Watching Government: Battling onshore leaks

Aug. 20, 2010
The US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has held hearings on oil and gas pipeline safety this spring and summer, has scheduled one for Sept. 15 specifically dealing with Enbridge Inc.'s July 26 pipeline rupture in Michigan.

The US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has held hearings on oil and gas pipeline safety this spring and summer, has scheduled one for Sept. 15 specifically dealing with Enbridge Inc.'s July 26 pipeline rupture in Michigan.

Some members of Michigan's US congressional delegation quickly saw parallels between the onshore leak and offshore spill into the Gulf of Mexico after BP PLC's deepwater Macondo well blew out on Apr. 20. But there also were some big differences.

For starters, only an estimated 19,500 bbl of crude leaked into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River before Enbridge's 30-in. line was shut down. Pipelines have several strategically placed pumps and valves to stop the line's flow promptly, explained Andrew J. Black, president of the Association of Oil Pipelines. "That's in contrast to the one valve on the Macondo well which had to hold back the force of Mother Nature and couldn't," he told OGJ on Aug. 17.

The US Environmental Protection Agency, which has served as the on-scene response coordinator over 30 miles of the Kalamazoo River, said that as of Aug. 16, 165,565 ft of boom had been deployed; 40 containment locations had been established; and 105,713 gal of oil-water mixture, 3,915 cu yards of debris, and 6,164 cu yards of soil had been shipped off-site.

Enbridge's response

Enbridge is operating two community centers in Marshall and Battle Creek, Mich. It has encouraged residents to stop by with any questions and offered help with the claims process for people who were directly affected. The company has provided temporary accommodations for those residents and their pets.

Steve Wouri, Enbridge's executive vice-president for liquids pipelines, said that Enbridge filed an amended return-to-service plan with the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration's Pipeline Safety Office on Aug. 13 and is awaiting a response.

EPA also scheduled a public meeting in Kalamazoo on Aug. 19 to brief residents on the spill, cleanup progress, and wildlife protection efforts.

US Rep. Mark H. Schauer (D-Minn.), who represents the congressional district where the leak occurred, pressed for the Sept. 15 hearing. "It has become clear to me that Enbridge violated federal regulations in reporting the spill in Marshall," he said on Aug. 5. "I question their ability to operate their vast pipeline system in a way that protects public health and safety."

Black told OGJ that while interest has been expressed in corrosion causing onshore pipeline leaks, emphasis now seems to be on response times. More significantly, congressional committees and government regulators seem to recognize that onshore pipelines face different challenges than deepwater offshore wells, he added.

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