Line 9: Journey along the pipeline

Hamilton Spectator

It has flowed quietly beneath our feet for nearly 40 years, carrying the oil used to power our lives. But a plan to reverse and increase the flow of oil in Line 9 has thrust the 30-inch pipeline into the spotlight, sparking fears of catastrophe, and promises of prosperity.

This is the story of a pipeline and the people whose lives it passes.

It was built in 1975, of quarter-inch steel made in Hamilton, coated in a single layer of polyethylene tape, designed to be reversible, to change with the ever-fluctuating oil markets.

It was called Line 9.

In 1976, it went into operation, flowing crude oil from west to east, feeding a half-dozen hungry oil refineries in Montreal.

More than two decades later, Enbridge reversed the flow as a glut in overseas markets led to lower prices. Foreign oil has been glugging down Line 9 from Montreal to Sarnia ever since.

But North America is in the midst of another oil boom, with Alberta's oil sands and North Dakota's Bakken region alone producing nearly 2.7 million barrels per day in 2012.

There aren't enough pipelines to move it all to market. And, because North American product is selling for less than the oil that comes from overseas, Quebec refineries are eager to get their hands on the cheaper supply.

So, Enbridge wants to turn the oil tides again, reversing Line 9 to flow eastward, carrying hundreds of thousands of barrels a day across Ontario to Montreal.

Here is the original post:
Line 9: Journey along the pipeline