Wall stresses need for proper pipeline regulations after 2nd Tundra Energy spill

Premier Brad Wall says both he and Tundra Energy are concerned about the company’s recent oil spills in Saskatchewan.

Wall responded Friday after the latest spill, which leaked 5,000 litres of oil at Tundra’s Ingoldsby Terminal 270 kilometres southeast of Regina on Tuesday.

The leak came just weeks after a larger spill in Ocean Man First Nation, which resulted in 200,000 litres seeping onto low-lying agricultural land. 

Wall said the spills are unfortunate, but Tundra’s response has been promising.

“We’d obviously rather they not occur, but they do unfortunately,” he said. “Their response to the first spill … they’ve almost cleaned all of it up.”

Wall said the Ingoldsby Terminal spill occurred on a line inspected in July, but added the government needs to ensure their regulations are rigorous.

“If we’re going to be advocating for pipelines across the country or into the U.S., then I think we need to ensure we have the right regulatory regime in place,” he said.

The province is already exploring tighter regulations for pipelines in Saskatchewan, after a Husky Energy line spilled 220,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River in July 2016.