NO PIPELINE! Thanks Mr. President

Every time you involve a Teapublican in a discussion, he derails it.

1. Pipeline safety is NOT "impressive". See accident and damage reports below (apparently none of you followed the link provided by Guilty Pleasures) Since YOU were too lazy to read them, I copied and pasted them here below.

2. Here is an article about not using the tar sand oil for U.S. Consumption anyway since it supposedly can't be burned or refined to meet air quality standards and that it will be sold to other countries anyway and thereby drive UP the price of our own oil.

An excerpt from the article: "Keystone XL’s backers want to re-direct tar sands oil from the American Midwest to reach the international market where tar sands oil would fetch a higher price. The Keystone XL pipeline would thus add billions of dollars to their annual profits while raising the cost of oil for millions of American consumers in the U.S. heartland.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/obama...#ixzz1k2K7Iql3

Anyone who wants to educate himself on some to the reasons for thee rise in gasoline prices while the per barrel oil market price has been as low in some months as in years when gas was cheap show read this article without screaming the usual Teapublican kneejerk reaction of "Shoot the Messenger cuz he's biased." http://www.dotyenergy.com/Markets/TarSands.htm - here's another source: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...eavy_crude_oil

And for COG and all the others who say pipeline safety is "impressive". READ THIS and report back WHEN YOU'VE READ IT ALL:




List of Pipeline accidents and contaminations: Originally Posted by Guilty Pleasures
Most of them are just trolling. That's why they don't want to show their links.

The frustration will culminate in BHO's ouster in November. Originally Posted by gnadfly
If you can find a delivery system that is 100% safe, you'll be rich. Hell, people have died when their Twinkie delivery truck crashed, but they still deliver Twinkies, and HoHos, and Snoballs, etc. Overall, the safety record of pipelines is not perfect, but it is impressive. Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy
The links Guilty Pleasure provided (THANKS GP!) could not even be put into one post because of timeout issue so here they are in a series of posts starting within this one:

United States

[edit] 1890s

  • 1895 On April 25, a woman in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania was investigating the smell of gas in a basement, while using a portable lantern. A series of explosions and followed, injuring that woman, and another woman, and damaging 4 homes. The gas leak was caused by gas being diverted into an older, defective gas main in the area.[9]
[edit] 1920s

  • 1929 On July 22, two oil company patrolmen were killed by an explosion of a gas pipeline near Castaic, California.[10]
[edit] 1930s

  • 1930 On April 4, gas leaked into the sewer system in New York City, New York, and later exploded. 6 people were injured, 5,000 were evacuated from nearby buildings, and telephone cables were damaged.[11]
  • 1930 A runaway horse smashed a wagon of lumber against a crude oil pipeline in Ripon, Wisconsin on May 24. The oil ignited and spread to nearby oil tanks, causing a blaze that destroyed a number of buildings.[12]
  • 1930 Excavation in Fairport, New York caused a major gas explosion on July 30. 3 people were killed, 10 were injured, and a 4 family house was damaged by the blast and following fire.[13]
  • 1931 4 campers near Kilgore, Texas were burned to death when they were surrounded by gas from a pipeline leak that caught fire on April 17. The flames also spread to brush and timber in the area, preventing rescuers from reaching the bodies for 3 hours.[14]
  • 1936 On February 19, a work inside a sewer in Utica, New York ignited natural gas that had leaked into the sewer system. An explosion was triggered, and the following fire burned for more than 24 hours. 4,000 people were evacuated.[15]
  • 1936 On November 21, a pipeline serving a loading dock in Port Arthur, Texas, ruptured and ignited. The burning oil killed 3 people, and injured 6 others.[16]
  • 1936 A plow being used in a field near Lawrence, Kansas ruptured a gas pipeline on December 1. The boy running the plow escaped without injuries from the following fire.[17]
  • 1937 An oil pipeline being repaired by gas welding exploded near Pryor, Oklahoma on January 26. 2 of the repair crew, and 4 wives of the repairmen were killed by the explosion and following fire.[18]
  • 1939 An explosion damaged a pipeline near Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 4. There were no injuries. A strike by oil company workers was ongoing at the time.[19]
  • 1939 On August 12, residents of Crawfordsville, Indiana saw oil spraying into the air, and thought it was an oil well gusher. It was actually an oil pipeline that had failed. There was no fire.[20]
  • 1939 On December 12, a pipeline being tested ruptured for 40 miles (64 km), near Wichita Falls, Texas, injuring one person.[21]
[edit] 1940s

  • 1940 A gas compressor plant exploded in Braintree, Massachusetts on April 4, killing 4 people and injuring 12 others.[22]
  • 1940 On June 19, a crude oil pipeline leaks oil into Swan Creek near Toledo, Ohio. Farm employees in the area set the oil on fire to eliminate it.[23]
  • 1940 On August 29, a newly hired crew of repairmen were working on fixing a pipeline leak near Buffalo, Oklahoma, when the pipeline exploded and started a fire. 5 of the crew were killed, 10 others were burned, and 10 horses burned to death.[24][25]
  • 1943 On January 18, a grass fire near Tyler, Texas spread to a leak in an 8 inch diameter natural gas pipeline. The the gas leak was initially small, but grew quickly, until the gas flames were about 200 feet (61 m) high. Gas service was cut to 28,000 people.[26]
  • 1943 On August 31, The Office of the Petroleum Administrator for War Secretary Ickes denied allegations that a series of breaks in the "Big Inch" pipeline were due to design flaws. Later, it was noted that this pipeline had a number of longitudinal welded seam failures.[31][32]
  • 1943 The "Big Inch" pipeline suffers it's seventh leak to that pipeline, or it's branches, on September 19.[34]
  • 1943 On November 8, a gas pipeline exploded for unknown reasons in Newhall, California, starting a brush fire.[36]
  • 1944 It was announced on January 9 that the completion of the "Little Big Inch" pipeline was delayed by 2 months, due to 60 to 70 defects being found in that pipeline system.[40][41]
  • 1946 A crew was working to connect a new gas main in Peru, Illinois on July 4, when the old gas main exploded, killing 5 of the work crew, and injuring 7 others.[43]
  • 1948 On February 28, crude oil spilled from a ruptured pipeline leading to storage tank in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Some teen boys in the area saw crude oil bubbling out of manhole covers, and thought that igniting the oil would be a good idea. This caused a string of sewer explosions, causing manhole covers to fly 10 feet (3.0 m) into the air.[44]
  • 1948 On March 18, the 20 inch diameter "Little Big Inch" natural gas pipeline near Petersburg, Indiana, exploded and burned, throwing pieces of the pipe as far as 300 feet (91 m) away from the blast point. 3 homes were destroyed by the fire.[45][46]
  • 1948 October 18: Vapors from a leaking butane pipeline at a refinery in Texas City, Texas spread out along a nearby highway, causing a number of cars to stall. The gas then exploded, killing 4 people, and seriously burning 17 others.[47][48]
  • 1948 On November 19, the 24 inch diameter "Big Inch" pipeline pumping station exploded and caught fire near Seymour, Indiana, causing $3,000,000 in damage, and injuring 17 workers at the station.[49][50]
  • 1949 On January 18, a power failure at a pipeline pumping station on the "Big Inch" pipeline caused a natural gas fire to break out near Batesville, Indiana. The fire burned for over 9 hours. An electrical arc was suspected in causing the power failure.[49]
  • 1949 A 30 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline near Moreno Vally, California ruptured on January 19, forcing at least 18 families to evacuate. There was no injuries or fire.[51]
  • 1949 A section of the "Little Big Inch" exploded and burned in North Vernon, Indiana on March 4, burning a mother and her infant. It was the fourth explosion on that pipeline in Indiana that year.[52]
  • 1949 On April 2, the 20-inch (510 mm) "Little Inch" natural gas pipeline exploded and burned near Sedgwick, Arkansas.[53]
  • 1949 On October 6, a series of explosions tore holes in the "Big Inch" pipeline in Goreville, Illinois, but there was no fires or injuries.[54]
  • 1949 On October 10, an unfinished portion of a natural gas pipeline exploded and burned near Floris, Iowa. Gas had flowed past the last closed valve into the under construction section.[55]
  • 1949 A 16 inch natural gas pipeline near Saraland, Alabama ruptured on November 8, threatening to shut down the gas supply 100,000 to people. There was no fire.[56]
  • 1949 A road grader operator was seriously burned when his grader hit a 6 inch gas pipeline west of Mankato, Kansas on November 17.[57]
  • 1949 On December 8, an explosion and fire occurred at a compressor station for a 24 inch natural gas pipeline in Centralia, Missouri. Flames could be seen for 150 miles (240 km) away.[58]
  • 1949 A leaking gas line caused an explosion at a packing plant in Sioux City, Iowa on December 14. 18 workers were killed, and almost 100 inured.[59]
  • 1949 On December 15, a 22 inch natural gas pipeline exploded and burned near Carthage, Tennessee, injuring 2 people. Flames shot 1,000 feet (300 m) into the air.[60]
  • 1949 A 24 inch natural gas transmission pipeline exploded in Trousdale, Kansas in December 22. There were no injuries.[61]
[edit] 1950s

  • 1950 On January 16, a 24 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Dumas, Texas. The resulting fire could be seen for 33 miles (53 km). There were no injuries.[62]
  • 1950 A series of hydrostatic tests on the "Big Inch" pipeline led to 70 ruptures of that pipeline in the New Jersey area.[64]
  • 1950 Three workers were killed in an underground vault in Los Angeles, California on August 22 when a gas main exploded. There was no fire.[66]
  • 1950 On September 7, a new natural gas pipeline exploded near Big Rapids, Michigan. Two barns were destroyed by the following fire that was seen for 50 miles.[67]
  • 1950 A bulldozer ruptured a 6 inch pipeline in Baldwin, Pennsylvania on September 8, causing gasoline the spray 50 feet into the air, and onto homes. Firefighters had to house down a wide area to disperse the gasoline. There was no fire or injuries.[68]
  • 1950 A 30 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Chatham, Virginia on November 3. The pipe ruptured for 550 feet (170 m), and parts of the pipe started to melt from the heat.[69]
  • 1950 On November 24, a newly built 30 inch natural gas pipeline ruptured for nearly 3,000 feet (910 m), causing a fire that destroyed 2 homes under construction near King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.[70]
  • 1950 On December 25, an explosion at a gas metering station in Danville, Indiana left 700 families without gas service.[71]
  • 1951 Two men welding on a crude oil pipeline at an oil Terminal in Kansas City, Kansas were severely burned on January 7, when a nearby valve failed, and sprayed them with crude oil that ignited. Both later died of their burns.[72]
  • 1951 On January 10, two gas explosions 3 hours apart hit McKees Rock, Pennsylvania, injuring 8 people, igniting a fire, and causing widespread damage.[73]
  • 1951 A gas main pressure regulator failed in Rochester, New York on September 21, causing a series of explosion that last for 4 hours. 3 people were killed, and 30 homes were destroyed.[74]
  • 1951 A 20 inch gas transmission explodes and burns near Cranberry, Pennsylvania on November 27, causing a 200-foot (61 m) high flame that could be seen for a number of miles away. A nearby Elementary school was relocated following the failure, due to local fears of a future pipeline failure. The pipeline had been installed just the previous summer.[76]
  • 1952 On May 17, a section of the "Little Big Inch" gas pipeline ruptured near a valve, injuring 6 pipeline workers near Marietta, Pennsylvania. The pipeline had been temporarily located above ground to allow construction of a new gas compressor station. There was no fire.[77]
  • 1952 On July 9, the "Little Big Inch" gas pipeline explodes and burns west of York, Pennsylvania. Another explosion followed a few days later on July 18, in the same area on that pipeline, but there was no fire the second time.[29][78][79]
  • 1952 Four men working on an 8 inch gas pipeline near Mount Pleasant, Michigan were burned when that pipeline ruptured as they raised it for reconditioning on Spetmeber 26.[80]
  • 1952 December 29: Twelve persons were injured in a blast that shook the Lawndale district of Los Angeles, California, when a ditching machine broke a gasoline-carrying pipeline and touched off a fiery explosion.[81]
  • 1953 On April 13, a gas pipeline serving Elizabeth, Louisiana and 2 paper mills with striking workers was ruptured by explosives. This was the sixth time that pipeline had been ruptured during the 7 months of the strike.[82]
  • 1953 Five square miles of east Boston, Massachusetts was evacuated on September 9 from a pipeline leaking about 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800,000 L) of gasoline.[83]
  • 1953 On September 10, a gas explosion in Cleveland, Ohio killed one person and injured 50 others.[84]
  • 1953 On October 18, a 30 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Uniontown, Pennsylvania. A 40-foot (12 m) section of the pipeline was destroyed.[85]
  • 1953 A US Air Force T-33 trainer jet crashed into a natural gas pipeline bridge over the Mississippi River on November 24 near Greenville, Mississippi, rupturing and igniting the pipeline.[86]
  • 1954 A leaking gas distribution line was blamed for causing an explosion in Goldsboro, North Carolina on April 12 that killed 5 people, injured 15 others, and demolished 3 buildings.[87]
  • 1955 The "Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded and burned near Roseville, Ohio on March 7. Flames reached 400 feet (120 m) high, and 8 acres (32,000 m2) of brush & timber burned.[88]
  • 1955 On March 9, a pipeline construction crew of 4 were killed while trying to move a pipeline for the building of a Toll road in Chesterton, Indiana. Two other pipeline workers were injured, and a school a quarter mile away was evacuated.[89]
  • 1955 A burst pipeline at a Refinery in Sunburst, Montana contaminated groundwater and soil in the area. Despite pumping out over 182,000 US gallons (690,000 L) of gasoline, pollution from the accident remained. In 2004, local residents and a school district won a Lawsuit for payments for damages.[90][91]
  • 1955 A bulldozer ruptured and ignited a gas pipeline in Brookshire, Texas. Flames reached 250 feet (76 m), and the bulldozer operator was killed.[92]
  • 1955 On July 17, a natural gas transmission pipeline blew out near Lufkin, Texas. a 20-foot (6.1 m) section of pipe ruptured, but here was no fire.[93]
  • 1955 On August 10, a gas leak in Ashtabula, Ohio was ignited by electrical equipment or lightning, causing a restaurant to explode. 21 people were killed, 15 more were injured, and 6 buildings destroyed.[94]
  • 1955 A gas pipeline being tested in Detroit, Michigan exploded and burned on September 7, injuring one person, and destroying 50 cars.[95]
  • 1955 On October 10, a crew cleaning the outside of a natural gas pipeline with a heavy rubber ball ruptured a coupler, causing an explosion and fire east of Orleans, Indiana. Two members of the crew ere killed, and 3 others were injured.[96]
  • 1955 A drag line operation in a gravel pit in Irving, Texas ruptured an 8 inch diameter gasoline pipeline on November 30. Gasoline spread out over about 10 acres (40,000 m2), then exploded and burned. 1 home was destroyed, but the family living there was away at the time of the explosion.[97]
  • 1956 On February 11, a corroded gas line from a gas main leaked, causing an explosion that killed 3 people at a meat packing plant in Toledo, Ohio.[98]
  • 1956 A trench digging machine being used in building a freeway cut into a gasoline pipeline in West Los Angeles, California on February 27. At least 3 people were burned, with 9 homes, a warehouse, and a laundry caught fire.[99]
  • 1956 A natural gas pipeline exploded and burned near Herscher, Illinois on March 10. There were no injuries reported.[100]
  • 1956 On October 16, a petroleum products pipeline leaked butane near Greenwich, Ohio, forcing evacuations of 25 homes, and delaying rail and road traffic. There was no fire.[101]
  • 1957 On January 16, an explosion and fire occurred at a natural gas compressor station in Liberal, Kansas, killing 3 workers at that station. 11 other workers were injured, and the fire burned for 2 hours.[102]
  • 1957 Two explosion from a natural gas main killed 3 people in Peoria, Illinois on January 17. 7 others were injured, and a home and a 2 story building were leveled.[103]
  • 1957 A leaking gas main in Reno, Nevada led to three explosions on February 6. 2 people were killed, 42 others injured, and 5 buildings were destroyed.[105]
  • 1957 On June 3, a 26 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Ellinwood, Kansas, destroying a farm house. One person was injured.[106]
  • 1957 On December 5, a gas line in the basement of a store that was being worked on in Villa Rica, Georgia, exploded. 13 people were killed in the explosion and following fire. At least 6 stores were destroyed.[110]
  • 1958 On January 31, a fire on a wooden bridge in Compton, California caused a 8 inch gas pipeline to rupture and burn. One spectator was slightly injured fleeing the pipeline blaze.[111]
  • 1958 A natural gas metering station in Kimberly, Idaho exploded on February 17, killing two pipeline company workers. There was no fire.[112]
  • 1958 On June 1, gas leaking from a pipeline near Big Spring, Texas was ignited and exploded, killing 3 fishermen and seriously burning another fisherman.[113]
  • 1958 A truck missed a curve on a road and crashed into a gas transmission pipeline compressor station near Kings Mountain, North Carolina on September 16. There was an explosion and fire, and the 2 men in the truck were killed.[114]
  • 1958 On October 4, a gasoline pipeline was ruptured by a bulldozer in Hobbs, New Mexico. The gasoline ignited, injuring 3 people, damaging 6 homes, and threatened a number of other homes for a time.[115][116]
  • 1958 On November 9, a jet fuel pipeline ruptured near the Blue Creek in Idaho. Fuel flowed down the creek, and later ignited, damaging one home and destroying 6 bridges.[117]
  • 1958 A leaking and burning gasline under a street lead to several explosions at a Hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on December 14. 7 people were killed and 23 others injured.[118]
  • 1959 A 20 inch diameter gasoline pipeline burst near Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania on April 29, spilling gasoline into fishing streams and fields. The pipeline had recently been built.[119]
  • 1959 A worker on gas transmission pipeline was closing a valve, when it exploded near Newton, Pennsylvania on September 25. The worker was killed, and another worker was injured.[120]
  • 1959 A cleaning device apparently ruptured a 10 inch diameter NGL pipeline, south of Austin, Texas, on October 8. 300 to 400 people were evacuated. The gas eventually dissipated safely.[121]
  • 1959 A gas transmission pipeline exploded on November 2 near North Jackson, Ohio. A section of the pipeline was hurled 100 feet (30 m) from the blast crater. There was no fire, and no injuries reported.[122]
Continued with 1960's in next post
Pipeline safety continued

