Playing it Safe

I wrote about the need to improve the safety and efficiency of oil transport in this space last month. It’s an important issue that affects everyone from oil companies, to oilfield service providers, to the average folks who live along highways, railways and pipelines.

There is inherent risk in virtually everything. The transportation of crude oil is certainly not alone in that regard. But the effects of a pipeline leak or tanker car derailment are obvious and easy to see.

I see countless stories every week detailing the battle over the Keystone XL pipeline, protests over oil sands developments, and concern about the exponential growth of tanker cars carrying crude across North America, but I see very few stories about companies working to improve safety and prevent environmental disasters. That’s not to say it isn’t happening; many companies, some of which have been profiled in these pages, are working toward these goals. But like other significant issues today, where stories are posted to the Web before anyone even has a chance to evaluate or understand, the accidents get the headlines and the positive developments get buried.

Opponents are often reactionary and claim those who stand to profit are dismissive, but I don’t think that’s the case. Sure, there are oil companies that don’t follow every best practice, but that’s the case in any industry and there are many more that are pushing technology forward and doing their part to deliver a product the whole world needs without harming the other resources the world depends on.

James Lenfestey, an editorial writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, recently likened President Obama’s decision on the Keystone XL pipeline to a potential “Rosa Parks moment,” the kind of action that could have far greater implications than the specific issue at hand. Lenfestey says denying the pipeline could change the whole culture of energy development and send an important message that “oil no longer rules at any cost when our home planet is in peril.”

I would argue that we’ve already reached that point, and the ongoing debate over Keystone is a great example of how government doesn’t necessarily have a rubber stamp of approval for every oil company request. The debate has been going on for years.

Oil companies have no desire to allow leaks, explosions or other disasters. They are costly, damaging to reputations and make their jobs more difficult, in addition to all the ethical and moral concerns. The bottom line is most companies, like the ones profiled in these pages, are doing their part to promote new technologies and make this industry safer, and those achievements should be celebrated.

And within the need for these new technologies to safeguard our environment lies great opportunity. Everyone from the hot shot operators to the drilling companies has the opportunity to develop efficiencies that improve the overall picture and impact of the oil and gas industry. From thermal soil remediation, to safety features on trains and the development of better remote monitoring technology for pipelines, there are opportunities to improve the process and make it cleaner and safer, all while generating a valuable and in-demand product.

The key will be in convincing people that the oilsands can be mined safely and responsibly, that hydraulic fracturing can provide oil and gas without tainting water supplies, that pipelines will be properly maintained and spills contained before disasters develop, that the oil industry really does have an interest and concern for the environment, not just profits. And the only way to really convince people of that is to prove it.

Related: Safety First: CPR Revisited

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