Courtland Klein wonders why pipelines don't have end dates, or why preventative maintenance isn't being done to avoid oil spills on pipelines in Saskatchewan.

"Everything has a shelf life, an expectation of expiry," said Klein, who is the recording secretary for the United Steelworkers 5890 in Regina.

"Pipelines should be the same thing. These things aren't going to run forever and ever. They need to be upgraded; they need to be replaced."

Regina's USW 5890 produces pipeline with recycled materials, and has produced pipe for major lines such as Enbridge's L3R and the Dakota Access pipeline in North Dakota. Despite spills, pipelines are still the safest, most effective way to transport oil, he said.

When incidents such as the oil spill which happened on the Ocean Man First Nation last week occur, it's a black eye on the industry, Klein said.

Last week's spill saw approximately 200,000 litres of oil spill onto the band's land. As of Wednesday, the spill had mostly been cleaned, with more than 174,000 litres accounted for.

The age of the culprit pipe is unknown as yet, but the chief of Ocean Man estimates the pipes predate the band's location to the area and could have been installed as early as the mid- to late 1960s.

"Do we need we need to have a better inspection process on some of this older infrastructure? Does the government maybe need to start regulating and put an expiry date on some of this pipeline in the ground?" Klein asked.

Environmental standards and economic development can go hand in hand and it doesn't have to be one or the other, he said. Klein said he has been lobbying for local steelworkers but efforts are basically reset when a spill such as last week's occurs.

"Now we have to go out and apologize for our jobs," Klein said.

Klein said when it comes to pipelines and every spill is under a magnifying glass it's tough on the workers, especially when employment is uncertain in tough economic times. The lines need to go into the ground rather than get hung up with bureaucratic red tape due to job uncertainty, he said.

Klein said the steelworkers made 611 kilometres of the Dakota Access pipeline, which employed workers for nearly nine months. Enbridge's L3R line replacement saw workers make 1,310 kilometres of pipeline and that kept workers employed for 23 months, Klein said.

He said he foresees Regina workers making pipe for the upcoming 1,000-kilometre Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline as well.

"Things were looking very grim for us just a few months ago," Klein said.

He hopes Kinder Morgan, which hasn't yet committed to where they will buy pipe from, will buy from Regina rather than outsource it offshore.