The 60's and 70's

[edit] 1960s

  • 1960 An estimated 125,000 persons in southwest Missouri were without gas in subfreezing temperatures for several days due to a ditch-digging machine rupturing a pipeline.[123]
  • 1960 In July, excavation work in Merrill, Wisconsin causes a gas leak and gas explosion that killed 10 people.[124]
  • 1960 A ditching machine used in laying a water main hit an 8 inch diameter natural gas pipeline in Sarasota, Florida on October 5. 9 People were injured in the following explosion and fire.[125]
  • 1960 On October 27, a 16 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline near Checotah, Oklahoma exploded while it was being worked on to repair a leak. 2 of the repair crew died, and 4 others were injured.[126]
  • 1960 A 30 inch gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned at a gas sub station in Huntington, West Virginia on December 19. Windows were broken, 1 homes was damaged, and brush burned, but there were no injuries.[127]
  • 1961 On January 4, a gas pipeline failure near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania ignited, causing a fire that was widely seen in the area. There were no injuries.[128]
  • 1961 On February 22, a pipeline exploded and burned in a refinery in Borger, Texas, killing 9 members of a construction crew, and burning another crewman.[129]
  • 1961 The main City of Miami, Florida Garage was destroyed by a gas explosion on February 23. The blast was caused by a ditch digging machine being used in the garage hitting and rupturing a 2 inch gas pipe. One person was seriously burned by the blast, and 2 fire fighters were injured fight the fire that followed the blast.[130]
  • 1961 A 36 inch gas transmission pipeline exploded near Laurel, Mississippi on June 18. 10 people were injured, and one home was destroyed from flames that went hundreds of feet in the air. A crater 30 feet (9.1 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) deep was created by the failure.[131]
  • 1961 A 26 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Winchester, Kentucky on September 11. 22 people suffered various burn injuries.[132]
  • 1961 On October 9, vapors from a leaking pipeline on an oil storage tank exploded and burned in Bridgeport, Illinois. 4 oil company workers were killed, and 3 others injured.[133]
  • 1961 On November 19, a gas pipeline exploded and burned near Warrenton, Virginia. The blast created a crater 40 feet (12 m) long, 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, and 6 feet (1.8 m) deep. There were no injuries.[134]
  • 1961 An 18 inch diameter natural gas pipeline exploded and burned near Cadiz, Ohio on November 25. There were no injuries or damage.[135]
  • 1962 Gas leaking from a 10 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline exploded on February 20 in Portage, Ohio, injuring 6 people and destroying a home.[136]
  • 1962 On June 14, a backhoe ruptured a gas transmission pipeline near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The escaping gas exploded and ignited later on while a crew was trying to repair the line. One of the crew was killed, and 5 others injured in the fire.[137]
  • 1962 On August 2, a natural gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Clearwater, Florida, next to US Highway 19, forcing that road's closure for a time. There were no injuries reported. Investigators found the line had previous mechanical damage as a cause of the failure.[138][139]
  • 1962 A 30 inch diameter gas transmission failed on August 2 in Kansas City, Kansas. The gas flowed for 10 minutes before exploding and igniting. An 8 inch gas distribution pipeline was also ruptured, 11 homes were destroyed, and 23 others were damaged. At least one person was injured.[140]
  • 1962 On September 11, an 8 inch propane/LPG pipeline was ruptured by road building equipment near Eatonton, Georgia. One of the road workers was overcome and asphyxiated by the propane fumes. Propane fumes followed the Oconee River for 10 miles (16 km) into Lake Sinclair.[141]
  • 1963 On January 2, a gas transmission pipeline ruptured due to a defective weld in San Francisco, California. The gas ignited, one firefighter died from a heart attack, and 9 other firefighters were injured fighting the resulting inferno.[142][143]
  • 1963 An explosion and fire spread through a gas pipeline compressor station in Montezuma, Indiana on March 12, injuring 16 workers.[144]
  • 1963 A crude oil pipeline was hit and ruptured by an earth mover near Fostoria, Ohio, on October 30. The earth mover operator was seriously burned in the resulting fire.[145]
  • 1963 On October 31, a 6 inch diameter butane pipeline was ruptured by an earth mover near West Millgrove, Ohio. The equipment operator was critically burned by the following explosion and fire.[146]
  • 1963 On November 17, flammable liquids leaking from a pipeline disposal pit were accidentally ignited, killing a teen planning to cook alongside a creek in South Carolina.[147]
  • 1964 A Santa Fe Railroad Freight Train apparently ignited fumes from a leaking propane pipeline near Bosworth, Missouri on February 4. The explosion and fire ignited 4 diesel locomotives and some box cars, and derailed other box cars. One member of the Rail Crew was injured.[148]
  • 1964 On February 7, 2 workers installing insulation on a valve in a manhole in Richardson, Texas were overcome by gas when an 8 inch pipeline in the vault ruptured, and were killed.[149]
  • 1964 A front loader ruptured a gas pipeline in Fort Worth, Texas on February 28, seriously burning the loader operator.[150]
  • 1964 On May 12, a bulldozer hit and broke a valve on an LPG pipeline near Demopolis, Alabama while grading land. The resulting fire caused fears of flames spreading to an underground storage facility, but the fire was later controlled. There were no injuries.[151]
  • 1964 A crude oil pipeline ruptured in Gilbertown, Alabama on October 29. More than 72,000 US gallons (270,000 L) of oil were spilled.[152]
  • 1964 A gas line being moved in Miami, Florida exploded and burned on November 18. 4 people were injured.[153]
  • 1964 On November 25, a recently replace natural gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Saint Francisville, Louisiana, killing 5 workers of the pipeline, and injuring at least 23 others.[154]
  • 1965 On January 6, a house in Garnett, Kansas was destroyed by an explosion, and later on gas was found leaking from a 2 inch gasline in the street front of it, and was suspected as the cause. A young boy was killed. The leak may have also caused another nearby house explosion the previous November.[155]
  • 1965 On January 21, an 8 inch diameter propane transmission pipeline 15 miles (24 km) east of Jefferson City, Missouri leaked. The propane spread along the ground, and exploded several hours later, scorching an area over a mile wide. A girl being dropped off at a school bus stop was severely burned and later died, and 2 other people were burned.[156]
  • 1965 A 32 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline, north of Natchitoches, Louisiana, belonging to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline exploded and burned from stress corrosion cracking on March 4, killing 17 people. At least 9 others were injured, and 7 homes 450 feet from the rupture were destroyed. This accident, and others of the era, led then-President Lyndon B. Johnson to call for the formation of a national pipeline safety agency in 1967. The same pipeline had also had an explosion on May 9, 1955, just 930 feet (280 m) from the 1965 failure.[157][158][159][160][161]
  • 1965 A crude oil pipeline ruptured east of Blanding, Utah on April 3, spilling about 5,000 barrels (790 m3) of crude oil into the San Juan River. The ruptured pipeline was reported to flow "wide open" for over an hour.[162]
  • 1965 On July 24, a natural gas pipeline exploded and burned when workers were welding on a tie-in pipeline onto it near Tescott, Kansas. One of the workers died, and 15 others were injured.[163]
  • 1965 On August 21, a 9-year-old girl was killed and eight people were injured in a pipeline explosion in western Van Wert County, Ohio. The explosion threw up flames that could be seen from 40 miles (64 km) away and scorched a 100-acre (0.40 km2) area of farmland. Nancy Anna May Rigdon was killed in her bed in a house 300 yards from the blast site. The rest of her family was injured but survived. Investigators said the explosion was caused by gas leaking from an eight-inch pipeline apparently ignited by a spark from a passing train.[164][165]
  • 1965 A 8 inch diameter gasoline pipeline ruptured in Sylvania, Ohio on August 23. The danger of fire or explosion forced evacuations of residents in a 2-square-mile (5.2 km2) area. There was no fire.[166]
  • 1965 On October 25, a ruptured pipeline spilled naphtha in Mount Cory, Ohio, forcing evacuations until the naphtha evaporated.[167]
  • 1966 A 6 inch diameter natural gas pipeline ruptured in Norfolk, Nebraska on January 28, shutting off gas to 20,000 people in 10 communities on January 28.[168]
  • 1966 On December 14, a leaking propane pipeline near Swedenborg, Missouri made a car stall. Other came to aid the stalled car, and someone lit a cigarette, igniting the fumes. 8 people were burned and hospitalized.[169]
  • 1967 A leaking gas main in the Jamaica section of New York City, New York caught fire on January 13. 2 pieces of FDNY equipment responding to the gas leak report were burned, as well as numerous buildings. The fire spread to 13 alarm size, with 63 fire companies being used to control the situation. The cause of the leak was the failure of a moisture scrubbing "drip pot" on the pipeline.[170][171]
  • 1967 A 6 inch diameter propane pipeline exploded and burned while it was being worked on in Meeker, Oklahoma on January 10. One of the workers was killed, and another injured.[172]
  • 1967 Manufacturers Light and Heat Company announced they were requesting to the Federal Power Commission permission to allow a new pipeline to replace 73.5 miles of older pipeline, which was having 200 to 450 leaks a year in Eastern Pennsylvania.[173]
  • 1967 On May 16, a pile driver ruptured a propane pipeline in Dearborn, Michigan. The escaping gas caught fire, with 2 construction workers being killed, and 4 others seriously burned.[174]
  • 1967 A leaking pipeline released 30,000 barrels (4,800 m3) of JP-4 grade jet fuel in Wilmington, California on June 30. There was no fire.[175]
  • 1968 On April 6, natural gas leaking from a pipeline in Richmond, Indiana built up in a sporting goods store and exploded. Gunpowder in the that store exploded later on. 41 were killed, and 150 injured.[176][177]
  • 1968 On April 15, gasoline odor was detected at a drinking fountain in Glendale, California. The source of the water well that fed the fountain was determined to be a 8 inch pipeline that was leaking. Between 100,000 and 250,000 US gallons (950,000 L) of gasoline were leaked into the local groundwater.[178]
  • 1968 On May 29, a bulldozer ruptured a 1-inch gas service line at a children's nursery in Hapeville, Georgia, causing an explosion and fire. Seven children and two adults were killed, and three children were seriously injured in the accident.[179][180]
  • 1968 An 8 inch diameter propane pipeline rupture in a landslide ruptured near Plainfield, Ohio on June 2. 2 people were killed, 3 others injured by burns, and 7 buildings and 7 vehicles were destroyed.[181]
  • 1968 A contractor laying a new pipeline broke an old pipeline in Norwalk, Ohio on August 7, spilling gasoline for 4 hours into the Huron River.[182]
  • 1968 On August 22, a 16 inch diameter gasoline pipeline ruptured at General Mitchell Field, spilling almost 200,000 US gallons (760,000 L) of gasoline, and forcing closure of one runway. Previous damage to the pipeline by heavy equipment working in the area was identified as the cause of the rupture.[183][184]
  • 1968 A coal company digging machine hit an 8 inch LPG pipeline in Fulton County, Illinois on September 3, killing one person and injuring 4 others.[185]
  • 1968 2 teen boys shooting a rifle ignited gasoline leaking from a petroleum pipeline pumping station near Midland, Pennsylvania on November 3. A large brush fire ensued. Both boys had moderate burns. A stuck relief valve on the pipeline was the cause of the leakge.[186][187]
  • 1968 An LPG pipeline, near Yutan, Nebraska ruptured on December 5. Repair crews responded to the pipeline rupture, and thought LPG vapors were dispersed, but ignited the vapor cloud by driving into it. Five repairmen were killed. After the accident, the Nebraska State Fire Marshal ordered MAPCO to reduce its operating pressure, and to hydrostatic retest 52 miles (84 km) of that pipeline. During the tests, 195 longitudinal seams failed.[188][189]
  • 1968 On December 18, a 30 inch diameter gas pipeline exploded and burned at a gas processing plant in Gibson, Louisiana. One plant worker was injured.[190]
  • 1969 On January 13, a 22 inch diameter crude oil pipeline ruptured in Lima, Ohio, spilling over 2,000 US gallons (7,600 L) of oil into the sewer system. Cracks from welding were blamed for the failure.[191]
  • 1969 A leaking crude oil pipeline caused a slick 35 miles (56 km) long in the Dry Creek near Greybull, Wyoming on February 24.[192]
  • 1969 A 10 inch pipeline carrying aviation gasoline was ruptured by explosives on March 17 in Canyon, California The fuel caught fire short after that.[193]
  • 1969 On May 6, a gas pipeline in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that had been moved, was undergoing pressure testing when a cap on it blew off, hitting and rupturing another nearby gas pipeline. That pipeline exploded and burned, killing 1 worker, injuring 9 other workers, and damaging 3 homes.[194]
  • 1969 Overpressure of a low pressure natural gas distribution system in Gary, Indiana caused numerous small fires and explosions. A gas company worker's errors allowed much higher than normal gas pressure in a gas distribution system. 56 square blocks were evacuated, 7 people were injured, 6 homes destroyed, and 19 other homes damaged.(June 3, 1969)[195][196]
  • 1969 On September 9, a converted natural gas pipeline running at 789 psi near Houston, Texas ruptured, causing a massive fire. Construction work downstream of the accident led to a pressure build up that caused the rupture. 7 people were injured, 13 homes were destroyed, and many others damaged.[197][198]
  • 1969 On December 25, a land leveler ruptured a 22 inch natural gas transmission pipeline in Hermiston, Oregon. Gas at 600 psi sprayed from the pipeline. A warning sign about the existence of the gas pipeline was 10 feet (3.0 m) away from the rupture site.[199]
[edit] 1970s

