An oil spill from a pipeline in northern Alberta pumped 22,000 barrels of oil mix into muskeg earlier this month. That’s right, 22,000 barrels.

As of this morning, crews were still working to contain the spill, which began on May 19. While spills from pipelines happen all the time, this particular spill is the largest recent spill in North America. The Enbridge pipeline that burst into the Kalamazoo River a couple years back only dumped 19,500ish barrels into the environment, and look at the fuss people made about that little slip-up!

With so many pipes crisscrossing North America, it really is tough to keep track of them all. According to the Globe & Mail,

As with many recent pipeline accidents, Calgary-based Pace did not detect a problem, but was informed of the leak by another company after the spill was spotted from an aircraft.

This latest spill is just the thing that environmentalists love. With Enbridge’s plans for the Northern Gateway being pushed along steadily with the help of Ottawa, the potential “risks” of oil and gas development are sure to be touted on Facebook walls and poorly handwritten protest signs.

So what if a few thousands barrels of oil spill in a swamp? We’re pumping out millions of those suckers a day in Fort McMurray alone. There’s only one speed on this train, pal: full fucking speed ahead.

Globe and MailFlickr