Per gallon of oil transported, pipelines are the safest method.

Context#

Pipeline opponents often highlight spill incidents while ignoring how oil would be transported instead. The data is clear: pipelines are significantly safer than every alternative.

Evidence#

The Safety Comparison

Incidents per billion ton-miles transported:

Spill rates (barrels spilled per billion barrel-miles):

• Pipelines: 0.89
• Rail: 2.08
• Truck: 3.86

Pipelines are 4x safer than trucks and 2x safer than rail by volume transported.

Why Pipelines Are Safer

Engineering advantages:

• Fixed route, no moving vehicles
• Buried underground (protected from weather, accidents)
• Continuous monitoring systems
• Automatic shutoff valves
• No human drivers to make errors

Modern pipeline technology:

• Real-time pressure monitoring
• "Smart pigs" that detect corrosion internally
• Leak detection systems accurate to small volumes
• 24/7 control room monitoring
• Regular inspection and maintenance schedules

Regulatory oversight:

• Strict construction standards
• Mandatory safety inspections
• Incident reporting requirements
• Financial responsibility requirements

Rail: The Dangerous Alternative

Lac-Mégantic disaster (2013):

• 47 people killed
• Town center destroyed
• 6 million liters of oil spilled
• Worst rail disaster in Canadian history
• Happened because pipelines weren't available

Rail oil transport risks:

• Travels through city centers
• Crosses hundreds of road crossings
• Subject to derailments
• Human error in operation
• Weather-related accidents

After pipelines are blocked:

• Rail shipments increase
• More tank cars through communities
• Higher risk to populated areas
• Lac-Mégantic could happen again

Truck: The Worst Option

Truck transport risks:

• Highest accident rate of any method
• Drives on public roads with other vehicles
• Driver fatigue and error
• Weather-related accidents
• Thousands of trips to move what one pipeline moves continuously

Environmental comparison:

• Trucks: Highest emissions per barrel transported
• Rail: Moderate emissions
• Pipelines: Lowest emissions (electric pumping stations)

What the Data Shows

Canadian pipeline safety record:

• 99.999% of oil transported arrives safely
• Spill volumes have declined for decades
• Technology continues to improve
• Incidents are rare and quickly contained

U.S. pipeline safety trends:

• Significant incidents down 43% since 2005
• Serious injuries down 30%
• Industry invests billions in safety upgrades

The Irony of Pipeline Opposition

When activists block pipelines:

• Oil doesn't stop flowing—it moves by rail and truck
• Communities face MORE risk, not less
• Emissions INCREASE from transport
• Rail cars travel through the same watersheds

Keystone XL rejection meant:

• More rail shipments of heavy crude
• Higher transport costs passed to consumers
• Greater accident risk
• More emissions

If Trans Mountain hadn't been built:

• More tanker trucks on mountain highways
• More rail cars through Fraser Valley
• Same oil, more dangerous transport

Pipeline Spills: Context Matters

When spills occur:

• Detected quickly (monitoring systems)
• Contained to limited area (fixed location)
• Cleanup begins immediately
• Rarely affect populated areas

Compared to alternatives:

• Rail: Spills can be catastrophic (fires, explosions)
• Truck: Spills on public roads, into waterways
• Ship: Marine spills extremely difficult to contain

Recovery:

• Pipeline spills: Average cleanup measured in days/weeks
• Rail disasters: Can devastate communities permanently

What Pipeline Opponents Won't Tell You

1. Oil will be transported regardless—the question is how
2. Blocking pipelines increases risk—to people and environment
3. "Keep it in the ground" isn't realistic—demand exists
4. Pipelines reduce emissions—lowest-carbon transport method
5. Modern pipelines are engineering marvels—not your grandfather's infrastructure

Analysis#

This claim is true. By every safety metric—incidents, injuries, fatalities, and spills per volume transported—pipelines outperform rail, truck, and ship transport by significant margins.

This isn't controversial among safety experts. It's basic physics: a buried, continuously monitored, stationary tube is safer than moving vehicles operated by humans on roads, rails, or waterways shared with the public.

The tragedy is that pipeline opposition often increases danger. When Keystone XL was cancelled, that oil didn't stay in the ground—it moved by rail, a method twice as likely to spill. When pipeline projects are delayed for years, communities live with more truck and rail traffic while activists claim victory.

If the goal is protecting communities and the environment, the answer is more pipelines, not fewer. Every barrel that moves through a pipeline is a barrel that doesn't move on a train through your town or a truck on your highway.

Pipeline safety isn't a talking point—it's engineering fact. And opposing pipelines while oil demand continues isn't protecting anyone; it's choosing more dangerous transport methods out of ideological opposition to the safest option available.