  • 1970 A leak natural gas pipeline exploded in Houma, Louisiana on January 24, killing 3 people, and demolishing half a block of downtown buildings.[200]
  • 1970 A leaking Colonial Pipeline Company petroleum products pipeline being repaired at Jacksonville, Maryland, on September 3, had a gasoline flash fire during excavation for the repair. 5 men were burned in the fire. The NTSB later pointed out that workers had failed to use a flammable vapor percent detector during the work.[201][202]
  • 1970 On September 7, a pipeline leaked thousands of gallons of gasoline onto farmland near Ontario, Oregon. Roads were closed in the area until the gasoline was removed.[203]
  • 1970 The 1970 Propane vapor cloud explosion in Port Hudson, Phillips Pipeline Company propane gas explosion, Franklin County, Missouri. A leak led to propane cloud explosion with a force estimated up to 50 tons of TNT. The NTSB cited past external and internal corrosion issues, and poor welds on the uncoated pipeline as concerns.(December 9, 1970)[204][205][206]
  • 1970 Explosion of a 30-inch diameter 1100 psi inlet natural gas pipeline, bringing offshore natural gas into a gas drying plant in southern Louisiana. Two plant personnel were killed. Rupture was at a junction of a 12-inch gas line to the 30-inch main line. (December 1970)
  • 1970 A restaurant owner opened a gas line valve in New York, New York, not knowing that part of the gas line was open and unconnected. The gas in the building exploded, killing 60 people & injuring more than 60 others. (December 11, 1970)[207]
  • 1970 On December 28, a 12 inch diameter pipeline ruptured in Jackson, Wisconsin, spilling 200 barrels (32 m3) of fuel oil into a wildlife sanctuary.[208]
  • 1971 A faulty valve on a 3 inch diameter natural gas pipeline was suspected of causing a gas leak that resulted in 3 separate explosions, including a house explosion in Lambertville, New Jersey that killed 7 people.[209]
  • 1971 On June 5, an ammonia pipeline failed near Floral, Arkansas, releasing 80 tons of ammonia.[210]
  • 1971 2 gas explosions in North Richland Hills, Texas on October 4.[211]
  • 1971 A gas company repair crew was overcome in a service vault on November 17, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2 workmen were overcome initially, and 4 others attempting to rescue them were also overcome by gas asphyxiation. All 6 died.[212]
  • 1972 The second pipeline leak in a month into the Tippecanoe River in Indiana on a Buckeye Pipeline company (now Buckeye Partners ) line hit on January 12. The Buckeye Pipeline was owned by the bankrupt Penn Central Railroad, preventing money from being spent on repairs. One EPA official stated "they know they have a leaky system".[213]
  • 1972 On January 11, a 10 inch diameter pipeline ruptured in Clinton, Montana, spilling 3,000 barrels (480 m3) of diesel fuel, with some of it reaching the Clark Fork River.[214][215]
  • 1972 During the blowdown of a pipeline dehydrator, LPG fumes caught fire at Conway, Kansas on January 29.
  • 1972 On February 12, a pipeline rupture spilled 16,000 US gallons (61,000 L) of diesel fuel into the Spokane River.[216][217]
  • 1972 A Natural gas explosion at Annandale, Virginia, on March 24.[218]
  • 1972 On June 15, a crew was welding on a gas main in Bryan, Ohio that had been shut off, when someone inadvertently open a valve that fed gas into that main. The gas ignited and exploded, serious injuring 2 workers.[219]
  • 1972 A 12 inch diameter high pressure propane pipeline, near Butler, Alabama, was ruptured by a road grader. A short time after the line was ruptured, a car drove into the vapor cloud. The car stalled, and trying to restart it was suspected to have ignited the vapor cloud, killing four people. (June 20, 1972)[220][221]
  • 1972 A gasoline pipeline ruptured and ignited at a pipeline Terminal in Bremen, Georgia on September 6. For a time, there were fear the fire might spread to nearby fuel storage tanks, but the fire was limited to the pipeline.[222]
  • 1972 In October, a crude oil pipeline ruptures near Shiprock, New Mexico, spilling 285,000 US gallons (1,080,000 L) of crude oil into the San Juan River, polluting it for 200 miles.[223][224]
  • 1972 On October 30, a bulldozer working on a power company construction project ruptured a gas main in Lake City, Minnesota. Leaking gas accumulated in, then exploded in a nearby variety store, killing 6 and injuring 9.[225]
  • 1972 A leak in a weld on a 36 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline on November 18 in Bend, Oregon forced the shutdown of gas service to 3,000 customers.[226]
  • 1973 A cracked gas main leaked in Adamsville, Alabama, on February 7. The escaping gas exploded, killing 3 people and injuring 2 others. A string of other gas main cracking incidents occurred in this city, killing one other person, and injuring t2 others.[227]
  • 1973 Installation of a sewer was suspected of damaging a gas line in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania on February 21. Leaking gas later exploded in an apartment building, killing 5 people, injuring 22 others, and destroying the building.[228]
  • 1973 In Austin, Texas, a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline ruptured due to an improper weld. A passing car or truck set off a vapor cloud explosion and fire. Six people were killed, and 2 others injured. (February 22, 1973)[229][230]
  • 1973 On May 2, a 10 inch diameter pipeline ruptured in Murray, Idaho, causing a mist of diesel fuel to cover homes and trailers. Between 7,000 and 10,000 US gallons (38,000 L) of fuel were lost. Some of the fuel reached a nearby creek. There was no fire.[231][232]
  • 1973 Improper sampling procedures on an LPG pipeline killed one worker and injured another from freezing at Dayton, Ohio on May 3.
  • 1973 In the summer, a pipeline ruptured in Diamond, Louisiana. The escaping gas fumes were ignited by a lawnmower, killing 2 people.[233]
  • 1973 A pipeline failed near Findlay, Ohio on June 27, spill about 150,000 US gallons (570,000 L) of jet aviation fuel into the Ottawa Creek. A failed gasket caused the spill.[234][235][236]
  • 1973 A crude oil pipeline ruptured in Los Angeles, California on October 18. Crude flowed along several streets for a time.[237]
  • 1973 On December 4, a pipeline break releases 31,000 barrels (4,900 m3) of oil near Argyle, Minnesota.[238][239]
  • 1973 On December 6, a pump station on an ammonia pipeline near Conway, Kansas, was started against a closed valve, and the pipeline failed in a previously damaged section. Two persons who drove through the ammonia vapors were hospitalized; several rural residents were evacuated from the area; and 89,796 US gallons (339,910 L) of anhydrous ammonia were lost.[240]
  • 1974 A 22 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline failed in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois on January 2. The resulting fire caused no serious damage, but 7,000 people in the area were left without gas heating for several subfreezing days.[241]
  • 1974 On March 2, a 30 inch diameter gas pipeline failed at 797 pounds pressure inside a 34-inch diameter casing pipe under a road near Monroe, Louisiana. A substandard girth weld was the cause.[242]
  • 1974 A gas transmission pipeline ruptured near Farmington, New Mexico on March 15, killing a family of 3 in a truck driving nearby when the gas ignited. Corrosion along the longitudinal seem weld of the pipe section caused the failure.[243]
  • 1974 A gas line in a commercial building in New York, New York, was ruptured by falling equipment in a basement on April 22. The escaping gas later exploded, injuring more than 70 people.[244]
  • 1974 A previously damaged gas main ruptured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 3, causing an explosion that killed 2, and caused extensive damage to 4 row homes. Earlier plumbing work was suspect to have caused the gas line damage.[245]
  • 1974 On May 21, a 6 inch gas-gathering pipeline, ruptured at the edge of a rural road south of Meridian, Mississippi. Three vehicles entered the area which contained the escaping gas, and stalled near the rupture. The gas ignited at 10:05 p.m., and five persons died as a result. The 3 vehicles were destroyed and 40 acres (160,000 m2) of woodland were burned. Although less than 4 years old, the 6-inch pipe had corroded internally and had been embrittled by hydrogen.[246]
  • 1974 A 30 inch gas transmission pipeline failed and gas ignited near Bealeton, Virginia, on June 9, from hydrogen stress cracking. Failure alarms at the nearest upstream gas compressor station did not activate, and the pipeline failure was first notice by a compressor station employee happening to see the large fire from the pipeline rupture.[247][248][249]
  • 1974 On August 13, an ammonia pipeline failed near Hutchinson, Kansas after a pump station was started against a closed valve. 3 police officers were treated for ammonia inhalation; approximately 200 persons were evacuated from the area of the vapors; trees, lawns, shrubbery, and crops were burned; and an estimated 11,000 fish were killed.[240]
  • 1974 On September 14, a propane pipeline to an underground storage cavern failed in Griffith, Indiana. The propane later caught fire. 1,000 residents were evacuated during the incident.[250]
  • 1974 A 12 inch diameter gas gathering pipeline exploded and burned near Meta, Kentucky on November 21. There were no injuries reported.[251]
  • 1974 A crew repairing a leaking crude oil pipeline near Abilene, Texas, were overcome by sour crude oil fumes on December 1. Six of the repair crew died. The leak was cause by improper welding.[252]
  • 1975 A crude oil pipeline at Lima, Ohio ruptured after a valve was accidentally closed against a pumping pipeline on January 17. The spraying crude oil ignited, killing a Terminal Operator.[253]
  • 1975 On January 23, a propane chiller exploded violently during maintenance work on it near Iowa City, Iowa. 2 workers were killed and 3 others injured by the failure.[254]
  • 1975 A 12 inch diameter crude oil pipeline ruptured near Harwood, Missouri, on March 26. Heavy rain slowed the cleanup.[255]
  • 1975 A natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline ruptured due to previous mechanical damage at Devers, Texas. 4 people were killed in a following vapor cloud fire. The pipeline had been damaged when a valve was installed on the pipeline. (May 12, 1975)[256]
  • 1975 An explosion in June 1975 at a home in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was caused by natural gas leaking into the home from an open main in the middle of the street. One person was killed. In 1973, workers hired by the gas company had falsified records showing the main had been closed.[257]
  • 1975 An LPG pipeline ruptured near Romulus, Michigan, due to previous mechanical damage to the pipeline, and over pressurization from operator error by closing a valve against a pumping pipeline at a storage facility. Nine people were injured in the following vapor cloud fire. Flames 500 feet (150 m) high engulfed a 600-foot (180 m)-diameter area, destroyed four houses and damaged three others, burned 12 vehicles, and consumed 2,389 barrels (379.8 m3) of propane. (August 2, 1975)[258][259]
  • 1975 On October 13, employees at a gas processing plant at Goldsmith, Texas heard leak gas, and investigated. Before the leak could be found, a 12 inch diameter pipeline there exploded, killing 3 of the crew, injuring 2 others, and causing extensive plant damage.[260]
  • 1976 A repair crew working on natural gas gathering compressor station at Cedardale, Oklahoma on January 7, opened the wrong valve in an attempt to increase gas flow. Natural gas & Natural Gas Liquids flow out of an open 12 inch pipeline, and were ignited by an open flame heater. 5 of the crew were killed, and 2 seriously burned.[261]
  • 1976 A gas leak at the Pathfinder Hotel in Fremont, Nebraska, exploded, killing 23 people on January 10. A compression coupling had pulled apart, causing gas to leak into the Hotel's basement.[262]
  • 1976 An LPG/NGL pipeline ruptured near Whitharral, Texas, leading to vapor cloud fire that killed one, severely burning 4 others who later died, and destroyed two homes. Electrical resistance weld (ERW) seam failure is suspected for the failure. From January 1968 to the date of the Whitharral accident, 14 longitudinal pipe seam failures had occurred on that pipeline system, which resulted in 6 other fatalities, and the loss of over 60,000 barrels (9,500 m3) of LPG.(February 25, 1976) [263][264]
  • 1976 An improperly assembled compression coupling failed on a gas distribution line in Phoenix, Arizona on February 8, causing a house explosion that killed 2 people.[265]
  • 1976 On March 27, a two-story building in Phenix City, Alabama, exploded and burned from a gas leak. The explosion and fire killed the six persons in the building. The NTSB found that gas at 20-psig pressure had leaked from a cracked, 3-inch cast iron gas main.[266]
  • 1976 A front loader hit an 8 inch petroleum products pipeline in Los Angeles, California, during a road widening project along Venice Boulevard. 9 people were killed, a plastic factory was destroyed, and other serious property damage occurred. (June 16, 1976)[267][268]
  • 1976 A road grader hit a 20 inch gas transmission pipeline near Calhoun, Louisiana. Six people were killed in the ensuing fire, 6 families were left homeless, and a mobile home and 2 houses were destroyed. (August 9, 1976)[269][270]
  • 1976 On August 13, a flash fire in the basement of a house in Bangor, Maine, occurred while a gas company crew was checking for the cause of low gas pressure at the home. The fire killed one gas company employee, burned two other employees, and caused minor damage to the house. One of the crew was using a match to light the basement of the home, and another crew member was smoking when the fire started.[271]
  • 1976 On August 29, an explosion and fire destroyed a house at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Two persons were killed, four persons were injured, and two adjacent houses were damaged. The destroyed house was not served by natural gas. However, natural gas, which was escaping at 58 psig pressure from a punctured 2-inch plastic main located 39 feet (12 m) away, had entered the house through a 6 inch sewer lateral that had been bored through to install the gas line.[272][273]
  • 1976 An explosion and fire at a gas pipeline compressor station in Orange Grove, Texas killed one plant worker and injured another on December 7.[274]
  • 1977 On January 2, a gas pipeline ruptured and burned near Nursery, Texas. Some power poles were destroyed, but there were no injuries.[275]
  • 1977 A gas pipeline exploded and burned in Stockton, California on February 4. Another gas pipeline fire had occurred nearby 4 days earlier. There were no injuries.[276]
  • 1977 An explosion on July 8 at Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. Pump Station No. 8 kills one worker, injures 5 others, and destroys the pump station. A US House of Representatives Committee later announced the cause was workers not following the proper procedures, causing crude oil to flow into a pump under repair at the time.[277][278][279][280]
  • 1977 On July 20, the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline was shut down for the 4th time in a month when it was hit in a valve by a front loader. More than 40,000 US gallons (150,000 L) of crude oil was spilled.[278]
  • 1977 A LPG pipeline ruptured near Ruff Creek, in Greene County, Pennsylvania, from stress corrosion cracking. The resulting propane vapor cloud ignited when a truck driven into the cloud stalled, then created a spark when it was restarted. Subsidence of underground coal mines in the area may have hastened the failure. (July 20, 1977)[281]
  • 1977 A cast iron gas main broke in Cherokee, Alabama on July 30. Gas migrated into a home through a recently back filled sewer line trench, and exploded 5 days later.[282]
  • 1977 In August, a car drove through the leaking liquid from a petroleum pipeline in Lakewood, California. The pooled liquid appeared to be mud, but it exploded and burned, injuring a woman in the car.[283]
  • 1977 On August 15, crude oil spilled at Alyeska Pipeline Pump Station No. 9. There was no fire, but a fire or explosion at that station could have shut down that pipeline, since Pump Station No. 8 was out of service from the previous month's accident there. This was the seventh accident on this pipeline since the start up of the Alaska pipeline on June 20, 1977. The NTSB released three recommendations on September 9, 1977, to correct certain design and operating deficiencies in the pump rooms of each station of the Alyeska system.[284][285]
  • 1977 On September 5, 2 brothers in a moving truck drove into a vapor cloud from a leak at a gas compressor plant in New Cuyama, California, igniting the cloud. One was killed immediately, and the other died 11 days later.[286]
  • 1977 On September 10, a pipeline rupture spilled 69,000 US gallons (260,000 L) of gasoline into a creek in Toledo, Ohio. Corrosion of the pipeline caused the failure.[287][288]
  • 1977 A gasline inside a building in San Francisco, California leaked and exploded, injuring 7 and heavily damaging that building. Gas repair crews were working on the line at the time.[289]
  • 1977 On October 12, a bulldozer ruptured a propane pipeline near Albany, Georgia, causing nearby train traffic to be halted. The bulldozer engine was left running, nearly igniting the vapors.[290]
  • 1977 A backhoe being used to install a pipeline hit an adjacent 6 inch diameter propane pipeline on November 21 in Hutchison, Kansas. Fire broke out, but there were no injuries.[291]
  • 1977 Construction workers punctured a 12 inch gas pipeline in Atlanta, Georgia, with an I-beam on December 1. No fire or explosion followed, but thousands of people were evacuated from nearby buildings.[292]
  • 1977 A compression coupling joint between a plastic and a steel gas line pulled apart in Lawrence, Kansas on December 15. The gas migrated into 2 buildings, and exploded, killing 2 people, and injuring 3 others.[293][294]
  • 1978 Earth movement was suspected in causing a gas transmission pipeline to rupture and burn near Stevenson, Washington on January 23. There were no injuries.[295]
  • 1978 On February 15, a gas pipeline being tested with compressed air exploded at a seam on the pipe in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 15, injuring 8.[296]
  • 1978 A portion of the Alyeska Pipeline east of Fairbanks, Alaska was ruptured by an explosive device on February 15. Crude oil spilled in a 600-foot (180 m) diameter spot.[297]
  • 1978 An improperly plugged gas line leaked into service vault in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at a shopping center, overcoming 5 gas company workers on April 28. Four of the repairmen died of asphyxiation. None of the repair crew had respirators at the job site.[298]
  • 1978 A gas company crew in Mansfield, Ohio accidentally tied a high pressure gas main into a low pressure gas main on May 17. Much higher gas flames in gas appliances caused damage to 16 homes, and about 2,000 gas meters were shut off during the incident.[299]
  • 1978 An LPG pipeline at Donnellson, Iowa, ruptured from past mechanical damage and improper lowering for road improvements. The vapor cloud ignited several minutes after the rupture. Three people were killed and 2 others severely burned. (August 4, 1978)[300][301][302]
  • 1978 On August 7, in Lafayette, Louisiana, natural gas at 15 psig pressure escaped from a corrosion leak in an inactive 1-inch steel service line and migrated beneath a concrete slab and into a building where it ignited. The resulting explosion and fire injured six persons and destroyed the building and its contents.[303]
  • 1978 On August 28, natural gas, which had escaped from a circumferential fracture in a socket heat-fusion coupling on a 2-in. polyethylene (PE) main, operating at 40-psig pressure, migrated beneath a one-story house in Grand Island, Nebraska, exploded, and then burned. One person was injured; the house was destroyed; and three adjacent houses were damaged.[304]
  • 1978 About 7,600 US gallons (29,000 L) of gasoline were spilled in Hampton, Pennsylvania on August 30. Workers boring for a sewer line had hit the fuel pipeline. Later, the 2 construction firms responsible were fined only $500 each.[305][306]
  • 1978 A gas pipeline in Brookside Village, Texas ruptured and exploded, killing five people, and injuring 43 others. Seven mobile homes were also destroyed, (October 24, 1978)[307]
  • 1978 A crude oil pipeline leaks into the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area west of Farmington, Utah on November 8. About 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L) of crude were spilled. The rupture was caused by pumping against a valve that had been closed for earlier pipeline maintenance.[308]
  • 1978 A ruptured 2 inch diameter gasline leaking caused a home to explode in Spokane, Washington on January 6, killing the homeowner.[309]
  • 1979 On January 16, an explosion and fire destroyed five commercial buildings and damaged several other buildings in London, Kentucky. Two persons were injured. External corrosion was suspected as the cause. A prearranged pressure increase in the pipeline was also a factor.[310][311]
  • 1979 An 18 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline failed underneath the Florida Turnpike in West Palm Beach, Florida, resulting in a 2 hour road closure.[312]
  • 1979 On April 18, a 24-inch natural gas transmission pipeline pulled out of a compression coupling during a line-lowering project under Iowa State Highway 181 in a rural area near Dallas, Iowa. Within seconds, the natural gas ignited and burned a 900-foot (270 m) by 400-foot (120 m) area. Two cars, a pickup truck, and a trailer housing construction equipment were destroyed. A backhoe was damaged and windows were broken in a nearby farmhouse. Five of the eight injured workers were hospitalized. The gas company's accident records indicated that this 24-inch pipeline had experienced 12 previous failures since it was constructed.[313]
  • 1979 On May 11, 2 explosions and a following fire killed 7 people, injured 19 others, and destroyed 3 buildings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Soil erosion under an 8 inch cast iron gas main caused the main to break and release gas.[314]
  • 1979 On May 13, a 36 inch diameter Colonial Pipeline rupture released 336,000 US gallons (1,270,000 L) of fuel oil that damaged vegetation and killed fish near Spartanburg, South Carolina. Cracks made in the shipping of the pipe before installation were the cause.[315]
  • 1979 A "spud" dropped by a pile driving barge in the Gulf of Mexico near Pilottown, Louisiana ruptured a 4 inch diameter natural gas pipeline on June 5. The escaping gas ignited, and seriously burned the barge. 4 crew members went missing and were presumed dead.[316]
  • 1979 On June 10, the pilot of a helicopter reported sighting oil on the surface of the Atigun River near the route of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company's 48-inch crude oil pipeline. Repair crews found a 7 inch crack which passed through a longitudinal weld. Five days after the first leak, at 3:15 p.m. on June 15, the pilot of an Alyeska helicopter on a routine surveillance flight reported a leak north of pump station No. 12 near the Little Tonsina River. A crack near a wrinkle in the pipe was found there. The June 10 spill resulted in a release of approximately 1,500 barrels (240 m3) of crude oil; the June 15 leak resulted in a release of approximately 300 barrels (48 m3) of crude oil; these losses were estimated by Alyeska personnel at the leak site. The spills were too small to be verified by the Alyeska metering system.[317]
  • 1979 On June 16, operator error at Colonial Pipeline causes a previously cracked section of 36 inch diameter pipeline to rupture in Greenville County, South Carolina. 9,400 barrels (1,490 m3) of fuel oil, were spilled.[315][318]
  • 1979 A leaking pipeline releasing gasoline in Granger, Indiana caused the evacuation of 400 people on July 3.[319]
  • 1979 An anchor handling boat, PETE TIDE II, damaged an unmarked gas pipeline with a grappling hook offshore from New Orleans, Louisiana. Two of the crew were missing and presumed dead in the fire that followed. (July 15, 1979)[320]
  • 1979 On July 25, an explosion and fire destroyed a duplex apartment house in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Two persons were killed, and two persons were hospitalized for burns; adjacent houses were damaged. Earlier in the day, a crew from Mountain Bell Telephone Company (Mountain Bell) had been using a backhoe at the intersection of Bridge Boulevard and Atrisco Road to locate a telephone cable. The backhoe snagged a gas service line but the fact that it was pulled from a 1-inch coupling under the house was not discovered at that time.[321]
  • 1979 A 34 inch diameter Lakehead pipeline ruptured near Bemidji, Minnesota, leaking 10,700 barrels (1,700 m3) of crude oil on August 20. The pipeline company initially recovers 60 percent of the spilled oil. Later in 1988, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency required Lakehead to extract more oil using new technology; removal continued through 2004.[238][322]
  • 1979 On August 20, a bulldozer operating near Orange, Texas, began to clean a farm drainage ditch. The corner of the blade cut into a propane line, which crossed beneath the ditch. Propane at 350 psig escaped and was ignited within seconds. The resulting fire killed one person and injured another, and caused considerable property damage.[323]
  • 1979 A crude oil pipeline ruptured and spilled oil into a creek new Walnut Grove, Missouri on August 25. 2 miles (3.2 km) of the creek were contaminated, and 32,000 fish killed.[324]
  • 1979 On September 4, the M/V WHITEFACE struck a high-pressure gas pipeline in Lake Verret, Louisiana. A resulting explosion killed a crewman aboard the vessel.[325]
  • 1979 On October 6, an explosion caused by liquefied natural gas (LNG) vapors destroyed a transformer building at the reception facility of the Columbia LNG Corporation, Cove Point, Maryland. Odorless liquefied natural gas leaked through an inadequately tightened LNG pump seal, vaporized, passed through approximately 210 feet (64 m) of underground electrical conduit and entered the substation building. One person was killed, and one person was seriously injured. Damage to the facility was estimated at about $3 million. The fire hydrants and deluge water spray system were inoperable after the explosion because the water main that supplied the system was broken at a flange above ground inside the substation.[326]
  • 1979 On October 24, an explosion and fire destroyed the county clerk's office building and the adjoining courthouse building, gutted a connecting building which was under construction, and damaged the adjacent houses in Stanardsville, Virginia. Thirteen persons were injured and property was damaged extensively. The following NTSB investigation revealed that natural gas had leaked from a break in a 1 1/4-inch coated steel service line, which had been snagged by a backhoe which was being used to dig a footing for an addition to the county clerk's office building.[327]
  • 1979 On October 30, a natural gas explosion and fire demolished a townhouse in Washington, D.C., and damaged nearby buildings and cars. No one was inside the townhouse at the time, but three persons in a stopped car were injured when debris from the explosion shattered a car window. After the accident, an inspection of the gas service line that served the townhouse revealed that it had been struck by excavating equipment.[328]
  • 1979 A natural gas transmission pipeline exploded in West Monroe, Louisiana on November 11, causing 3 subdivisions to be evacuated. A gas pipeline explosion had taken place nearby 8 years before.[329]
Pipeline safety continued

