Study shows pipelines are better for the environment

A University of Alberta study shows that the Kinder Morgan Pipeline would emit lower greenhouse gas emissions and leak less compared to the diesel tank cars that currently transport oil by rail to market.

Findings from the University of Alberta study were published in the Journal of Environmental Science & Technology and show that not only are pipelines better for the environment than rail, but they’re the best way to haul oil and bitumen long distances.

“If we have to choose how we get Alberta oil to markets, pipelines are the way to go because of the lower greenhouse gas emission footprint," explains Amit Kumar, a mechanical engineer. Trans Mountain will replace 400 diesel rail cars and 1,500 diesel trucks. Plus, when you are looking at longer distances, you have to be energy-efficient, and a pipeline can transport much more oil than a railroad can.”

After comparing the energy consumption in construction and operation for transportation by rail and pipeline, researchers in the Faculty of Engineering discovered that pipeline transportation produced between 61 and 77 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than rail.

The findings, published in the Journal of Environmental Science & Technology, come in the wake of protests over the hotly contested Trans Mountain pipeline. The projects will pump nearly a million more barrels of oil a day from Alberta's oil sands to global markets.

“At that volume, pipelines like the Trans Mountain project would be the lower-emission option,” said Amit Kumar, professor of mechanical engineering and lead author on the study.