Greenpeace sets up oil spill hotline

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EDMONTON, Alberta, July 10 (UPI) -- The Canadian branch of environmental group Greenpeace said it helped launch a tip line to report oil spills in the province of Alberta.

Pipeline company Plains Midstream Canada deployed containment boom and hundreds of workers to respond to a leak from its Rangeland pipeline system in Alberta province in mid-June. That spill corresponded with recent similar incidents from Enbridge and Pace Energy Oil and Gas.

Greenpeace says the provincial government has "refused" to enact minimum safeguards to ensure pipeline safety in Alberta.

The advocacy group announced it joined forces with the Council of Canadians, the Sierra Club and land-owner association Alberta Surface Rights Group in establishing a tip line for oil spills in the province.

Mike Hudema, a campaigner for Greenpeace, suggested some spills were never reported.

"Albertans deserve to know what's going on, and they deserve a government that will do something about it," he said in a statement.

Canadian Energy Minister Ken Hughes had said pipeline laws are sufficient. National officials said regulations require pipeline companies to conduct annual reviews of pipelines that cross waterways.