could include tar sands oil. Once that tar sands oil reaches Montreal, it is expected that a second pipeline will be reversed to carry the oil south to Portland, Maine for export.

Enbridge’s Line 9 proposal carries many risks, but few rewards for communities along the pipeline’s route.

Hamilton Toronto Kingston Cornwall Pipeline Anywhere

In this area Line 9 crosses creeks draining into Hamilton Harbour and lake Ontario. They include Grindstone Creek, Bronte Creek, and 16 Mile Creek.

Line 9 Crosses all of the major rivers in the GTA. These include the Credit, Humber, Don, and Rouge Rivers, all of which drain into Lake Ontario, the source of drinking water for millions of people. Environmental Defence has discovered the pipeline dangerously exposed in the Rouge River, threatening this ecologically sensitive area and future National Park.

Line 9 runs just north of Kingston, crossing the Cataraqui River, which is part of the Rideau Canal system.

The pipeline crosses through the Cornwall area, threatening small local waterways like the Raisin River and the entire St. Lawrence with the threat of an oil spill

A related project is being planned to ship the unrefined tar sands oil from Montreal, Quebec down to Portland, Maine for export on tankers. Click here for more information on the PMPL pipeline proposal.

More dangerous tar sands oil will be shipped through the pipe. Instead of normal crude oil, Enbridge wants to ship diluted bitumen, or “dilbit.” Dilbit is more corrosive to pipelines, acting like a hot liquid sandpaper, raising the risk of pipeline failure. It is harder to clean up, because unlike normal oil it sinks in water, coating river or lake beds. And, it is very toxic, containing a cocktail of nasty chemicals that make people sick when exposed: benzene, toluene, and hydrogen sulphide.

The Risks of Tar Sands Oil

Tar sands oil is more dangerous to ship through pipelines than normal oil. There is strong evidence that pipelines carrying tar sands oil spill more often than those carrying normal oil.

When tar sands oil spills, it can damage both human health and the environment. A tar sands oil spill into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River in 2010, caused hundreds of people to permanently lose their homes and severely impacted many people’s health.

Tar sands oil has the consistency of peanut butter and needs to be diluted with condensate before being sent through a pipeline. When tar sands oil spills into water, the condensate evaporates, creating a toxic, carcinogenic cloud while most of the heavy bitumen sinks and coats the bottom of the lake or river with thick goo, making it much more difficult to clean up than a normal spill.

It’s also more expensive to clean up. The oil spill in the Kalamazoo River has cost $765 million and the clean-up is not yet complete. It’s worth noting that the pipeline that spilled in Michigan was about the same age as Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline.

How you can help: Take action here to ask for a full, public environmental assessment of Enbridge’s Line 9 proposal.

To learn more about the risks of Enbridge’s Line 9 proposal, click here.