1980's and 1990's

[edit] 1980s

  • 1980 On January 2, crude oil leaked from a fractured 22-inch pipeline at a levee crossing at Berwick, Louisiana. At 9:54 a.m., the crude oil ignited. One person was killed, one person was injured, and six homes were either destroyed or damaged. The pipeline's monitoring system failed to detect a loss of over 1,800 barrels (290 m3) of oil. A defective sleeve weld cause the pipeline to fail.[330]
  • 1980 On January 30, an 8-inch-diameter, refined petroleum products pipeline owned by The Pipelines of Puerto Rico, Inc., was struck and ruptured by a bulldozer during maintenance work on a nearby waterline in the Sector Cana of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of San Juan. Gasoline from the rupture sprayed downhill and ran off into a small creek. About 1 1/2 hours later, the gasoline vapors were ignited by an undetermined source and exploded; the subsequent fire killed one person and extensively damaged 25 houses and other property.[331]
  • 1980 On February 21, an explosion and fire destroyed four stores in a shopping complex and severely damaged an adjoining restaurant in Cordele, Georgia. Of the eight persons who were injured, three died later as a result of their injuries. Property damage was extensive. The NTSB investigation of the accident has revealed that natural gas leaked from a 1-inch steel service line, which had been pulled from a 1-inch compression coupling from a backhoe working in the area, and migrated under a concrete slab floor and into a jewelry store where it was ignited by an unknown source.[332]
  • 1980 A pipeline Dispatcher ignored established procedures for dealing with a pressure surge, causing a double rupture of a 32 inch steel petroleum products pipeline on March 6. One break, where the pipe had been thinned by corrosion in a casing under a road, caused the release of 8,000 barrels (1,300 m3) of aviation-grade kerosene adjacent to route 234 near Manassas, Virginia. Before being fully contained, the kerosene had flowed into Bull Run River, and had entered the Occoquan Reservoir, a source of drinking water for several northern Virginia communities. The other break, where a crack in the pipe wall initiated during rail shipment of the pipe from the steel mill finally propagated to failure, caused the release of 2,190 barrels (348 m3) of No. 2 fuel oil near Locust Grove, a rural area in Orange County, near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Before being fully contained, the fuel oil had flowed into the Rapidan River and then into the Rappahannock River, a source of drinking water for the City of Fredericksburg.[333][334]
  • 1980 Sabotage during a labor strike was suspected in a gasoline pipeline explosion in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania on March 7. The following fire burned for about 17 hours.[335][336]
  • 1980 On April 16, gasoline at a pipeline terminal in Roseville, Minnesota, sprayed from the fractured cast-iron base of a station booster pump at 72 psig pressure, vaporized, and exploded after it was ignited by the spark of an electric switch in the mainline pump control room 50 feet (15 m) downwind of the booster pump. One man was killed, 3 others injured, and extensive damage was done to the terminal. About 3,500 barrels (560 m3) of petroleum products burned and property damage was estimated at $3 million.[337]
  • 1980 On May 27, near Cartwright, Louisiana, an anhydrous ammonia pipeline was struck by a bulldozer, which was being used to prepare a well site, and the pipeline ruptured. Over 100 people were evacuated from the area.[338]
  • 1980 A road grader ruptured an NGL pipeline in Aurora, Colorado on August 11. Firefighters had barely evacuated residents in the area when the vapors exploded, burning one firefighter.[339]
  • 1980 An oil pipeline ruptured and burned while it was being repaired at an oil storage Terminal in Piney Point, Maryland on September 12, 1980. One worker was killed, and 5 others injured in the fire.[340]
  • 1980 On October 9, a 2-inch-diameter compression coupling located on the upstream side of a gas meter set assembly in the boiler room of the Simon Kenton High School in Independence, Kentucky, pulled out of its connection with a 2-inch-diameter gas service line. Natural gas at 165-psig pressure escaped through the 2-inch-diameter opening and, seconds later, exploded and burned. A basement wall was blown down, an adjacent classroom was damaged, and one student was killed. About 30 minutes later, a second explosion occurred, which injured 37 persons and extensively damaged the school. The gas main was being uprated at the time.[341]
  • 1980 A bulldozer digging a ditch for a new pipeline hit a 16 inch crude oil pipeline near San Ysidro, New Mexico on October 22. The operator was fatally burned.[342]
  • 1980 A pipeline carrying naphtha ruptured under a street in Long Beach, California, causing a fire that destroyed one home and damaged several others. Two people were injured. Lack of communication of pipeline valve setups, and pressure relief valves set to open at too high a pressure were identified by the NTSB as causes of the accident. (December 1, 1980)[343][344]
  • 1980 A dirt pan machine being used for road construction hit a propane pipeline in Sumner, Georgia on December 10, causing slight injuries to the dirt pan operator. US Highway 82 and a rail line were closed, and several families evacuated until the vapors dispersed. There was no fire.[345]
  • 1980 On December 22, a pipeline carrying jet fuel ruptured in Las Vegas, Nevada, spilling fuel for 2 hours. Later, the fuel ignited, forcing road closures. One firefighters was overcome by fumes. Between 50,000 and 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) of jet fuel were spilled. Prior construction in the area was suspected of damaging the pipeline.[346]
  • 1980 A natural gas pipeline exploded and burned at a gas plant in Ulysses, Kansas on December 28. There were no injuries[347]
  • 1981 An ammonia pipeline leaked near Hutchinson, Kansas on July 31, injuring 5 people, including 3 children at a Bible Camp. A 2-mile (3.2 km) radius from the leak was evacuated, including 90 from the Bible Camp.[348]
  • 1981 On August 25, in downtown San Francisco, California, a 16-inch natural gas main was punctured by a drill that an excavation contractor was using. Escaping natural gas blew upward and carried into the Embarcadero Complex and other nearby buildings. There was no ignition; however, the gas stream entrained an oil containing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). Fall-out affected an eight-square-block area of the city's financial district covering buildings, cars, trees, pedestrians, police, and firemen. Approximately 30,000 persons were safely evacuated from the area in 45 minutes. No one was killed or seriously injured, although many persons were sprayed with the PCB oil mist. There were delays in shutting down the gas due to inaccurate diagrams.[349]
  • 1981 On September 15, during routine maintenance, a pipeline exploded and burned between a gas plant and a petroleum plant in Goldsmith, Texas. While workers were fighting the fire, another part of the pipeline burst and burned. 6 workers were burned, and another had other injuries. There were a total of 7 fires from 7 pipeline ruptures.[350][351]
  • 1981 A 12 inch pipeline near Ackerly, Texas, was hit by a rathole drill, releasing an ethane-propane mix. There was then an explosion & fire that killed 4 people. (September 27, 1981)[352]
  • 1981 On November 30, at Flatwoods, West Virginia, gas, leaking into a test section of a 26-inch-diameter gas transmission pipeline, ignited as a welder engaged in installing an end cap placed a tack weld on the east end of a 180-foot (55 m)-long section of pipe. The resultant explosion blew off-the east end cap, which struck and killed the welder's helper.[353]
  • 1981 On December 5, hunters near Yutan, Nebraska tried out a new high power rifle by shooting what they thought was a log in a creek bed. The log was actually an LPG pipeline, and 12 to 16 families needed to be evacuated for their safety from the resulting vapor cloud. There was no fire.[354]
  • 1981 On December 9, a pipeline carrying gasoline ruptured near Joliet, Illinois, spilling 30,000 US gallons (110,000 L) of gasoline into the Des Plaines River.[355]
  • 1981 A gas pipeline in Ottawa, Kansas caused 2 explosions and a raging fire that destroyed 2 mobile homes on December 31. There were no injuries reported.[356]
  • 1982 On January 28 at Centralia, Missouri, natural gas at 47 psig entered a low pressure distribution system which normally operated at 0.40 psig after a backhoe bucket snagged, ruptured, and separated a 3/4-inch-diameter steel pressure regulator control line at a regulator station. The backhoe, which was owned and operated by the city of Centralia, was being used to clean a ditch located adjacent to the pressure regulator station. The high pressure gas entering customer piping systems in some cases resulted in high pilot light flames which initiated fires in buildings; while in other cases, the pilot light flames were blown out, allowing gas to escape within the buildings. Of the 167 buildings affected by the overpressure, 12 were destroyed and 32 sustained moderate to heavy damages. Five persons received minor injuries.[357]
  • 1982 An LPG pipeline was ruptured by road construction in North Richland Hills, Texas on April 16. 800 to 1,00 nearby residents were evacuated. There was no fire. The construction crew workers said the pipeline was 5 feet (1.5 m) away from were it was shown on a map they were using.[358]
  • 1982 A backhoe ruptured a 2 inch diameter gas pipeline in 3 places in Tacoma, Washington, causing evacuations. There was no fire or explosion.[359]
  • 1982 On June 28, a natural gas explosion demolished a house, killed five persons, and critically injured one person in Portales, New Mexico; the critically injured person died later at a burn treatment center. The gas service line to the house had been damaged 37 days earlier when a contractor's backhoe pulled up the line during conduit excavation work for the local telephone company.[360]
  • 1982 On September 7, natural gas at 15 psig escaping from the open ends of a 2 1/4-inch cast-iron gas main located in a deep, narrow excavation in Dublin, Georgia, was ignited by an unknown source. 4 City of Dublin gas department employees who were working in the excavation were critically burned.[361]
  • 1982 On October 1, a steel plate, which had been welded by a work crew to cap temporarily the open end of a section of a 22 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline, blew off at an initial pressure of possibly 260 psig. Escaping natural gas from the pipeline, which had accumulated due to a leak in a nearby gate valve, ignited almost immediately and the entire work area and a portion of U.S. Route 65 were momentarily engulfed in flames. Seven persons who were working to replace a section of the pipeline under the road about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, were burned.[362]
  • 1982 On October 29, a crew mechanic working on new gas service lines at Burke, Virginia, was overcome by leaking gas & died.[363]
  • 1982 On November 4, a tile plow installing field drainage tile on a farm located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Hudson, Iowa, struck and punctured a well marked, 20 inch natural gas transmission pipeline. Natural gas escaping at about 820 psig ignited immediately, and the ensuing fire killed five persons.[364][365]
  • 1982 On December 8, a 5 member crew was working on a gas compressor at Bonicord, Tennessee, when a gas explosion occurred. All five crew members were injured seriously, but were able to evacuate the building. One crew member died later that day, and two others died a few days later.[366]
  • 1983 On February 1, a corroded gas service line caused a natural gas explosion and flash fire that destroyed a house, killed two persons, and injured three persons in Pryor, Oklahoma, and damaged an adjacent house.[367]
  • 1983 A gas pipeline failed and caused a fire with flames 250 to 300 feet (91 m) tall near Marlow, Oklahoma on February 15. There were no injuries.[368]
  • 1983 An 8 inch diameter LPG pipeline was hit by a rotating auger used for planting trees near West Odessa, Texas. After several minutes, the escaping LPG at 1,060 psi ignited, killing 5 people & injuring 5 others. Flames went as high as 600 feet.(March 15, 1983)[369][370][371]
  • 1983 A 36 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Caldwell, Ohio on May 21, destroying 2 homes, burn 100 acres of vegetation, and closing nearby Interstate 77. There were 3 minor injuries.[372]
  • 1983 On June 4, a front loader accidentally dug into a 10 inch diameter petroleum pipeline near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, spilling over 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L) of unleaded gasoline into a creek, killing everything downstream for 3 miles.[373]
  • 1983 A 16 inch diameter gas pipeline ruptures and burned near Athens, Texas, on July 19. A nearby section of the same pipeline had ruptured the year before.[374]
  • 1983 On September 23, gas service pressure surged up in a section of Boston, Massachusetts. 3 major structure fires, numerous smaller fires, and an explosion at a restaurant followed. There was no serious injuries. A flooded gas regulator vault was the cause.[375]
  • 1983 A crude oil pipeline exploded and burned at an Oil Terminal in Lima, Ohio on December 26.[376]
  • 1984 An 8 inch NGL pipeline near Hurst, Texas, was hit by a front loader, and the escaping gases ignited, causing burns to the equipment operator. (February 28, 1984)[377]
  • 1984 On June 19, six employees of a contractor working for Washington Gas Light Company (WGL) in Rockville, Maryland, were using mechanical saws to cut a section of 22 inch diameter steel pipeline when residual gas at atmospheric pressure in the isolated section of the pipeline was ignited. A flash fire ensued, and four contractor employees who were operating the saws and a WGL superintendent were burned.[378]
  • 1984 Two natural gas pipelines exploded and burned near Falls City, Texas.[379]
  • 1984 On September 24, a failed gas main of ABS plastic caused an explosion and fire in Phoenix, Arizona. 5 people died and 7 others injured in the accident. Liquid in the pipe had caused it to break down.[380][381]
  • 1984 A tugboat hit and ruptured a gas pipeline on the Houston Ship Channel on October 16. There were no injuries, but the Channel was closed for a time.[382]
  • 1984 Fast moving water in the Cado Creek near Durant, Oklahoma led to 2 pipelines being ruptured on October 27 & 28. About 1,500 barrels (240 m3) of petroleum were spilled.[383]
  • 1984 On November 25, a 30 inch gas transmission pipeline, constructed in 1955 and operating at 1,000 psig pressure, ruptured at a location about three miles (5 km) west of Jackson, Louisiana. Gas blowing from the rupture fractured the pipe into many pieces and created a hole in the earth about 90 feet (27 m) long, 25 feet (7.6 m) wide, and 10 feet (3.0 m) deep. The escaping gas was quickly ignited by one of several potential sources of ignition. The resulting fire incinerated an area extending from the rupture about 950 feet (290 m) north, 500 feet (150 m) south, and 180 feet (55 m) to the east and to the west. Within this sparsely populated area, five persons involved with the pipeline construction work were killed and 23 persons were injured. Additionally, several pieces of construction equipment were damaged extensively.[384][385]
