Ms. Rebecca Taylor of the NEB reports

NATIONAL ENERGY BOARD RESPONDS TO CRUDE OIL RELEASE IN SARNIA, ONTARIO

The National Energy Board is responding to a crude oil release between the Imperial oil terminal the Marcus oil terminal in Sarnia, Ont., pipelines of which belong to Plains Midstream Canada, Imperial Oil Ltd. and Enbridge Inc.'s Enbridge Pipelines Inc. The size of the spill has yet to be determined by the NEB. There is no immediate safety concern for local residents, and precautions are being taken to ensure continued public safety.

The NEB received an incident report at approximately 8:30 a.m. MST. Preliminary information indicates the release is located along a right-of-way containing pipelines belonging to Plains Midstream Canada, Imperial Oil and Enbridge Pipelines. All pipelines have been shut down to prevent additional oil from being released into the environment. An excavation will be required to determine the source of the release.

Absorbent booms have been positioned along the river as a precautionary measure. There is no indication that any oil has entered the St. Clair River.

Environment, pipeline integrity and socio-economic specialists from NEB's emergency response team have been deployed and will be on site to monitor and assess the companies' immediate response, investigation and cleanup. Representatives from the affected companies are also on site along with local first responders and the Ontario Ministry of Environment.

In an emergency, the board works with federal, provincial and territorial partners to co-ordinate the regulatory response. NEB's priority in any emergency is to make sure that people are safe and the environment is protected.

The National Energy Board holds regulated companies fully responsible and accountable for responding in a manner that protects the public, property and the environment. This includes cleanup and site remediation. The board's long-term goal with any incident is the full restoration and r-vegetation of the site, including any potential effects on subsurface groundwater. It does not relax its expectations of a company, or its response, regardless of the size of the incident.