After the recent oil spill into the Yellowstone River, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a Corrective Action Order to ExxonMobil Pipeline Company on July 5. The order requires the company to make safety improvements along the Silvertip hazardous liquid pipeline.
ExxonMobil must rebury the pipeline underneath the Yellowstone riverbed to protect it from further external damage. The company must conduct a risk assessment on the Silvertip pipeline where it crosses any waterway. ExxonMobil is required to submit a restart plan before resuming its operations.
“The safety of our nation’s pipelines is a priority and the investigation into this incident is ongoing,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a press release. “It is our responsibility to ensure pipelines are safely delivering energy to U.S. households and businesses, and when companies are not living up to our safety standards, we will take action. We will continue to work with the EPA, while ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”
The PHMSA and the U.S. Coast Guard are working together to conduct the investigations and assist in oil spill response activities. The cause of the release has not yet been determined.
Secretary LaHood has proposed a new pipeline safety action plan to immediately begin addressing concerns about the nation’s aging pipeline infrastructure after several major pipeline accidents. LaHood also proposed federal legislation to strengthen oversight on pipeline safety. A maximum penalty will be enforced for pipeline violations starting at $100,000 to $250,000 per day and from $1 million–$2.5 million for a series of violations. This proposal will authorize the department to strengthen risk management requirements, add more inspectors, and improve data reporting to help identify potential pipeline safety risks early.
The governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer sent a letter to ExxonMobil on July 7 demanding that any work on the ruptured pipeline must be performed with representatives of the state and the EPA present to observe the work. Pieces of the ruptured pipeline must be preserved as evidence. Any documents concerning the ruptured pipeline must also be preserved as evidence, he wrote.
Lisa McClain Vanderpool, a spokesperson for the EPA, wrote in an e-mail, “The EPA is conducting air and water quality sampling and will make the results available to the public as soon as the data is available. Air monitoring using real-time instruments that look for volatile organic compounds and hydrogen sulfide is ongoing with no detections in the last 72 hours. Additionally, air sampling for benzene has been conducted between Laurel, Mont., and Billings, Mont., with no detectable levels. We are deploying additional air samplers at specific locations to ensure the continued protection of the community and emergency responders. As of July 6, approximately 440 are on the scene conducting cleanup activities.”
ExxonMobil must rebury the pipeline underneath the Yellowstone riverbed to protect it from further external damage. The company must conduct a risk assessment on the Silvertip pipeline where it crosses any waterway. ExxonMobil is required to submit a restart plan before resuming its operations.
“The safety of our nation’s pipelines is a priority and the investigation into this incident is ongoing,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a press release. “It is our responsibility to ensure pipelines are safely delivering energy to U.S. households and businesses, and when companies are not living up to our safety standards, we will take action. We will continue to work with the EPA, while ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”
The PHMSA and the U.S. Coast Guard are working together to conduct the investigations and assist in oil spill response activities. The cause of the release has not yet been determined.
Secretary LaHood has proposed a new pipeline safety action plan to immediately begin addressing concerns about the nation’s aging pipeline infrastructure after several major pipeline accidents. LaHood also proposed federal legislation to strengthen oversight on pipeline safety. A maximum penalty will be enforced for pipeline violations starting at $100,000 to $250,000 per day and from $1 million–$2.5 million for a series of violations. This proposal will authorize the department to strengthen risk management requirements, add more inspectors, and improve data reporting to help identify potential pipeline safety risks early.
The governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer sent a letter to ExxonMobil on July 7 demanding that any work on the ruptured pipeline must be performed with representatives of the state and the EPA present to observe the work. Pieces of the ruptured pipeline must be preserved as evidence. Any documents concerning the ruptured pipeline must also be preserved as evidence, he wrote.
Lisa McClain Vanderpool, a spokesperson for the EPA, wrote in an e-mail, “The EPA is conducting air and water quality sampling and will make the results available to the public as soon as the data is available. Air monitoring using real-time instruments that look for volatile organic compounds and hydrogen sulfide is ongoing with no detections in the last 72 hours. Additionally, air sampling for benzene has been conducted between Laurel, Mont., and Billings, Mont., with no detectable levels. We are deploying additional air samplers at specific locations to ensure the continued protection of the community and emergency responders. As of July 6, approximately 440 are on the scene conducting cleanup activities.”