  • 1985 Natural gas from a leaking line traveled through soil and caused a massive gas explosion in El Paso, Texas on January 8. 11 people were injured, 2 homes were destroyed, and 88 other homes were damaged by the blast.[386]
  • 1985 On February 22, 1985, a police patrolman on routine patrol smelled strong natural gas odors in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. A gas serviceman was ordered to the scene. Before the serviceman arrived at the site of the reported leak, the Sharpsville Inn and a connecting building exploded and burned, killing two persons. Firefighters arriving on scene moments later encountered a second, smaller explosion, which injured one firefighter. The delay in the gas serviceman getting to the incident was a contributing factor.[387]
  • 1985 On April 5, a lightning caused computer malfunction resulted in a pipeline rupture that sent thousands of gallons of gasoline into the Yellow Leaf Creek in Alabama.[388]
  • 1985 A 30 inch diameter gas pipeline at about 960 psig, weakened by atmospheric corrosion, ruptured and tore out about 29 feet (8.8 m) of the carrier pipe, blew apart about 16 feet (4.9 m) of a 36-inch-diameter casing pipe, blasted an opening across Kentucky State Highway 90, and cut out a pear-shaped crater approximately 90 feet (27 m) long, 38 feet (12 m) wide, and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep near Beaumont, Kentucky. 5 people were killed, and 3 injured. (April 27, 1985)[389]
  • 1985 Workers on the extension of the North Dallas Tollway ruptured a 12 inch gasoline pipeline on June 19, causing a massive gasoline spill along a creek bed north of Dallas, Texas. The gasoline later ignited. One person had moderate injuries, several office buildings were damaged by fire, and some automobiles were damaged.[390]
  • 1985 On July 23, in a rural area about 8 miles (13 km) south of Kaycee, Wyoming, a girth weld cracked during a pipeline re-coating project on a 23-year-old, 8-inch-diameter pipeline. The cracked girth weld allowed the release, atomization, and ignition of aircraft turbine fuel under 430 pounds pressure, killing one person, burning six persons, destroying construction equipment.[391][392]
  • 1985 A gasoline leak of up to 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L) from a ruptured 10 inch pipeline ignited on August 2 in Indianapolis, Indiana, causing a 200-foot (61 m) high fireball that killed three people and injured 3 others working to clean up the spill along a creek.[393][394]
  • 1985 On September 23, a 12 inch diameter gasoline pipeline fitting was hit by a backhoe, and sprayed about 35,000 US gallons (130,000 L) of gasoline 45 feet (14 m) into the air in Staten Island, New York. There were evacuations, but no fire.[395]
  • 1985 On December 6, a natural gas explosion and fire destroyed the River Restaurant in Derby, Connecticut. Gas escaping from a broken gas main at a pressure of about 1 pound per square inch had escaped, migrated into the restaurant basement, ignited, exploded, and burned. Of the 18 persons inside the restaurant at the time, 6 were killed and 12 were injured; 1 passerby and 1 firefighter were also injured. After the accident the street adjacent to the restaurant was excavated where a 24 inch diameter sewer system had just been installed;an 87-year-old, 3-inch diameter, cast-iron natural gas main was found broken.[396]
  • 1986 A 30 inch gas pipeline ruptured due to corrosion near Lancaster, Kentucky. 3 people had serious burns, and 5 others had lesser injuries. External corrosion made worse by difficulties of Cathodic Protection in rocky soil was the cause. (February 21, 1986)[397][398]
  • 1986 An 8 inch high-pressure petroleum pipeline ruptures in Muskegon County, Michigan on February 22, spilling gasoline into creeks.[399]
  • 1986 A backhoe snagged a natural gas distribution line in Fort Worth, TX, causing a break that leaked gas into an unoccupied building. Later, that building exploded, injuring 22 people, destroying the unoccupied building, and damaging 40 other buildings. 57 automobiles in the unoccupied building were damaged or destroyed. (March 12, 1986)[400]
  • 1986 A new water main was being installed in Chicago Heights, Illinois on March 13. While excavating, an active gas service line was snagged. Gas company crews responded to the wrong site, causing delays in getting the leaking gas line shut down. Just as crews finished closing the valve on the leaking line, the nearby house exploded and began to burn; one of the two persons inside this house was killed, and the other was injured. Two neighboring houses were damaged, and one gas company employee, two construction crew members, and four persons in the general area were injured by the explosion and subsequent fire. Although gas company personnel arrived on the scene approximately 10 minutes before the explosion and shut off the gas at the meter, neither they nor the contractor's crew had made an effort to warn or evacuate the residents of the house.[401]
  • 1986 On June 28, a pipeline ruptured and spilled diesel fuel into Trail Creek in Michigan City, Indiana. The fuel later ignited. Thousands of fish were killed.[402]
  • 1986 A petroleum products pipeline ruptured at Mounds View, Minnesota. Gasoline at 1,434 psi sprayed a residential area around 4:20 am local time, then ignited. Two residents were killed, at least two others were injured, and many homes damaged or destroyed. Confusion by the pipeline company led to a delay in shutting down the pipeline. Electrical resistance welded (ERW) seam failure caused the rupture. (July 8, 1986)[403][404][405]
  • 1986 A gas transmission pipeline fails and burns in a compressor station near Prattville, Alabama, on July 12. The fire spread by melting flange gaskets on 2 other gas transmission pipelines in the station. 4 homes and several cars were destroyed in the following fire, with flames reaching 300 feet (91 m) high. There were no injuries.[406]
  • 1986 between 800 and 1200 residents were evacuated in East Chicago, Indiana after a gasoline tank at a pipeline Terminal ruptured on September 4. 28 people were overcome by gasoline fumes. There was no fire.[407]
  • 1986 A petroleum products pipeline failed near Billings, Montana, causing the evacuation of nearby businesses. There was no fire.[408]
  • 1986 On September 8, a pipeline failed under the Red River near Gainesville, Texas. Fumes from the pipeline sent 14 to hospitals for treatment.[409]
  • 1986 A 30 inch natural gas pipe line under Pelahatchie Bay in Mississippi exploded near the water's edge on the north shore of the bay on December 6.[410]
  • 1986 On December 25, a pipeline ruptures and spills furnace oil into the Des Plaines River near Chicago, Illinois. About 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L) of furnace oil was spilled. Corrosion seemed to cause the pipeline failure.[411]
  • 1987 A petroleum pipeline ruptured and burned near Corsicana, Texas on March 12, forcing the closure of an Interstate highway, and cause some evacuations.[412]
  • 1987 A work crew burning the remains of a house near Ladysmith, Virginia ruptured a nearby petroleum products pipeline with a bulldozer on March 26, igniting diesel fuel from the line. 2 of the worker were injured.[413]
  • 1987 On April 4, an LPG pipeline exploded at a Terminal in Iowa City, Iowa. Due to the fire spreading to a pipeline for nearby underground gas storage, residents within a 2 1/2 mile radius of the Terminal were evacuated for a time. The fire burned until April 20.[414][415]
  • 1987 On June 11, a "rock ripper" at a construction site punctured a 32 inch petroleum products pipeline in Centreville, Virginia. Gasoline sprayed from the rupture, but there was no fire. More than 15,500 US gallons (59,000 L) of gasoline were released. Thirteen emergency response personnel suffered from exposure to the gasoline fumes.[416]
  • 1987 In July, a fishing vessel, working in shallow waters off Louisiana, the menhaden purse seiner Sea Chief, struck and ruptured an 8" natural gas liquids pipeline operating at 480 psi. The resulting explosion killed two crew members. Divers investigating found that the pipe, installed in 1968, was covered with only 6" of soft mud, having lost its original 3-foot (0.91 m) cover of sediments.[417]
  • 1987 On July 23, a construction crew working on an Interstate 90 project east of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho struck the 10 inch diameter Yellowstone Pipeline, causing a leaking that sprayed out over 200 barrels (32 m3) of gasoline. The pipeline was supposed to have 30 inches of soil cover, but had only 2 inches of cover. There was no fire.[418]
  • 1987 A gas leak on a busy road in Wilmington, North Carolina suddenly ignited while while gas company workers were trying to plug that leak, burning them and firefighters on standby nearby in August. 19 people were burned, with a fire department Assistant Chief later dying from the burns he received.[419]
  • 1988 The rupture of a large interstate gas line at Pocono Ridge development in Lehman Township, Pennsylvania, left a crater about 8 feet (2.4 m) deep and ejected a 6-foot (1.8 m) section of pipe over the treetops before it landed 50 yards away. One hundred thirty people were evacuated. No one was injured.[257]
  • 1988 On January 18, a natural gas explosion destroyed the building housing the K&W Cafeteria and the lobby of the Sheraton Motor Inn at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Two adjoining motel wings suffered structural damage. Of the four persons in the lobby/cafeteria building at the time of the explosion, three sustained minor injuries. The fourth person sustained a fractured ankle. One motel guest also sustained minor cuts.[420]
  • 1988 On February 8, an offshore pipeline near Galveston, Texas, that may have been damaged by an anchor, ruptures, spilling about 15,576 barrels (2,476.4 m3) of crude oil into the Gulf.[421]
  • 1988 On April 9, a 20 inch diameter crude oil pipeline fails in a Peoria County, Illinois subdivision. About 200,000 US gallons (760,000 L) of crude were spilled, contaminating 2 private lakes.[422]
  • 1988 A pair of LPG/NGL pipelines failed in an explosion south of Topeka, Kansas on July 22. 200 nearby residents had to be evacuated, and there was serious damage to US Route 75 nearby.[423]
  • 1988 On August 31, a gas company crew struck and ruptured a fitting on a 4-inch plastic gas main in Green Oaks, Illinois. While the crew was attempting to excavate a nearby valve to shut off the flow of gas, the backhoe struck an unmarked power cable. The gas ignited and four gas company employees were injured.[424]
  • 1988 A crude oil pipeline ruptured, spilling about 60,000 US gallons (230,000 L) of crude in Encino, California on September 11. The crude flow into storm drains, and then into the Los Angeles River.[425]
  • 1988 On September 16, a natural gas explosion in Overland Park, Kansas, involved gas leaking from corrosion holes in the customer-owned line. Gas migrated underground to the house and was ignited. The house was destroyed and the four residents were injured.[426]
  • 1988 In November, corrosion of a 14-inch underground pipeline owned and operated by the Shell Oil Company, a predecessor of Shell Pipeline Corporation (Shell), resulted in the release of an estimated 120,000 US gallons (450,000 L) of gasoline. A pool of gasoline about 450 feet (140 m) by 50 feet (15 m) appeared among fields of corn and soybeans. The site of the release was in Limestone Township in Kankakee County, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Kankakee, Illinois. Approximately 2,100 people live within a 1-mile (1.6 km) radius of the November 1988 release point.[427]
  • 1988 On November 25, natural gas explosion and fire in Kansas City, Missouri, involving a break in a customer owned service line at a threaded joint that was affected by corrosion. One person was killed and five persons injured in the explosion that severely damaged the residence.[426]
  • 1988 A Koch Industries and Ashland Oil subsidiary 16 inch diameter crude oil pipeline failed near Dellwood, Minnesota, spilling about 200,000 US gallons (760,000 L) of crude on a farm. Snow complicated the cleanup. The leak occurred late December 1, but was not discovered until early December 2.[428][429]
  • 1988 A 22 inch diameter crude oil pipeline ruptures near Vienna, Missouri on December 24, spilling more than 860,000 US gallons (3,300,000 L) of crude oil into the Gasconade River. A pipeline worker in Oklahoma failed to notice the pipeline's plummeting pressure gauges for at least two hours. A defect in the pipe was determined to be the cause of the failure.[430][431]
  • 1989 A crude oil pipeline rupture on January 24 in Winkler County, Texas spills over 23,000 barrels (3,700 m3) of oil. 6 acres (24,000 m2) of land were covered in oil, and groundwater was contaminated.[432]
  • 1989 February 10, a natural gas explosion and fire in Oak Grove, Missouri, involved the failure of a customer owned service line at a threaded joint. Two persons were killed and their house was destroyed in the explosion.[426]
  • 1989 May 25: Petroleum products pipeline failure after the San Bernardino train disaster, California. Damage from derailment cleanup caused a CalNev petroleum products pipeline to rupture, spraying homes with gasoline. Three killed in following fire.[433][434]
  • 1989 A crude oil gathering pipeline ruptures near Craig, Colorado on June 2, spilling 10,000 US gallons (38,000 L) of crude into the Yampa River. Federal maintenance oversight of gathering pipelines ended in 1985.[435]
  • 1989 On October 3, the United States menhaden' fishing vessel NORTHUMBERLAND, owned and operated by the Zapata Haynie Corporation (vessel owner), was backing and maneuvering in 9 to 11 feet (3.4 m) of water when the stern of the vessel struck and ruptured an offshore 16 inch natural gas transmission pipeline. Natural gas under 835 pounds per square inch pressure was released. An undetermined source on board the vessel ignited the gas, and within seconds, the entire vessel was engulfed in flames. The fire on the vessel burned until 4:30 a.m. on October 4, when it burned itself out. Leaking gas from the pipeline also continued to burn until the flow of gas subsided and the fire self-extinguished about 6 a.m. on October 4. Eleven of fourteen crew members died as a result of the accident.[436]
  • 1989 An explosion at a valve in a natural gas processing station on October 25 near Evanston, Wyoming kills one worker, and injures 4 others.[437]
  • 1989 A farmer hit a propane pipeline near Butler, Illinois on December 8, forcing evacuation of that town. There was no fire.[438]
  • 1989 On December 18, a Colonial Pipeline petroleum pipeline failed near Locust Grove, Virginia. 212,000 US gallons (800,000 L) of kerosene spilled into the Rapidan and Rappahannock Rivers. On New Year's Eve, following a rapid thaw and heavy rains, containment dams broke and kerosene flowed downstream toward Fredericksburg, Virginia. Fish and game were killed, the City's water supply was cut off, and drinking water had to be hauled from Stafford County for seven days. This was the seventh major leak from Colonial Pipeline in Virginia since 1973.[439][440]
  • 1989 New York City Con Edison Steam Pipe explosion, rupture killing three people in the 3rd Ave./Grammercy Park area.
[edit] 1990s

