December 1, 2012

Groups: Pipeline proposal a sign tar sands oil is headed to Maine

But the company behind it denies it has any plans to ship the controversial crude oil out of Canada.

By North Cairn ncairn@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

(Continued from page 1)

click image to enlarge

The Enbridge "application is a wake-up call that we are at risk from a pipeline that would bring dirty tar sands to our doorstep," said Environment Maine Director Emily Figdor in a news release following the announcement of Enbridge's request.

Vorhees said the council is circulating a petition opposing the pipeline here, and it already has been signed by about 1,000 people.

He said if tar sands crude was transported through a Maine pipeline and leaked, "there could be implications for drinking water," because the pipeline passes near Sebago Lake, the water source for the Portland Water District.

Ted O'Meara, spokesman for the Portland Pipeline Co., which operates the Montreal-to-South Portland pipeline, said there is no plan to reverse the flow of oil in Maine.

"There's no project right now," he said. "There's no plan to do it now. There's no project."

A proposal that examined the potential for a Montreal-to-South Portland flow "was talked about a few years ago, and shelved," he said.

O'Meara would not rule out the possibility that the plan could be studied anew, but he said no plan would be put in place and sprung on Mainers unexpectedly.

"We've been a good neighbor for a lot of years," he said, adding that the company was committed to maintaining that relationship with Portland and the rest of the state.

Staff Writer North Cairn can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:

ncairn@pressherald.com

 

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