The number of incidents affecting people has decreased 20% as the total of US mileage and deliveries has increased more than 10% in the last 5 years, the American Petroleum Institute and the Association for Oil Pipelines jointly said in their 2019 Liquids Pipeline Performance Report on Apr. 8.
API and AOPL issued the report nearly a week after Democrats and Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee called on the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to implement mandates in the 2011 and 2016 federal pipeline safety law reauthorizations more quickly (OGJ Online, Apr. 8, 2019).
Each year, the two associations download data PHMSA collects and analyze the numbers to see where pipeline operators are making progress, and determine where to focus upcoming industry-wide improvement efforts.
Their latest report found that in the last 5 years:
• Total liquids incidents affecting people or the environment decreased by 20%.
• Pipeline incidents caused by incorrect operation fell by 38%.
• Incidents caused by corrosion, cracking, or weld failure dropped by 35%.
• Total liquids pipeline mileage increased by 12%, including 30% growth in crude oil pipelines, as the number of barrels delivered grew by 44%.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].