  • 1990 On January 2, an Exxon underwater pipeline located at the mouth of Morse Creek discharged approximately 13,500 barrels (2,150 m3) of No. 2 heating oil into the Arthur Kill waterway between New Jersey and Staten Island, New York.[441][442]
  • 1990 A Propane pipeline rupture and fire, near North Blenheim, New York, on March 13. Stress from previous work done on the pipeline caused a pipeline rupture and vapor cloud that moved downhill into a town. Two people were killed, seven persons injured, and more than $4 million in property damage and other costs resulted when the cloud ignited.[443][444]
  • 1990 on March 30, a 10-inch-diameter pipeline, ruptured from overstress due to a landslide in Freeport, Pennsylvania, resulting in the release of approximately 1,300 barrels (210 m3) of mixed petroleum products. Spilled petroleum products entered Knapp's Run, a small creek emptying into the Allegheny River and, eventually, the Ohio River. The product release resulted in extensive ground and water pollution and interrupted the use of the Allegheny River as a water supply for several communities. Damage to the pipeline and environmental cleanup and restoration costs exceeded $12 million.[416]
  • 1990 On May 6, a spool on a pipeline ruptured off of the Louisiana coast. 13,600 barrels (2,160 m3) of crude oil were estimated to have spilled.[445]
  • 1990 On August 29, a private contractor laying conduit for underground power lines ruptured a pipeline that fouled a Western Branch creek with diesel fuel in Chesapeake, Virginia. Over 67,000 US gallons (250,000 L) of fuel were spilled.[446]
  • 1990 On August 29, a natural gas explosion and fire destroyed two row houses and damaged two adjacent houses and three parked cars in Allentown, Pennsylvania. One person was killed, and nine people, including two firefighters, were injured. A cracked gas main, that was stressed by soil erosion from a nearby broken water line, was the cause of the gas leak.[447][448]
  • 1990 On November 5, a crude oil pipeline ruptures near Ethel, Missouri, fouling over 35 miles (56 km) of the Chariton River. 44,000 to 66,000 US gallons (250,000 L) of crude were spilled.[449]
  • 1990 At least 3 leaks that spill over a thousand gallons of oil were found in a pipeline in Cerritos, California, it was announced on November 23. One of the failed section of pipeline was 6 to 7 years old.[450]
  • 1990 On December 9, a gas system valve between one of Fort Benjamin Harrison Indianapolis, Indiana gas distribution systems and a discontinued steel gas system segment was inadvertently opened, allowing natural gas to enter residential buildings that had previously received their gas from the discontinued segment. Gas accumulating in Building 1025 of Harrison Village was ignited by one of many available sources, and the resulting explosion killed 2 occupants and injured 24 other persons One building was destroyed, and two were damaged,[451]
  • 1991 A Lakehead crude oil pipeline near Grand Rapids, Minnesota ruptured on March 2, spilling as much as 1,710,000 US gallons (6,500,000 L) of crude oil. More than 7,000 barrels (1,100 m3) of crude went into the Prairie River. About 4 million US gallons (15,000 m3) of oil had spilled from that pipeline from the early 1970s to 1991, per Minnesota records.[238][452][453][454][455][456]
  • 1991 A ruptured propane pipeline on March 2 forced the evacuation of 2,500 from several subdivisions in Richland County, South Carolina for a time. There was no fire.[457]
  • 1991 On June 29, over 60,000 US gallons (230,000 L) of fuel oil and gasoline leaked from a 10 inch diameter Koch Industries pipeline in Carson, Wisconsin from a 3 inch crack. A previous significant leak had occurred on this pipeline in that area the year before. Local officials urged Koch to upgrade it's leak monitoring equipment. Koch later replaced 12 miles (19 km) of that pipeline in the area[458][459][460][461][462]
  • 1991 On July 17, workers were removing a corroded segment of the Consumers Power Company’s (CP) 10-inch-diameter transmission line pipeline in Mapleton, Michigan. As a segment of the pipeline was being removed, natural gas at 360-psig pressure exerted about 12 tons of force on an adjacent closed valve (H-143), causing it and a short segment of connected pipe to move and separate from an unanchored compression coupling. The force of the escaping gas killed one worker (a welder), injured five other workers, and collapsed a steel pit that housed valve H-143.[463]
  • 1991 About 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L) of crude oil spilled from a broken pipeline at a barge facility at High Island, Texas on September 5.[464]
  • 1991 On December 19, a 36-inch-diameter petroleum products pipeline, ruptured from prior excavation damage about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) downstream of the pipeline's Simpsonville, South Carolina, pump station. The rupture allowed more than 500,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L) of diesel fuel to flow into Durbin Creek, causing environmental damage that affected 26 miles (42 km) of waterways, including the Enoree River, which flows through Sumter National Forest. The spill also forced Clinton and Whitmire, South Carolina, to use alternative water supplies.[416]
  • 1991 On December 28, two explosions in rapid succession occurred in apartment No. 3 of a two-story, eight-apartment, wood-frame structure in Santa Rosa, California. Two people were killed and three others were injured. Fire after the explosions destroyed that apartment and three other apartments in the front of the building.[465]
  • 1992 A pipeline offshore of Grand Island, Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico leaked thousands of gallons of crude oil.[466]
  • 1992 On January 17, while a gas company crew was doing routine annual maintenance work at a regulator stations in Chicago, Illinois, high-pressure gas entered a low-pressure system. The gas—under as much as 10 psig of pressure—escaped through gas appliances into homes and other buildings, where it was ignited by several unidentified sources. The resulting explosion and fires killed 4 people, injured 4, and damaged 14 houses and 3 commercial buildings.[467]
  • 1992 On April 7, an uncontrolled release of highly volatile liquids (HVLs) from a salt dome storage cavern near Brenham, Texas, formed a large, heavier-than-air gas cloud that exploded. Three people died from injuries sustained either from the blast or in the following fire. An additional 21 people were treated for injuries at area hospitals. Damage from the accident exceeded $9 million.[468][469]
  • 1992 A natural gas explosion destroyed a house in Catskill, New York[disambiguation needed [IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG]], on November 6. The two-story wood-frame house had not had active gas service since 1969. The explosion killed a woman in the house, seriously injured her daughter, and slightly injured two children in a neighboring house. Gas had escaped from a nearby cracked gas main.[470]
  • 1992 On December 3, a ruptured natural gas liquid pipeline caused a vapor cloud to drift across I-70 near Aurora, Colorado. The Cloud later ignited, burning 6 motorists.[471][472][473]
  • 1993 On March 28, a pressurized 36-inch-diameter (910 mm) petroleum product pipeline owned and operated by Colonial Pipeline Company ruptured near Hemdon, Virginia. The rupture created a geyser which sprayed diesel fuel over 75 feet (23 m) into the air, coating overhead powerlines and adjacent trees, and misting adjacent Virginia Electric Power Company buildings. The diesel fuel spewed from the rupture into an adjacent storm water management pond and flowed overland and through a network of storm sewer pipes before reaching Sugarland Run Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River. The cause was latent third party damage.[474][475]
  • 1993 On June 9, a cinder block duplex at in Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey, exploded as a New Jersey Natural Gas Company (NJNG) contractor was trenching in front of the building. The explosion killed 3 residents of the duplex, and seriously injured 3 others.[476]
  • 1993 On July 22, a city of St. Paul Department of Public Works backhoe hooked and pulled apart a Northern States Power Company (NSP) high-pressure gas service line in St. Paul, Minnesota. An explosion and natural gas-fueled fire resulted about 20 minutes after the backhoe hooked the service line. The explosion force caused part of the building to land on and flatten an automobile traveling southwest on East Third Street, and the driver died instantly. The explosion and ensuing fire also killed an apartment occupant and a person outside the building and injured 12 people.[477]
  • 1993 On July 26, a 6-inch pipeline in Nebraska was exposed by scour in a creek bed and its banks, and was struck by flood debris, which caused it to rupture. The rupture resulted in the release of 2,203 barrels (350.2 m3) of anhydrous ammonia [478]
  • 1993 An ammonia pipeline failed in Sperry, Oklahoma on August 20. 80 homes in the area were evacuated. Several people were treated for ammonia inhalation injuries.[479]
  • 1993 On November 3, Amoco Pipeline was been fined $12,500 for a 1971 pipeline leak that contaminated a drinking well and caused other pollution problems for people living near Garfield, Minnesota.[480]
  • 1993 On December 2, a 10 inch diameter Conoco pipeline ruptured, spilling 8,400 US gallons (32,000 L) of gasoline into a creek in Washington, Missouri.[481]
  • 1993 An explosion and fire on a gas transmission pipeline on December 20, near Mellen, Wisconsin, cut off the gas supply to 3,500 customers in the area.[482]
  • 1994 In January, a pipeline ruptures, dumping almost 162,500 US gallons (615,000 L) of oil in a river, the Marais des Cygnes River in Osawatomie, Kansas. In addition to a $804,700 fine, BP Amoco agreed to spend at least $145,300 on a supplemental environmental project involving reconstruction improvements to Osawatomie's water intake.[483]
  • 1994 On February 1, the third explosion in 7 years hit a LPG/NGL pipeline Terminal in Iowa City, Iowa. 11 workers at the Terminal escaped injury, and 6 families within 1 1/2 miles of the Terminal were evacuated. The 2 previous explosions were in 1987 and 1989.[484]
  • 1994 The Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion and Fire : Previous damage caused a 36 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline to rupture at Edison, New Jersey on March 23, 1994. Several apartment buildings were destroyed in the massive fire. One woman died of a heart attack, and at least 93 others had minor injuries. Delays in shutting off one of the pipeline's valves was cited as contributing to the damage.[485]
  • 1994 A 2-inch-diameter steel gas service line that had been exposed during excavation separated at a compression coupling about 5 feet (1.5 m) from the wall of a retirement home in Allentown, Pennsylvania on June 9. The escaping gas flowed underground, passed through openings in the building foundation, migrated to other floors, and exploded. The accident resulted in 1 fatality, 66 injuries, and more than $5 million in property damage.[486]
  • 1994 A residents near O'Fallon, Missouri detected a petroleum smell, early on September 22. The local Fire Department was called several hours later, and noticed an oily mist in the area, and found a leaking pipeline. The owner of the 10 inch diameter petroleum products later claimed the spill volume was less than 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L), but later calculations and batch volume measurements indicate a spill of 29,000 to 37,000 US gallons (140,000 L). EPA officials later admit someone lied about the spill volume. Over the next 10 years, 8 attempts at remediation were made, before the O'Day Creek was cleaned of all petroleum products.[487][488]
  • 1994 On October 8, a lightning strike shut a valve on a crude oil pipeline, while the oil was flowing, triggering a pressure buildup that ripped a 50-square-inch hole in a section of the pipe that was already weakened by corrosion. Pipeline employees — unaware of the rupture in the pipe — turned on the pumps after the pipeline shut down automatically, sending oil pouring into the creek for about an hour. The spill created a 12-mile (19 km)-long slick on Nueces and Corpus Christi bays along the Texas Gulf Coast. Nearly seven years later, delicate coastal marshes that serve as a nursery for shrimp, flounder, crabs and other marine life have not fully recovered. The estimated spill size was 2,151 barrels (342.0 m3), but that was debated as being too small a size. The pipeline eventually agreed to pay more than $45 million in damages.[489]
  • 1994 Record high flooding along the San Jacinto River in Texas lead to the failure of 8 pipelines crossing that river. Due to the flooding many other pipelines were also undermined. More than 35,000 barrels (5,600 m3) of petroleum and petroleum products were released into the river. Ignition of the released products resulted in 547 people receiving (mostly minor) burn and inhalation injuries. Spill response costs exceeded $7 million, and estimated property damage losses were about $16 million.[490][491]
  • 1994 A natural gas explosion and fire destroyed a one-story, wood frame building in Waterloo, Iowa on October 17. The force of the explosion scattered debris over a 200-foot (61 m) radius. 6 persons inside the building died, and one person sustained serious injuries. 3 persons working in an adjacent building sustained minor injuries when a wall of the building collapsed inward from the force of the explosion. The explosion also damaged nine parked cars. A person in a vehicle who had just exited the adjacent building suffered minor injuries. Additionally, two firefighters sustained minor injuries during the emergency response. Two other nearby buildings also sustained structural damage and broken windows.[492]
  • 1994 A leak of at least 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L) of diesel fuel was discovered on a Koch Industries pipeline near Plover, Wisconsin on November 29. The leak brought this pipeline's total spill volume to 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) on a 91 miles (146 km) pipeline section through several years.[493]
  • 1995 Since starting operations in 1954 until 1995, Yellowstone Pipeline had 71 leaks along the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, spilling 3,500,000 US gallons (13,000,000 L) of petroleum products. Eventually, the Flathead refused to sign a new lease with Yellowstone.[494]
  • 1995 A 26 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline ruptured and burned near Castle Rock, Washington on March 6. There were no injuries.[495]
  • 1995 On March 20, a natural gas transmission pipeline leaked and burned near Chipola, Louisiana. There were no injuries reported.[496]
  • 1995 On March 27, a bulldozer operator ruptured a 40 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline in Huntersville, North Carolina, causing an explosion. The operator was knocked off the bulldozer, then was run over by the driverless bulldozer.[497]
  • 1995 On December 2, 3 contractors were killed, and another injured, when a vacuum used to control flammable fumes accidentally reversed during welding at a pipeline facility near McCamey, Texas.[498]
  • 1995 On December 19, a gas explosion at a twin dwelling in Norristown, Pennsylvania, killed 2 people and injured another person. Gas had migrated from a crack in a 6 inch cast iron gas main in the street.[498]
  • 1996 A gas pipeline failure excised a 30-foot (9.1 m) section of pipe, and the gas later ignited, causing a vegetation fire in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on January 6. Later inspections found numerous flaws on this pipeline.[499]
  • 1996 On February 5, a pipeline ruptured and spilled diesel fuel into a creek in Fairview Heights, Missouri.[500]
  • 1996 A pipeline ruptured at a location near Gramercy, Louisiana, on May 23, 1996. The ruptured pipeline ultimately released about 475,000 US gallons (1,800,000 L) of gasoline into a common pipeline right-of-way and marsh land. Gasoline also entered the Blind River, causing environmental damage and killing fish, wildlife, and vegetation in the area. The pipeline controller did not at first recognize the pipeline had failed, and continued to ignore alarms from the pipeline SCADA system.[501]
  • 1996 A 36 inch diameter petroleum pipeline ruptured at the Reedy River, near Fork Shoals, South Carolina, June 26. The ruptured pipeline released about 957,600 US gallons (3,625,000 L) of fuel oil into the Reedy River and surrounding areas. The spill polluted a 34-mile (55 km) stretch of the Reedy River, causing significant environmental damage. Floating oil extended about 23 miles (37 km) down the river. Approximately 35,000 fish were killed, along with other aquatic organisms and wildlife. The estimated cost to Colonial Pipeline for cleanup and settlement with the State of South Carolina was $20.5 million. No one was injured in the accident. The pipeline was operating at reduced pressure due to know corrosion issues, but pipeline operator confusion led to an accidental return to normal pressure in that pipeline section, causing the rupture.[502][503]
  • 1996 On August 4, 420,000 US gallons (1,600,000 L) of unspecified petroleum product spilled from a Lakehead pipe near Donaldson, Minnesota.[452]
  • 1996 A Koch butane pipeline ruptured, causing an explosion and fire, near Kemp, Texas, on August 24. Two teenagers were killed after driving into the unseen butane cloud while going to report the pipeline leak. A mobile home was also destroyed by the fire. The leak was caused by external corrosion. The pipeline was only 15 years old at the time.[504][505][506][507]
  • 1996 On October 23, in Tiger Pass, Louisiana, the crew of a Bean Horizon Corporation dredge dropped a stern spud into the bottom of the channel in preparation for dredging operations. The spud struck and ruptured a 12-inch-diameter submerged natural gas steel pipeline. The pressurized natural gas released from the pipeline enveloped the stern of the dredge and an accompanying tug, then ignited, destroying the dredge and the tug. No fatalities resulted from the accident.[508]
  • 1996 A pipeline in Murfreesboro, Tennessee was undergoing maintenance on November 5. The pipeline was returned to service, but a valve on that pipeline was accidentally left closed from the maintenance, causing pressure to rupture the pipeline.[509]
  • 1996 On November 21, an explosion occurred in a shoe store and office building in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Thirty-three people were killed, and at least 69 were injured. Crews from the local gas provider, Enron, had not found any gas leaks previously, despite complaints of propane odor in the buildings.[510]
  • 1997 A leak was detected on a 12 inch diameter pipeline near Mount Morris, Illinois on May 9. Between 125,000 and 130,000 US gallons (490,000 L) of gasoline were spilled. A month later, gasoline was till being extracted from the area.[511]
  • 1997 On May 30, Colonial Pipeline spilled approximately 18,900 US gallons (72,000 L) of gasoline, some of which entered an unnamed creek and its adjoining shoreline in the Bear Creek watershed near Athens, Georgia. During the spill, a vapor cloud of gasoline formed, causing several Colonial employees to flee for safety. This spill resulted from a calculation error related to a regular procedure. No one checked the calculations, nor did Colonial have a procedure in place to check such calculations.[503]
  • 1997 A gas pipeline rupture and fire, in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 21. A 20-inch-diameter steel natural gas transmission pipeline ruptured and released natural gas near an intersection adjoining the Charter Pointe subdivision. The gas ignited and burned, killing one resident and injuring another. About 75 residents required temporary shelter. Six homes were destroyed, and about 65 others sustained damage significant enough to be documented by the local investigation team. A nearby directional drilling operation had hit & weakened the pipeline before the failure.[512]
  • 1997 In August, residents in Vacaville, California noticed petroleum fumes, but a leaking pipeline was not found until September 10. A hairline crack from the pipe's manufacturing was the cause, and 20,000 to 60,000 US gallons (230,000 L) of petroleum products had leaked by the time the source was found.[513]
  • 1997 Over a period of years, more than 420,000 US gallons (1,600,000 L) of gasoline spilled from small leaks in Colonial’s pipeline near Darling Creek in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, before Colonial finally discovered the leak in December 1997. As of September 1999, a plume of gasoline, including leaded gasoline, extended over approximately 14 acres (57,000 m2) on the groundwater surface, more than 60 acres (240,000 m2) of groundwater had been contaminated, and some of the gasoline had entered Darling Creek.[503]
  • 1998 On January 23, at least 800 barrels (130 m3) of light crude oil was spilled into the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles (80 km) south of Galveston, Texas by a leaking pipeline.[514]
  • 1998 A rupture in a pipeline in a landfill at Sandy Springs, Georgia, discovered on March 30, resulted in the release of more than 30,000 US gallons (110,000 L) of gasoline. When the pipe was excavated, it was found to be buckled and cracked. The Safety Board found that the pipeline ruptured because of settlement of soil and trash underneath the pipeline.[515]
  • 1998 On April 4, a tow of the M/V Anne Holly, comprising 12 loaded and 2 empty barges, which was traveling northbound on the Mississippi River through the St. Louis Harbor, struck the Missouri-side pier of the center span of the Eads Bridge. Three of these barges drifted toward the President Casino on the Admiral, a permanently moored vessel below the bridge on the Missouri side of the river. A natural gas leak resulted when the natural gas supply line to the Admiral was severed in the course of the accident. When the line broke, natural gas began escaping. Although the escaping gas did not ignite, the gas leak had continued for about 3 hours before being stopped.[516]
  • 1998 Natural Gas Explosion and Fire, South Riding, Virginia, on July 7. A natural gas explosion and fire destroyed a newly constructed residence in the South Riding community in Loudoun County, Virginia. A family consisting of a husband and wife and their two children were spending their first night in their new home at the time of the explosion. As a result of the accident, the wife was killed, the husband was seriously injured, and the two children received minor injuries. Five other homes and two vehicles were damaged.[517]
  • 1998 September: 8,810 barrels (1,401 m3) spill from a Lakehead pipeline near Plummer, Minnesota.
  • 1998 On December 3, a natural gas liquids pipeline near Moab, Utah failed and ignited near Highway U-191, injuring 4 pipeline workers. Asphalt in the road was melted, and traffic was stopped.[518]
  • 1998 A natural gas pipeline rupture and subsequent explosion, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on December 11. While attempting to install a utility pole support anchor in a city sidewalk in St. Cloud, Minnesota, a communications network installation crew struck and ruptured an underground, 1-inch-diameter, high-pressure plastic gas service pipeline, thereby precipitating a natural gas leak. About 39 minutes later, while utility workers and emergency response personnel were taking preliminary precautions and assessing the situation, an explosion occurred. As a result of the explosion, 4 persons were fatally injured; 1 person was seriously injured; and 10 persons, including 2 firefighters and 1 police officer, received minor injuries. Six buildings were destroyed. Damage assessments estimated property losses at $399,000.[519]
  • 1999 Natural Gas Explosion and Fire at a gas pressure station, Wytheville, Virginia, destroying a home and motorcycle store.[520] (January 3, 1999)
  • 1999 In Bridgeport, Alabama, on January 22, while digging a trench behind a building, a backhoe operator damaged a 3/4-inch steel natural gas service line and a 1-inch water service line. This resulted in two leaks in the natural gas service line, which was operated at 35 psig. One leak occurred where the backhoe bucket had contacted and pulled the natural gas service line. The other was a physical separation of the gas service line at an underground joint near the meter, which was close to the building. Gas migrated into a building nearby, where it ignited. An explosion followed, destroying three buildings. Other buildings within a two-block area of the explosion sustained significant damage. Three fatalities, five serious injuries, and one minor injury resulted from this accident.[521]
  • 1999 A pipeline rupture in Knoxville, Tennessee, and released over 53,000 US gallons (200,000 L) of diesel fuel into the Tennessee River on February 9. A brittle-like crack was found on the pipe in an area of coating failure. The NTSB expressed concern that the material's toughness had a role in this rupture. Two days before the rupture, an in-line inspection device was run through the pipe segment, with no anomalies in the rupture area reported. Contributing to the severity of the accident was Colonial Pipeline Company’s failure to determine from the SCADA system that a leak had occurred, with the result that the pipeline controller started and restarted the pipeline, increasing the amount of diesel fuel that was released.[503][522]
  • 1999 A pipeline in a Bellingham, Washington park ruptured and leaked gasoline, and later vapor from the leak exploded and killed two 10 year old boys and an 18 year old man on June 10, 1999. Issues causing the rupture were found to be previous pipe damage by excavation, an incorrectly set up pressure relief valve, unexpected repeated remote valve closure, and new software tests on the live controlling computer.[523][524]
  • 1999 On November 19, 2 men were injured in Salt Flat, Texas, when a leaking 8 inch diameter propane pipeline explodes. 2 school buses had passed through the area moments before the explosion.[525]
Delete double post on 1980's and 1990's
Pipeline safety 2000 to present

