Saskatchewan Oil Spill -Contingency Plan
Authors: Laberge A.L. 
Published: March 2010

This paper provides background to the development of Saskatchewan's Oil Spill Contingency Plan which became operative in August of 1972. The scope and objectives of the plan are outlined, the functions of the internal committees explained and the operating manuals for Areas 1 to 5 described. A section of the paper is devoted to Area 6, here pipelines constitute a special consideration.

BACKGROUND

EARLY IN 1970, the Environmental Conservation Committee of the Canadian Petroleum Association addressed itself to the investigation of reports of several relatively serious oil spills which had occurred in the Province of Alberta. The purpose of the study was to ascertain what the petroleum industry as a whole might do to minimize the dangers of an apparently growing hazard. It was obvious that in a province that produced over 325 million barrels of crude oil per year which 'was transported through thousands of miles of gathering and major pipelines, some spills could be expected. The problem was compounded by the fact that the oil was produced and transported by hundreds of different companies in all types of terrain forested foothills, arid plains, muskeg - a large area of which was in close proximity to water courses.

The investigations indicated that as in the early cases of coastal spills such as the Torrey Canyon disaster, the Santa Barbara Coast spills and the Arrow incident on the east coast of Canada, the problems were mainly due to improper deployment of equipment which was available and poor co-ordination of the resources of all companies and agencies which were at hand. In all the studies conducted, it became apparent that a single authority or task force commander should he immediately designated and that a consistency of approach must be applied to any given problem.

Following discussions with officials of the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Petroleum Association accepted the responsibility of developing a joint Industry- Government Contingency' Plan for the control of major oil spills in that province. Subsequent to this, the Pembina Contingency Plan(1) and Alberta's Oil Spill Contingency Plan were developed.

In late 1970, representatives of the Saskatchewan Division, C.P.A., approached the Department of Mineral Resources with the suggestion that consideration be given in Saskatchewan to a plan similar to those being developed in Alberta. In December of that year, the Deputy Minister of the Departmant of Mineral Resources, following on that suggestion, addressed a proposal to the Division to join with members of the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada and consider the formation of such a plan. The result of this was a joint meeting between officials of the department and representatives of the industry in April, 1971.

At that time, although a genaral discussion took place on the approach to the scheme, the most significant matter from tha standpoint of tha industry rapresentatives was the commitment from the Deputy: Minister of Minaral Resources that his dapartment would ha the sole government agency with which the producing and pipeline segments of the petroleum industry would deal in connection with oil spills.