2011 Little Buffalo oil spill

The Little Buffalo oil spill on April 29, 2011, resulted in the discharge of 28,000 barrels of oil in an isolated stretch of boreal forest in northern Alberta, about ten kilometres from Little Buffalo, Alberta. The spill was caused by rain then damaging the pipes in the Rainbow Pipeline system, owned by Plains Midstream Canada, a unit of Plains All American Pipeline. It was the largest oil spill in Alberta in 36 years. The local school was closed following the oil spill due to concerns about the effects of fumes.

The 44-year-old Rainbow Pipeline carries an average of 187,000 barrels a day from Zama, Alberta to Edmonton. Little Buffalo, a Lubicon Cree community of about 350 people, is approximately ten kilometres from the spill site. Local news reports stated that many of the 125 children attending the local school began complaining of headaches, dizziness and nausea around 9:30 a.m. on April 29. The school was closed for the day on the day of the spill (Friday), but was evacuated again the following Monday due to the odour and effects on the children.

In 2013, Alberta's Energy Resource Conservation Board (ERCB) issued a reprimand to Plains Mainstream for operational failures in connection with the oil spill.

School principal Brian Alexander and chief Steve Noskey of the Lubicon Cree First Nation both expressed concern about the lack of response or information from the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) in the week following the spill. Provincial Environment Minister Rob Renner told reporters that the spill is in a "very remote area," and though a large spill, was under control. Renner said he was unaware of potential impacts on humans. Although he did not discount the community's health concerns, he said it was unlikely that the odours would carry dangerous chemicals. According to Alberta Environment spokesman Trevor Gemmell, the spill was contained in stands of stagnant water and was 300 metres from any flowing water.

Within two weeks, the company had cleaned up about 33 per cent of the oil, the oil pooled on top of the open water. However, it was estimated that it would take six months to recover most of the oil, including that which had soaked into the vegetation. Everyone involved admitted that restoring it fully was out of the question. The ERCB is the agency responsible for determining the cause of the leak. According to technician Sandra Blais that means analyzing the age of the pipeline. The pipeline had a spill in 2006 and the Alberta energy regulator determined that it was caused by corrosion. The pipeline has carried diluted bitumen, the oil sands product claimed by environmentalists claim to be harder on pipes than conventional oil. This is denied by industry officials.

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