[edit] 2000s

  • 2000 On January 27, in Winchester, Kentucky, a pipeline accident released about 490,000 US gallons (1,900,000 L) of crude oil. NTSB investigators found a dent on the bottom of the pipe in the rupture area. Marathon-Ashland spent about $7.1 million in response to the accident.[526][527]
  • 2000 On February 5, a pipeline failed and spilled over 192,000 US gallons (730,000 L) of crude oil in the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Pennsylvania. The source of the spill was a break in a miter bend in the pipe, which was estimated to be at least 50 years old.[528][529]
  • 2000 A petroleum pipeline failure in Greenville, Texas, on March 9. A 28-inch-diameter pipeline ruptured and released 13,436 barrels (2,136.2 m3) of gasoline. The released gasoline flowed a few hundred feet across the surrounding terrain and into a dry creek bed, which was a tributary to East Caddo Creek. From the tributary, the gasoline flowed downstream into East Caddo Creek. The banks of the tributary and creek contained the escaping gasoline as it flowed away from the ruptured pipe. The probable cause of the pipeline failure was corrosion-fatigue cracking that initiated at the edge of the longitudinal seam weld at a likely preexisting weld defect. Contributing to the failure was the loss of pipe coating integrity.[530]
  • 2000 A pipeline released fuel oil near Chalk Point, Maryland, on April 7. The Piney Point Oil Pipeline system, which was owned by the Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco), experienced a pipe failure at the Chalk Point Generating Station in southeastern Prince George’s County, Maryland. The release was not discovered and addressed by the contract operating company, Support Terminal Services, Inc., until the late afternoon. Approximately 140,400 US gallons (531,000 L) of fuel oil were released into the surrounding wetlands and Swanson Creek and, subsequently, the Patuxent River as a result of the accident. No injuries were caused by the accident, which cost approximately $71 million for environmental response and clean-up operations.[531]
  • 2000 On June 7, a stopple fitting weld failed on a pipeline, causing a rupture releasing 75,000 US gallons (280,000 L) of gasoline into the environment, and causing the evacuation of more than 500 homes in Blackman Charter Township, Michigan. The failure caused the shutdown of 30% of Michigan's gasoline supplies for nine days, contaminated a creek which flows into the Grand River, and a railroad track near the failure site was shut down for a week. Later tests found 715 anomalies in this pipeline.[532]
  • 2000 A 30 inch diameter natural gas pipeline rupture and fire near Carlsbad, New Mexico killed 12 members of an extended Family camping over 600 feet (180 m) from the rupture point. The force of the rupture and the violent ignition of the escaping gas created a 51-foot (16 m)-wide crater about 113 feet (34 m) along the pipe. A 49-foot (15 m) section of the pipe was ejected from the crater in three pieces measuring approximately 3 feet (0.91 m), 20 feet (6.1 m), and 26 feet (7.9 m) in length. The largest piece of pipe was found about 287 feet (87 m) northwest of the crater. The cause of the failure was determined to be severe internal corrosion of that pipeline. On July 26, 2007, a USDOJ Consent Decree was later entered into by the pipeline owner to do pipeline system upgrades to allow better internal pipeline inspections. (August 19, 2000)[533][534][535]
  • 2000 For the second time in 24 hours, a state contractor building a noise wall along the I-475 in Toledo, Ohio struck an underground pipeline, and for a second time the contractor blamed faulty pipeline mapping for the accident. In this incident, the pipe was a six-inch gas pipeline. The crew was digging a hole with an auger for a noise-wall support on September 8, when it hit the underground pipe less than 500 meters from the previous day's incident.[1]
  • 2000 A Bulldozer ruptured a 12 inch diameter NGL pipeline on Rt. 36, south of Abilene, Texas, on September 7. An Abilene police detective, with 21 years of service, was severely burned and later died. Nearby, a woman saved herself by going underwater in her swimming pool. Her house was destroyed by the explosion & fire. The owner of the pipeline, ExxonMobil, was later fined by the Texas Railroad Commission for the pipeline not being marked.[536][537][538][539]
  • 2000 On November 3, a front end loader punctured an 8 inch diameter pipeline carrying diesel fuel in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Diesel fuel sprayed 40 feet (12 m) into the air. The fuel flowed for over 2 hours before stopping, and contaminating the area with more than 40,000 US gallons (150,000 L) of diesel fuel.[540]
  • 2001 A 12-inch natural gas pipeline exploded in Weatherford, Texas on March 22. No one was injured, but the blast created a hole in the ground about 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter and the explosion was felt several miles away.[1]
  • 2001 On April 1, a Dome Pipeline in North Dakota carrying gasoline ruptured and burst into flames a few miles west of Bottineau, North Dakota. An estimated 1.1 million US gallons (4,200 m3) of gasoline burned before the pipeline could be shut down. The company attributed the break to damage by an "outside force," which A Bottineau County Sheriff said appeared to be frost that melted at uneven rates, twisting and breaking the pipeline.[527]
  • 2001 A 10 inch diameter propane pipeline exploded and burned in Platte County, Missouri on May 1.[541]
  • 2001 On June 13, in Pensacola, Florida, at least ten persons were injured when two natural gas lines ruptured and exploded after a parking lot gave way beneath a cement truck at a car dealership. The blast sent chunks of concrete flying across a four-lane road, and several employees and customers at neighboring businesses were evacuated. About 25 cars at the dealership and 10 boats at a neighboring business were damaged or destroyed.[1]
  • 2001 On July 24, a pipeline ruptures and spreads burning gasoline near Manheim, Pennsylvania.[542]
  • 2001 At approximately 5:05 a.m. MST, on August 11, a 24 inch gas pipeline failed near Williams, Arizona, resulting in the release of natural gas. The natural gas continued to discharge for about an hour before igniting.[543]
  • 2001 On August 17, an Oklahoma crude oil pipeline ruptured after being struck by a machine cleaning roadside ditches, sending oil 30 feet (9.1 m) into the air and damaging nearby cotton crops with up to 150,000 US gallons (570,000 L) spilled.[483]
  • 2001 December 14, an anhydrous ammonia spill near Algona, Iowa killed nearly 1.3 million fish- the largest fish kill on state record to date, Iowa state officials said. More than 58,000 US gallons (220,000 L) of anhydrous ammonia over a 9 hour period spilled from a broken pipeline owned by Koch Industries Inc. into Lotts Creek and the Des Moines River killing minnows, bass and other game fish. Koch Pipeline, a Texas company that owns the 8-inch pipeline, was doing maintenance work on a valve on the pipeline. Officials said the plume drifted over a six-mile (10 km) area causing officials to evacuate residents in its path.[483]
  • 2002 On March 15, a failure occurred on a 36 inch gas pipeline near Crystal Falls, Michigan. The failure resulted in a release of gas, which did not ignite, that created a crater 30 feet (9.1 m) deep, 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, and 120 feet (37 m) long. There were no deaths or injuries.[544]
  • 2002 On April 6, a BP-Amoco pipeline ruptured and released about 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) of oil into a coastal area known as Little Lake in Louisiana.[483]
  • 2002 A rupture of an Enbridge Pipeline and release of crude oil near Cohasset, Minnesota, on July 4. The pipeline ruptured in a marsh near Cohasset, in Itasca County, spilling 6,000 barrels (950 m3) of crude oil. In an attempt to keep the oil from contaminating the Mississippi River, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources set a controlled burn that lasted for 1 day and created a smoke plume about one mile (1.6 km) high and five miles (8 km) long.[545]
  • 2002 On August 5, a natural gas pipeline exploded and caught fire west of Rt. 622, on Poca River Road near Lanham, West Virginia. Emergency workers evacuated three or four families. Kanawha and Putnam Counties in the area were requested Shelter-In-Place. Parts of the Pipeline were thrown hundreds of yards away, around, and across Poca River. The Fire was not contained for several hours because valves to shutdown line did not exist. The Orange Glow from the fire at 11 PM; could be seen for several miles.[1]
  • 2002 At approximately 22:10 on Friday, September 20, a gasoline leak from an 8-inch pipeline operated by Cenex Pipeline (terminal) was discovered near Glendive, Montana. The release of approximately 1,000 barrels (160 m3) of unleaded gasoline flowed into Seven Mile Creek, and then downstream into to its confluence with the Yellowstone River. Several trenches was constructed near the rupture pipe for product collection points. As of September 25, 2002, a vacuum truck had recovered approximately 21,000 US gallons (79,000 L) of gasoline [and water] from the boomed locations and trenches.[546][547]
  • 2003 An Enbridge crude oil pipeline ruptures at a terminal in Douglas County, Wisconsin on January 24. Some of the crude oil flowed into the Nemadji River. Over 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) were spilled.[527]
  • 2003 A natural gas pipeline ruptured near Viola, Illinois on February 2, resulting in the release of natural gas which ignited. A l6-foot long section of the pipe fractured into three sections, which were ejected to distances of about 300 yards from the failure site.[1][548]
  • 2003 On March 23, a 24 inch diameter gas pipeline near Eaton, Colorado exploded. The explosion sent flames 160 meters in the air and sent thousands of Weld County residents into a panic, but no one was injured. The heat from the flames melted the siding of two nearby homes and started many smaller grass fires.[1]
  • 2003 On May 1, a 26 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline failed near Lake Tapps, Washington. A neighboring elementary school, a supermarket, and 30 to 40 homes in approximately a 4-mile (6.4 km) area were evacuated. There was no fire or injuries. Land movement was suspected, and had caused 4 previous failures on this pipeline in the previous 8 years.[549]
  • 2003 An 8 inch diameter LPG pipeline failed near Lebanon, Ohio on May 8. About 80 homes and one school in the area were evacuated. There was no fire or injuries.[550]
  • 2003 A 30 inch diameter gas pipeline exploded and burned near Nederland, Texas on May 21.[551]
  • 2003 Excavation damage to a natural gas distribution line resulted in an explosion and fire in Wilmington, Delaware on July 2. A contractor hired by the city of Wilmington to replace sidewalk and curbing, dug into an unmarked natural gas service line with a backhoe. Although the service line did not leak where it was struck, the contact resulted in a break in the line inside the basement of a nearby building, where gas began to accumulate. A manager for the contractor said that he did not smell gas and therefore did not believe there was imminent danger and that he called an employee of the gas company and left a voice mail message. At approximately 1:44p.m., an explosion destroyed two residences and damaged two others to the extent that they had to be demolished. Other nearby residences sustained some damage, and the residents on the block were displaced from their homes for about a week. Three contractor employees sustained serious injuries. Eleven additional people sustained minor injuries.[552]
  • 2003 On July 30, A Kinder Morgan pipeline in Tucson, Arizona ruptured and spewed 10,000 to 19,000 US gallons (72,000 L) of gasoline on five houses under construction, flooding nearby streets. The resulting pipeline closure caused major gas shortages in the state. The U.S. Office of Pipeline Safety had warned carriers previously that pipe of the type that Kinder Morgan had in Arizona had manufacturing defects that could grow over time. A hydrostatic test that was performed on this pipeline after repairs failed 40 feet (12 m) from the first failure.[527][553][554]
  • 2003 On September 26, A propane pipeline at the Phillips Petroleum storage facility in Cahokia, Illinois ruptured, sending flames high into the air and sparking small grass fires in the area.
  • 2003 On November 2, a Texas Eastern Transmission natural gas pipeline exploded in Bath County, Kentucky, about 1.5 km south of a Duke Energy pumping station. A fire burned for about an hour before firefighters extinguished it. No one was injured and no property damage was reported.[527]
  • 2004 On April 28, a petroleum pipeline owned and operated by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners ruptured, and spilled an estimated 1,500 -1,600 barrels (250 m3) of diesel fuel into marshes adjacent to Suisun Bay in Northern California. The line was corroded. The company failed to notify California authorities about the spill for 18 hours, a failure for which it was later cited.[527][555]
  • 2004 On May 23, a leak in a sampling tube on a pipeline in Renton, Washington spilled several thousand gallons of gasoline, which ignited.[556]
  • 2004 On August 21, a natural gas explosion destroyed a residence located at in DuBois, Pennsylvania. Two residents were killed in this accident. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the leak, explosion, and fire was the fracture of a defective butt-fusion joint.[557]
  • A vandal started up a trackhoe at a construction site in New Caney, Texas, and dug into a propylene pipeline on September 26. The escaping propylene ignited, causing nearby residents to evacuate. There were no injuries reported.[558]
  • 2004 A pipeline fails in Hughes County, Oklahoma on September 28, spilling an estimated 1,500 barrels (240 m3) of diesel fuel.[559]
  • 2004 On October 27, an anhydrous ammonia pipeline ruptured near Kingman, Kansas, and released approximately 4,858 barrels (772.4 m3) of anhydrous ammonia. Nobody was killed or injured due to the release. The anhydrous ammonia leaked into a creek and killed more than 25,000 fish including some from threatened species. The pipeline had previous damage to it. The pipeline controller had misinterpreted the leak as other problems with the system operation, causing the leak to go on longer. As a result of this, and another ammonia pipeline leak the month before, the pipeline owner and it's 2 operating companies were later fined $3.65 million.[560][561]
  • 2004 A construction crew ruptured a high-pressure gas line in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 1, near one of the state's busiest intersections Monday, triggering a fire that melted traffic lights that hung overhead. No one was injured.[562]
  • 2004 On November 8, a NGL pipeline failed in a housing division in Ivel, Kentucky. The vapor cloud from the leak ignited, seriously burning a Kentucky State Trooper evacuating those living in the area. 8 others were injured and 5 homes were destroyed. The pipeline had 11 previous corrosion failures, and is only 65 miles (105 km) long.[563][564]
  • 2004 On November 9, in Walnut Creek, California, a petroleum pipeline carrying gasoline to San Jose, California, owned and operated by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMEP) was struck by a backhoe used by Mountain Cascade Inc. (MC), a contractor operating in the construction of a water pipeline for the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). A massive gasoline spill was subsequently ignited, resulting in an explosive fireball that caused the deaths, by burns, of four workers and one supervisor and the severe injury of five others. A Kinder Morgan worker had misread an as built map, and had incorrectly marked the pipeline's route before the accident.[565]
  • 2004 On November 21, a 14 inch petroleum products pipeline sprung a leak that was transporting gasoline at the time of the release. The pipeline, owned and operated by the California-Nevada Pipeline Company, a subsidiary of Kinder-Morgan Energy Partners, is the main source of petroleum fuel products for Las Vegas, Nevada. An 80-foot (24 m) geyser of gasoline was discovered on the next morning, after numerous complaints of a strong gasoline odor along Interstate 15 in northern San Bernardino County, CA.[566]
  • 2004 Employees were performing maintenance on a propane pipeline near Mantador, North Dakota on December 15, when a gasket on the pipeline's valve failed, causing a leak. Nearby resident were evacuated, and a rail line was shut down temporarily. There were no injuries.[567]
  • 2004 As much as 5,000 gallons of crude oil spilled on December 24 from a ConocoPhillips pipeline south of Laurel, Montana near the Yellowstone River. Hydrogen sulfide gas from the oil could have posed a major danger, but ``the wind helped immensely to dissipate the gas.[568]
  • 2005 In January, a Sunoco pipeline ruptured, spilling 260,000 US gallons (980,000 L) of oil into the Kentucky and Ohio rivers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Sunoco and a subsidiary $2.5 million for the spill.[569]
  • 2005 An ExxonMobil underground gasoline pipeline fire forced 43 families from their homes near Allentown, Pennsylvania on February 1. The pipeline burned for over 72 hours. There were no reported injuries.[570]
  • 2005 A petroleum products pipeline is found leaking gasoline near Truckee, California on April 1. Gasoline spread into Donner Creek.[571]
  • 2005 On May 13, an underground natural gas pipeline exploded near Marshall, Texas, sending a giant fireball into the sky and hurling a 160-foot (49 m) section of pipe onto the grounds of a nearby electric power generating plant. 2 people were hurt. The OPS concluded that stress corrosion cracking was the culprit.[572]
  • 2005 A pipeline fails in Bryan County, Oklahoma, spilling 860 barrels (137 m3) of crude oil.[573]
  • 2005 A 12-inch (300 mm) Kinder Morgan Energy Partners pipeline ruptured in El Paso, Texas on May 28, releasing gasoline.[574]
  • 2005 A pipeline pumping station employee was killed in Monroe, Ohio, when leaking propane was ignited and exploded by an arcing pump on September 19. Flames reached 300 feet (91 m) high in the following fire.[575][576]
  • 2005 On December 13, workers removing an underground oil tank in Bergenfield, New Jersey undermined a 1 1/4 inch steel gas pipeline. The gas line later failed, causing an explosion. Three residents of a nearby apartment building were killed. Four other residents and a tank removal worker were injured. Failure to evacuate the apartment building after the gas line ruptured was listed as a contributing factor.[577]
  • 2006 On March 2, a surveillance crew discovered a crude oil spill near North Slope Borough, Alaska. The pipeline failure resulted in a release currently estimated at 5,000 barrels (790 m3) of processed crude oil, impacting the arctic tundra and covering approximately 2 acres (8,100 m2) of permafrost. The pipeline's leak detection system was not effective in recognizing and identifying the failure. Failure to run cleaning pigs to remove internal corrosive build up. The failure caused crude oil price to spike though out the World.[578][579]
  • 2006 On March 23, a pipeline failed west of Toledo, Ohio, spilling about 200 barrels (32 m3) of unleaded gasoline. During the repair work, another smaller nearby leak was also found.[580]
  • 2006 On or about April 17, a pipeline experienced a failure in Henrico County, near Richmond, Virginia. The failure resulted in the release of an unknown quantity of jet fuel in a residential area. The jet fuel sprayed for approximately 14 minutes and the spray traveled the distance of approximately 200 feet (61 m). The jet fuel did not ignite.[581]
  • 2006 On June 27, a Koch Industries pipeline carrying crude oil failed near the town of Little Falls, Minnesota. The pipeline estimated that approximately 3,200 barrels (510 m3) of crude oil were released.[582]
  • 2006 On July 22, a Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company gas transmission pipeline ruptured, resulting in an estimated release of 42,946,000 cu ft (1,216,100 m3) of natural gas near Clay City in Clark County, Kentucky. The gas ignited, but there were no injuries, and just minor property damage. External corrosion was suspected.[583][584]
  • 2006 A petroleum pipeline failed in Romeoville, Illinois on August 12. About 59,000 US gallons (220,000 L) of product were lost. External corrosion was the cause, but there were no injuries.[585]
  • 2006 On October 12, a pipeline explosion occurred when a tugboat pushing two barges hit the pipeline Thursday in West Cote Blanche Bay, about two miles (3 km) from shore and 100 miles (160 km) southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana. 4 crew members were killed, and 2 were missing and later presumed dead.[586][587]
  • 2006 A jet-black, 300-acre (1.2 km2) burn site surrounded the skeletal hulk of a bulldozer that struck a natural-gas pipeline on November 11, and produced a powerful explosion 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the Wyoming-Colorado line. The bulldozer operator was killed.[588]
  • 2007 On January 1, an Enbridge pipeline that runs from Superior, Wisconsin to near Whitewater, Wisconsin failed, resulting in a spill of ~50,000 US gallons (190,000 L) of crude oil onto farmland and into a drainage ditch.[589] The same pipeline was struck by construction crews on February 2, 2007, in Rusk County, Wisconsin, spilling ~126,000 US gallons (480,000 L) of crude. Some of the oil filled a hole more than 20 feet (6.1 m) deep and was reported to have contaminated the local water table.[590]
  • 2007 February: A construction crew strikes an Enbridge pipeline in Rusk County, spilling 3,000 barrels (480 m3).
  • 2007 May 16: 63,000 US gallons (240,000 L) of gasoline spilled into an old stripping pit that covers a three-acre area in Coal Township. The Kerris and Helfrick company owns the property where the gas leak occurred, and the excavator, was working for the company when he accidentally ruptured the Sunoco Logistics 14-inch diameter petroleum pipeline. The gasoline was mostly absorbed into areas of soil, fill and coal strippings at the site.[591] Several residents made U.S. Rep. Christopher P. Carney aware of complaints about gasoline odors in residential basements. "Moreover, many residents are legitimately concerned about groundwater contamination as well as a host of future problems associated with the spill," Carney wrote to Department of Environmental Protection Secrearty Kathleen McGinty.[592] The pipeline was installed in 1964 by the Atlantic Richfield Co.(ARCO) and purchased in 1990 by Sunoco. On Sept. 29, the PADEP Environmental Cleanup program finalized a consent order and agreement with Mallard Contracting, which included a $45,000 civil penalty covering both DEP’s response costs and a fine for violations of the Pa. Solid Waste Management Act.
  • 2007 2007 New York City steam explosion, on July 18.
  • 2007 A 12 inch propane pipeline explodes, killing two and injuring five others near Carmichael, Mississippi on November 1. The NTSB determined the probable cause was likely an ERW seam failure. Inadequate education of residents near the pipeline about the existence of a nearby pipeline and how to respond to a pipeline accident were also cited as a factors in the deaths.[593]
  • 2007 An oil pipeline owned by Enbridge exploded in Clearbrook, Minnesota, during repairs on November 28, causing the deaths of two employees. DOT officials said that two Enbridge workers died in a crude oil explosion as they worked to make repairs on the former Lakehead system pipeline. Enbridge was cited for failing to safely and adequately perform maintenance and repair activities, clear the designated work area from possible sources of ignition, and hire properly trained and qualified workers.[594][595]
  • 2008 A pipeline split open on Jan. 8, near Denver City, Texas, spilling 1.3 million US gallons (4,900 m3) of crude oil. The pipeline company failed to detect and stop the leak for more than 24 hours. ERW seam failure appears to be the cause.[596]
  • 2008 A natural gas pipeline explodes and catches fire on February 5, near Hartsville, Tennessee, believed to have been caused by a tornado hitting the facility.
  • 2008 On February 15, a 20 inch gas pipeline exploded and burned in Hidalgo County, Texas, closing road FM490.[597]
  • 2008 On July 28, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois ordered Apex Oil Company Inc., to clean up ground water and soil contamination, at an expected cost of at least $150 million. During the period 1967 through 1988, Apex Oil's legal predecessor, Clark Oil and Refining Corp., released gasoline from leaking pipelines and other spills, that commingled with other responsible parties' releases and resulted in the large plume of refined petroleum substances beneath Hartford, Illinois. Vapors from the underground plume of millions of gallons of leaked and spilled petroleum products have migrated into homes in the village, causing years of fires, explosions, and evacuations.[598]
  • 2008 A 20 inch diameter crude oil pipeline ruptured near Golden Gate, Illinois on August 10. About 243,000 gallons of crude were spilled, with about 33,000 gallons being lost. The cause was listed as a pipe seam failure.[599][600][601]
  • 2008 A 36 inch diameter gas pipeline failed near Stairtown, Texas on August 28, causing a fire with flames 400 feet (120 m) tall. The failure was caused by external corrosion.[602][603]
  • 2008 On August 29, a 24 inch gas transmission pipeline ruptured in Cooper County, Missouri. Corrosion had caused the pipeline to lose 75% of its wall thickness in the failure area.[604]
  • 2008 Workers constructing a new pipeline hit an existing natural gas pipeline in Wheeler County, Texas, on September 9. 2 workers were burned by this accident.[605]
  • 2008 A 30 inch gas pipeline ruptured & gas ignited near Appomattox, Virginia on September 14. 2 homes were destroyed by the fire. External corrosion seems to be the cause of the failure.[606]
  • 2008 A ruptured pipeline causes a fire at a Pipeline Terminal in Pasadena, Texas on September 23. One worker was killed, and another injured, with about 190,000 US gallons (720,000 L) of product being lost. The failure was caused by internal corrosion.[607][608]
  • 2008 On October 3, a crew working on a Turnpike expansion drill into a pertoleum products pipeline in Hamilton, New Jersey. Over 25,000 US gallons (95,000 L) of diesel fuel were spilled.[609]
  • 2008 A gasoline release from a petroleum pipeline occurred on November 25, at a retail mall in Murrysville, PA. Officials said the release occurred from the six-inch line at about 9:30 a.m. while a Sunoco Logistics crew was working on a ball valve.[610] The failure resulted in the evacuation of numerous stores, restaurants and roads in the immediate vicinity due to the dousing of gasoline and subsequent vapors emitting from the 11,760 US gallons (44,500 L) of spilled product.[611]
  • 2009 On February 1, a gas pipeline explosion rocked the area 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Carthage, Texas.[612]
  • 2009 A rupture of pipeline near Cygnet, Ohio, owned by Philadelphia-based Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, resulted in one of the largest oil spills in Wood County history. At approximately 5:00 p.m. on February 18, the company discovered the release at the pump station and terminal located in Cygnet, Ohio.[613] Upon learning of the release, the company immediately shut down the pipeline, stopped operations at the pump station and terminal, notified the appropriate authorities, and began an emergency response. As of 11:05 a.m. ET on February 19, the release had been stopped from the pipe. The damaged pipeline, which was operating at the time, released 1,250 barrels (199 m3) of crude oil into a farm field. Eventually, 782 of the 1,250 barrels (199 m3) released were recovered. Some of the crude oil, approximately 200 barrels (32 m3), did contaminate a local creek. There were no fatalities, or injuries.[614][615]
  • 2009 A gas pipeline bursts near Hobe City, Florida on May 4, injuring 2 people on the Florida Turnpike from flying debris. The escaping gas did not ignite.[616]
  • 2009 Natural gas pipeline explodes and catches fire on May 5, near Rockville, IN in Parke County, about 24 miles (39 km) north of Terre Haute, Indiana. PHMSA indicated the possibility of external corrosion in its Corrective Action Order (CAO) to the pipeline company. Pictures have been released around the area showing the damage caused. 49 homes were evacuated in a one-mile (1.6 km) area of the explosion. No injuries reported.[617]
  • 2009 On August 17, a pipeline was found leaking by an aerial patrol in Atoka County, Oklahoma. 50 barrels (7.9 m3) of diesel fuel were estimated to have been released as a result of this accident, and none of it was recovered.[618]
  • 2009 A leaking pipeline carrying jet fuel was accidentally ignited by a pipeline repair crew in Upton County, Texas, on October 7.[619]
  • 2009 Bushland, Texas — Two people were hurt when a natural gas pipeline exploded in the Texas Panhandle. The explosion early Thursday, 5 November, left a hole about 30 yards by 20 yards and close to 15 feet (4.6 m) deep. The blast shook homes, melted window blinds and shot flames hundreds of feet into the air. The home nearest the blast — about 100 yards away- was destroyed, and 3 residents from that homes were injured. About 200 residents in the area were evacuated. Bushland is in Potter County, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Amarillo. The failure was in an abandoned tap.[620][621][622]
  • 2009 On December 23, a crude oil pipeline started leaking in Galveston, Texas. There was no fire or explosion as a result of the accident, and an estimated 120 barrels (19 m3) of crude oil were released to the environment.[623]
  • 2009 A newly built 42 inch gas transmission pipeline near Philo, Ohio failed on the second day of operation. There was no fire, but evacuations resulted. Several indications of pipe deformation were found.(November 14, 2009)[624][625]
[edit] 2010s

