by Karen Longwell / North Umberland News

About 15 protesters disrupted work at Enbridge’s Line 9B pipeline Wednesday morning.

Protestors from the group Rising Tide Toronto arrived at the site on Morrish Church Road, north of Wesleyville, around 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 2. The group set up signs demanding an end to the tar sands and fracking, a procedure to extract oil and gas through creating fractures in rocks by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open.

The 10 staff members working on the site were sent to work on other sites after the protestors arrived, confirmed Enbridge communications manager Graham White. Security staff was sent to the site. OPP officers were also on site. Mr. White said the workers were making preparations for a hydrostatic test as required by the National Energy Board in preparation for the reversal of crude oil flow in the pipeline. The board requested the testing in three locations before the reversal is approved, he said.

Spokeswoman for Rising Tide Toronto Lana Goldberg said the group wants to raise awareness about the pipeline and the fact the reversal of flow will allow for the expansion of the oil sands in Alberta. The testing does not mitigate the pipeline’s impacts, she said.

“No amount of work will make the pipeline safe,” said Ms. Goldberg.

There are concerns about ruptures and the fact that some First Nations communities were not consulted about the pipeline, she added.

“We are here to raise awareness about this pipeline,” she said.

The protesters came from Toronto, Hamilton, and Belleville.

The 40-year old pipeline could rupture, argued protestor Niloofar Gol.

“Running water through a few spots in this aging pipeline doesn’t mean it won’t break, and moreover it does nothing to address the devastation wrought by the tar sands and fracking fields,” said Ms. Gol. “We are opposed to Enbridge’s Line 9 project because it facilitates tar sands and fracking expansion.”

Mr. White said the pipeline, built in 1976, is reverting to its original flow. It was reversed in 1997 to move offshore crude from Quebec to western Canada. Now with changing economic conditions, the pipeline flow is to move crude oil from western Canada to refineries in Quebec, said Mr. White.

The pipeline has safely operated for 40 years, he added.

“The safe operation of the pipeline is our priority,” he said.

The hydrostatic testing is the last step in getting approvals for the reversal and he expects the tests to be complete by the end of the year.