I’m afraid I do not see a consensus for one specifc option, however, it seems that simply saying “bitumen” does not have a consensus either, so while normally we would retain the status quo in this situation that also seems problematic. I would therefore suggest that the last two comments in this discussion be considered as a compromise solution. Beeblebrox (talk) 23:39, 28 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Is "bitumen" the correct term to describe what the pipeline transports? 21:21, 28 November 2017 (UTC) The term "bitumen" refers to unrefined extra-heavy crude^[1] which cannot be pumped through pipelines, as it is far too viscous ^[2].

I suggest changing the term to "crude oil" (as per official TransCanada statement^{[3][dead link]}) or at the very least "diluted bitumen" (although there is no evidence to support the pipeline would carry diluted bitumen and NOT synthetic crude, which make up about a 60/40 split of oil sands production^[4]), thus I feel it would be most correct to change the term to "crude oil" and not "bitumen". 24.51.248.130 (talk) 21:30, 28 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Survey[edit]

• Yes, bitumen is the correct term Bitumen is the simplest and most accurate term. There are multiple reliable sources that refer to the proposed Energy East pipeline as carrying bitumen.The National Post, The NYT, The Vancouver Sun, among others, use the term, and muddying the issue by saying "it's actually dilbit" or "it's actually synthetic crude" is unnecessarily confusing at best, and at worst, it's an attempt to soften the image of the pipeline and its parent company, because bitumen is more emissions-intensive and therefore isn't good PR. At any rate, it's bitumen that's being extracted from the oil sands in Alberta, and that's what ultimately would've been transported via this pipeline, no matter what % of chemicals they planned to dilute it with. Rockypedia (talk) 21:40, 28 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I disagree. "Bitumen is the simplest and most accurate term." Incorrect. Simplest, maybe, but certainly not most accurate. See my references for details. "There are multiple reliable sources that refer to the proposed Energy East pipeline as carrying bitumen." Makes no difference, incorrect use of the word "bitumen" by reliable sources does not change the incorrect use of the word. Journalists at the NYT, National Post, Vancouver Sun, etc. should not be considered more correct than the actual definitions of the terms as set out by the AOGA and CEPA. "it's an attempt to soften the image of the pipeline and its parent company, because bitumen is more emissions-intensive and therefore isn't good PR" Thank you for clarifying that you are attempting to make the company look bad. It is, in fact, an attempt to use the correct terminology. You are correct that extracting bitumen is more emissions-intensive, but you are incorrect in assuming the only reason to not use the term is PR. The point of the page is to give readers facts. Include somewhere that bitumen would be extracted from the oil sands, diluted into dilbit or synthetic crude and then shipped through the pipeline - but the fact remains that the pipeline does not carry bitumen. 21:52, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

I would like to add as well that a number of sources also use the term "crude oil", or simply "crude", such as the CBC^[5], Globe and Mail, and even the National Energy Board^[6], so the use of the term by certain news outlets is not a valid reason to continue using it. 02:12, 29 November 2017 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.51.248.130 (talk)

• Bitumen is not quite accurate per comments below. Why overcomplicate this. How about:

The Energy East pipeline was a proposed petroleum pipeline in Canada. It would deliver diluted bitumen from Western Canada and North Western United States to Eastern Canada, from receipt points in Alberta, Saskatchewan and North Dakota to refineries and port terminals in New Brunswick and possibly Quebec.

• Diluted Bitumen and/or Crude - that seems to be the most accurate per the available sources. If you're making the argument that it should be called bitumen because that's what the product is before being changed to make it suitable for transport, why not say that the pipeline is transporting old dinosaurs - after all, that's what the product was before becoming a fossil fuel. A compromise position might be to include the word diluted in brackets, "(diluted) bitumen", but I think that adding the fact that it isn't pure bitumen being transported is worthwhile for accuracy. I don't know that this necessarily helps the company, PR-wise, as the diluents themselves bring a new level of toxicity from the bitumen itself. PGWG (talk) 13:50, 7 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]
• Bitumen and/or crude oil Bitumen is simply asphalt, a mostly refined product, quite rarely extracted from the ground as such. Asphalt or bitumen is the lowest, heaviest product in the crude oil refining tower. Pipelines, in constantly high temperatures, can be used for the transport of crude and asphalt interchangeably, after the materials to be transported are put through various necessary processes.^[7]-The Gnome (talk) 08:36, 10 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

• Crude Oil or Diluted Bitumen appear to be the most accurate. And I agree with PGWG's point and consider it to be important on this....you don't label something that has been transformed by the name of the main ingredient prior to the transformation. And the expertise and objectivity of sources with respect to the area where they are being cited should be taken into account. North8000 (talk) 11:28, 16 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

• Oil pipeline in the opening sentence, explain later in the body text. Diluted bitumen is also oil. The same discussion seems to be started again and again in almost every article related to the crude oil produced from oil sands. However, if we look articles like Keystone Pipeline or Alberta Clipper pipeline, they are using the term oil pipeline. Also, this article is categorized in Category:Oil pipelines in Canada. Beagel (talk) 11:44, 16 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Comment: "Oil pipeline" is not wrong at all, especially if we mean to consolidate information. Note, however, that most (in number) petroleum pipelines in the world carry refined products - from refineries to installations, from installations to shipping ports or other installations, etc. But the term proposed is fine. "Oil" has come to mean the whole gamut of petroleum. -The Gnome (talk) 12:01, 16 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

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