  • 2010 A gas pipeline exploded near Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, in January, killing a pipeline employee.[626]
  • 2010 On February 1, a plumber trying to unclog a sewer line in St. Paul, Minnesota ruptured a gas service line that has been "cross bored" through the house's sewer line. The plumber & resident escape the home moments before as an explosion & following fire destroyed the home. The Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety ordered that gas utility, Xcel, to check for more cross bored gas lines. In the following year, 25,000 sewer lines inspected showed 57 other cross bored gas lines. In Louisville, Kentucky, 430 gas line cross bores were found in 200 miles (320 km) of a sewer project, including some near schools and a hospital. The NTSB had cited such cross bore incidents as a known hazard since 1976.[627][628]
  • 2010 On February 25, a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline ruptured near Pond Creek, Oklahoma, releasing over 575,000 US gallons (2,180,000 L) of NGL's, and forcing road closures. There was no fire.[629][630]
  • 2010 At approximately 8:10 am CST, March 1, Mid-Valley Pipeline identified a release of crude oil in the manifold area of the Mid-Valley tank farm in Longview, TX. Crude oil was observed “gushing” from the soil in the manifold area, and 198 barrels of crude oil were estimated to have been released and 196 barrels were recovered from the secondary containment area within Mid-Valley’s site.[631]
  • 2010 A 24 inch diameter gas pipeline bursts, but did not ignite near Pampa, Texas on March 15.[632]
  • 2010 On March 25, there was a release of 1700 barrels of Vacuum Gas Oil (VGO) from the FM-1 pipeline into an open in-ground valve pit and the surrounding area in the West Yard of the Sunoco, R&M Philadelphia refinery in Philadelphia, PA. The area was under the control of the Operator in a fenced off area that is off-limits to the public.[633]
  • 2010 A crude oil pipeline ruptures near near Green River, Wyoming, on April 5. At least 84,000 US gallons (320,000 L) of crude were spilled. Corrosion in the pipeline was the cause.[527]
  • 2010 A BP pipeline carrying gasoline leaked nearly 93,000 US gallons (350,000 L) into a farm field over the Memorial Day weekend. The leak occurred in Constantine Township, St. Joseph County, Michigan.[527][634]
  • 2010 On June 7, a 36 inch diameter gas pipeline explosion and fire in Johnson County, Texas, was caused by workers installing poles for electrical lines. One worker killed, and six were injured. Confusion over the location and status of the construction work lead to the pipeline not being marked beforehand.[635][636]
  • 2010 On June 8, construction workers hit an unmarked 14 inch gas gathering pipeline near Darrouzett, Texas. Two workers were killed.[635][637]
  • 2010 On June 12, a crude oil pipeline damage by lightning ruptured, causing 800 barrels (130 m3) of crude to spill into Red Butte Creek in Salt Lake City, Utah. Crude then flowed in a pond in Liberty Park.[638]
  • 2010 On July 26, the pipeline company, Enbridge Energy Partners LLP (Enbridge), reported that a 30-inch (760 mm) pipeline belonging to Enbridge burst in Marshall, Michigan. The company estimates over 800,000 US gallons (3,000,000 L) of crude oil leaked into Talmadge Creek, a waterway that feeds the Kalamazoo River,[639][640][641] whereas EPA reports over 1,139,569 gallons of oil have been recovered as of November 2011.[642] On July 27, 2010, an Administrative Order was issued by U.S. EPA requiring the performance of removal actions in connection with the facility. The Order requires Enbridge to immediately conduct removal of a discharge or to mitigate or prevent a substantial threat of a discharge of oil and to submit a Work Plan for the cleanup activities that was to include a Health and Safety Plan,[643] as required by 29 CFR 1910.120 (HAZWOPER). An oil spill cleanup contractor from Texas, Hallmark, bussed numerous undocumented workers to Battle Creek to work on the cleanup of oil spill and had them work in unsafe conditions.[644]
  • 2010 On August 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Justice Department announced that Plains All American Pipeline and several of its operating subsidiaries have agreed to spend approximately $41 million to upgrade 10,420 miles (16,770 km) of crude oil pipeline operated in the United States. The settlement resolves Plains’ Clean Water Act violations for 10 crude oil spills in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and requires the company to pay a $3.25 million civil penalty.[645]
  • 2010 A construction crew installing a gas pipeline in Roberts County, Texas hits an unmarked pipeline on August 25, seriously burning one man.[646]
  • 2010 On August 27, a LPG pipeline sprang a leak in Gilboa, New York, forcing the evacuation of 23 people.[647][648]
  • 2010 On Thursday, September 9, a high pressure gas pipeline exploded in San Bruno, CA, a suburb of San Francisco. The blast destroyed 38 homes and damaged 120 homes. Eight people died and many were injured. Ten acres of brush also burned. Later, PG&E was unable to supply the California Public Utilities Commission with documents on how PG&E established pressure limits on some of its gas transmission pipelines. It was also revealed that this pipeline had 26 leaks between Milpitas and San Francisco during the time of 1951 to 2009, with some of the leak causes listed in records as "unknown".Later hydrostatic testing of the same pipeline that failed found a pinhole leak, and a previously damaged section blew out.[649][650][651][652][653]
  • 2010 A repair crew was working on a corroded gas pipe in Cairo, Georgia on September 28, when the line exploded. One crew member was killed, and 3 others burned.[654]
  • 2010 A gas pipeline under construction in Grand Prairie, Texas was running a cleaning pig on October 15 without a pig "trap" at the end of the pipe. The 150 pound pig was expelled from the pipeline with enough force to fly 500 feet (150 m), and crash through the side of a house. No one was injured.[655]
  • 2010 On November 12, three men working on natural gas lines were injured when a pipeline ruptured in Monroe, Louisiana.[656]
  • 2010 A Tennessee Gas Pipeline 30 inch diameter gas pipeline failed at Natchitoches, Louisiana on November 30. There was no fire, but the pipeline had a Magnetic Flux smart pig test earlier in the year that indicated no flaws in the pipeline. The failure was at a crack in a wrinkle bend. The deadly 1965 gas pipeline accident occurred on a different pipeline owned by the same company nearby.[657]
  • 2010 A valve on a crude oil pipeline leaked about 500 barrels (79 m3) of crude in Salt Lake City, Utah on December 1. This failure was only 100 yards from a June 2010 failure on the same pipeline.[658]
  • 2010 A pipeline was discovered gasoline leaking near Livingston, Illinois, on December 2.[659]
  • 2010 On December 14, a pipeline leaks crude oil near Lockport, Illinois. EPA officials say the spill is near wetlands that house several endangered species. Federal officials say about 21,000 US gallons (79,000 L) of oil were released in Lockport and Romeoville, about 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Chicago.[660]
  • 2010 On December 17, a gas line fire and explosion just outside of Corpus Christi, Texas city limits leaves one person critically injured. A man was working on removing an abandoned pipeline when it exploded, and the man's face was severely burned.[661]
  • 2010 A pipeline at an underground gas storage facility in Covington County, Mississippi on December 28, forcing the evacuation of about 2 dozen families for over a week.[662]
  • 2011 A gas main being repaired in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania explodes, killing a repair crew member and injuring 6 others on January 18.[663]
  • 2011 Gas pressure regulators failed and caused a gas pressure surge in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, on January 24, causing gas fires in 11 homes, and one apartment. 150 gas appliances were damaged or destroyed, but there were no injuries. Gas company Dominion East Ohio says it found fluids and debris in a failed regulator and is investigating how that happened.[664][665][666]
  • 2011 5 people are killed and 8 homes are destroyed in an apparent gas explosion and fire in Allentown, Pennsylvania on February 10. The NTSB had warned UGI about cast iron gas mains needing replacement after the 1990 gas explosion in that city. Between 1976 and the date of the letter, July 10, 1992, two more gas explosions occurred. Three people were killed, 23 injured and 11 homes were destroyed or damaged in those explosions.[667][668][669]
  • 2011 Late on February 10, a Tennessee Gas Pipeline 36 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded & burned near Lisbon, Ohio. No injuries resulted. The cause was from stress on a girth weld on the pipeline. A failure on another girth weld on the pipeline system led to a PHMSA Consent Agreement.[670][671][672]
  • 2011 Early on February 24, a pipeline near Texas City, Texas ruptured, sending up to 5,000 US gallons (19,000 L) of gasoline into Bayou Pierre.[673][674]
  • 2011 Early on March 17, a 20-inch steel natural gas line running through a Minneapolis, Minnesota neighborhood ruptured and gas from it ignited, caused evacuations to buildings nearby, and Interstate 35W was closed from downtown Minneapolis to Highway 62. There were no injuries.[675][676]
  • 2011 A farmer & rancher near White Oak Township, Michigan smelled gasoline on April 13, and discovered gasoline from a products pipeline leaking into a drainage ditch. As of late September, an estimated 460,000 gallons of gasoline had been released, with about 111,000 gallons of it recovered.[677]
  • 2011 On May 19, a 10 inch diameter crude oil pipeline ruptured near Maysville, Oklahoma. Over 42,000 US gallons (160,000 L) of crude were lost. There was no fire. Internal pipeline corrosion was the cause.[678][679]
  • 2011 A 2 inch diameter lateral on a crude oil pipeline rupture in Huntington Beach, California on July 1. A major road, Goldenwest Street, had to be closed for cleaning and pipeline repairs.[680]
  • 2011 Late on July 2, a 12-inch diameter Exxon Mobil crude oil pipeline ruptured, and spilled oil into the Yellowstone River in south-central Montana. Some residents of Laurel, Montana had to be evacuated.[681][682] The break near Billings fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts to close intakes.[683][684] Exxon later increased the spill size estimate to 1500 barrels in January 2012 after seeing the damage to the pipeline.[685] About 140 people were evacuated starting about 12:15 a.m. Saturday due to concerns about possible explosions and the overpowering fumes. All were allowed to return after instruments showed petroleum odors had decreased,[686] although no information was available regarding the concentrations of benzene in air. Speculation involves high water flow in the Yellowstone River may have scoured the river bed and exposed the pipe. Consequently, with three oil refineries are located in the Billings area, the fire chief for the city of Laurel said he asked all three to turn off the flow of oil in their pipelines under the river after the leak was reported. ExxonMobil and Cenex Harvest Refinery did so, and that Conoco Phillips said its pipe was already shutdown.[686] Cenex had a release into the Yellowstone River in September 2002. Exxon Mobil later announced the cleanup would cost $135 million.[687][688]
  • 2011 On July 20, a six month old 30 inch diameter natural gas pipeline exploded near Gillette, Wyoming, creating a 60-foot (18 m) crater. There was no fire, nor any injuries.[689]
  • 2011 A pipeline carrying jet fuel ruptured in Mango, Florida on July 22. About 31,500 US gallons (119,000 L) of fuel spilled. There was no fire or injuries.[690]
  • 2011 On August 13, an 8 inch diameter NGL pipeline ruptured near Onowa, Iowa at a Missouri River crossing, during flooding conditions. About 3,350 barrels of NGL's were lost. There were no evacuations or injuries, but 2 other pipelines in the same right of way were forced to shut down.[691][692]
  • 2011 A pipeline carrying heating oil was hit by construction workers in East Providence, Rhode Island on August 31, spraying oil on roofs, trees, and pavement, and flowed into storm drains. At least 56,000 US gallons (210,000 L) of oil were spilled.[693]
  • 2011 A Cupertino, California condominium was gutted August 31, after a plastic pipeline fitting cracked, filling the garage with natural gas that exploded just minutes after the owner left for lunch. PG&E later found six other plastic pipe failures near the blast site. The line was an especially problematic type of pipe manufactured by DuPont called Aldyl-A. PG&E has 1,231 miles (1,981 km) of the early-1970s-vintage pipe in its system. Federal regulators singled out pre-1973 Aldyl-A starting in 2002 as being at risk of failing because of premature cracking. Explosions caused by failed Aldyl-A and other types of plastic pipe have killed more than 50 people in the United States since 1971, the federal government says.[694]
  • 2011 On September 20, a farmer digging to lay drainage tile hit a 10 inch diameter gasoline pipeline near Aurelius, New York, spilling about 3,300 US gallons (12 m3) of gasoline. There was no fire or injuries.[695]
  • 2011 A 2 inch diameter crude oil gathering pipeline failed in Oklahoma on October 12, spilling about 120 barrels of oil. There were no injuries or fire from the failure.[696]
  • 2011 Early on November 3, an explosion and fire hit a gas transmission pipeline compressor station near Artimas, Pennsylvania. There were no injuries.[697]
  • 2011 A crew working on a waterline hit a gas distribution pipeline in Fairborn, Ohio on November 12, leading to a gas explosion that killed one man, and injured 5 others, including children.[698]
  • 2011 On November 16, a Tennessee Gas Pipeline 36 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Glouster, Ohio. There were 2 people injured, with 2 homes and a barn destroyed, and 2 more homes and a barn damaged. The pipeline failed at a girth weld.[699][700]
  • 2011 Late on November 21, a Tennessee Gas Pipeline 24 inch diameter gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Batesville, Mississippi. 20 homes were evacuated for a time, but there were no injuries or major property damage. The pipeline failed at a sleeve over a wrinkle bend installed in 1946.[701]
  • 2011 On December 3, a gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned in Marengo County, Alabama. A 47 foot section of the pipe was hurled more than 200 feet from the failure area. The gas burned for several hours, and a nearby pipeline was damged. There were no injuries or serious property damage. Initial reports indicate external corrosion as the cause of the failure. [702][703]
  • 2011 On December 6, explosions & fire erupted at a natural gas pipeline compressor station in Sublette County, Wyoming. Two workers were injured.[704]
  • 2011 On December 10, a landowner using a bulldozer hit a 8 inch diameter and a 12 inch diameter petroleum pipelines near Nemaha, Nebraska, rupturing both lines. The spill size was estimated to be 119,000 gallons of gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel fuel. Some of the fuels flowed into a creek leading into Jasper Creek. There were questions about the depth of soil coverage for this pipeline.[705][706][707][708]
  • 2011 A 42 inch diameter natural gas transmission pipeline failed and ignited at a valve on December 10 in Cache County, Utah.[709][710]
  • 2012 A gas pipeline exploded & burned in Estill County, Kentucky on the evening of January 2. Flames were reported reaching over 1,000 feet high. Residents up to a mile away from the failure were evacuated. There were no injuries.[711]
  • 2012 A forest fire caused a gas pipeline to explode and burn in Floyd County, Kentucky on January 7. There were no injuries from this incident.[712]
  • 2012 On January 9, a man was feared dead from a fiery house explosion that leaking gas was suspected to have caused in Austin, Texas. Gas had been smelled in the area for several weeks. Gas company crews had looked along the affected property for a leak, but were unable to find it, and were going to perform more checking for the leak in the future.[713]
  • 2012 A Sunoco pipeline ruptured and spilled as much as 125,000 gallons of gasoline in Wellington, Ohio, late on January 12. Some residents were evacuated.[714]
  • 2012 On January 13, an 8 inch diameter gas pipeline exploded and burned in a vacant agricultural field in Rio Vista, California. There were no injuries or evacuations.[715]
  • 2012 A Tennessee Gas Pipeline gas compressor had a major leak "that sounded like a rocket" in Powell County, Kentucky, forcing evacuations of nearby residents on January 14. There was no fire or injuries reported.[716
So, in conclusion.

1. Pipelines have a questionable safety record depending on the data you want shown. Thanks, Guilty Pleasures!

2. All this anti-Obama sentiment and the oil was going to be sold to overseas countries at higher prices anyway and would pollute the planet's air even more as it was simultaneously driving up the price of our own refined petroleum products.

Surely you can give up and admit you weren't adequately-informed at least once, can't you?

You may hate my posts but at least you could thank GP for educating you so that you could make a more-informed decision.
CuteOldGuy's Avatar
Gawd. Cutting and pasting again. How do you find the time?

99% of these are minor. Where is the lasting damage? What technology has a 100% safety rate? If something bad were to happen, the courts would award a good share of those profits to the plaintiffs.

That being said, I have always held that the US has no business being an oil based economy. In the past 100 years, we have developed small airplanes to supersonic jets, we have developed small backyard rockets to exploring the solar system, we have gone from communicating through a telephone operator to having instant worldwide communications in our pocket, we have gone from telegraph, to radio, to television, to interactive visual communication through the internet, including instant access to information.

100 years ago our primary form of ground transportation was internal combustion automobiles running on gasoline. Today, our primary form of ground transportation is internal combustion automobiles running on gasoline. SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE!

So maybe you have a point, I think the jobs would be immediate, but the idea that it's just another plot to strengthen the oil companies' stranglehold on government is a concept I cannot discount. Still, Obama rejected it for the wrong reasons, and the jobs would be nice to have while we transition away from an oil-based economy. Except that will never happen.

So, I get your point, Stevie. Not sure I fully agree, but at least you finally made sense about something. I can't categorically say you're wrong, in fact, except for exaggerating the safety record mishaps, you have a point.

You just made it on my "Buy him a beer list."
if you cant even convince yourself with any facts..copy a bunch of boilerplate and post that

heres richard samuelson of the washington post..hardly a teaparty member...

its a short enough editorial..and is quite revealing..obama is a political weasel..the little rodent

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...ntry.html?pg=1
I think a lot of people care more about scoring points against the person in the white house than the US because if you did you won't be so critical of everything the president does.

Gas actually went down in last few days since the presidents decision... Huh? What does that mean? Nothing! Because a pipeline won't mean shit in the grand sceme of things. If you really wanted to give the middle east the finger do this decrease demand. Mandate higher fuel standards, promote electric cars you can increase demand year after year and expect to get lower prices. George bush Barack Obama don't have any power in the price of oil. GW said it best "America is addicted to oil" and like a drug addict you will try and justify everything you do to get more of it. You will steal lie and kill for it. And just like a good pusher the oil companies raise the prices on you. Originally Posted by jhende3
This shouldn't be about scoring political points, and as nevergaveitathought posted (and I confirmed) the existence of the subject pipeline wouldn't meaningfully affect oil prices.

But it would provide another source of secure supply that doesn't come from unstable regions or require ocean-going tankers to transport it.

And I do agree with you that we need to do whatever we can to reduce demand. In my view, we are simply killing ourselves economically by consuming so much oil. It's a situation that's just going to get worse and worse.

Here's where some of my more conservative and libertarian friends start throwing rotten vegetables at me: I think we should begin phasing in a rather substantial gasoline tax. As a libertarian-leaning individual, I tend to abhor any type of tax increase, but I think there's no other way to suppress consumption, and that CAFE standard rules are simply stupid -- they just force manufacturers to make stuff that no one wants. Hardships that such a tax would impose on the poor could be alleviated by payroll tax exemptions on the first few thousand dollars of income, or by some type of voucher system. I know that sounds a bit radical to some, but feel that there's simply no other way to reduce demand, and we must reduce demand. It's not just an option. If we do nothing, we're headed for price spikes and continuing crises that will further crush America's already beleaguered middle class. The more we can reduce demand and dependency on imported oil from some of the world's most unstable regions, the better off we'll be.

So there you have it -- I support a multifaceted approach to our energy insecurity challenges.

And, by the way, I do promote electric cars. In fact, I own an electric car. Do you? I've had it for 3 years. And it's all-electric (not a hybrid). It's fun as hell, too -- zips from 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds! (At least, according to Motor Trend test results.)
Gawd. Cutting and pasting again. How do you find the time?

99% of these are minor. Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy
In 30 seconds you counted and came up with the 99% figure, huh? You're twice the liar I thought you were before. Besides, a percentage doesn't matter - case in point - the BP spill and the Exxon-Valdez, while non-pipeline accidents were certainly large areas but still attributable to only two incidents.

if you cant even convince yourself with any facts..copy a bunch of boilerplate and post that

heres richard samuelson of the washington post..hardly a teaparty member...

its a short enough editorial..and is quite revealing..obama is a political weasel..the little rodent

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...ntry.html?pg=1 Originally Posted by nevergaveitathought
Horseshit! You should really be congratulated for missing the whole point just like Samuelson did. I didn't say "Tea Party" either! You non-capitalizing posters tend to be hybrids anyway. Besides, the Tea Party was stolen from Ron Paul by Republicans like the Koch Brothers who simply wanted another party to run candidates after getting beat so badly in 2006 and 2008. They stole the name in order to get a "Do-Over" of those elections in 2010 and 2012 and while dishonest, it WAS a pretty good scam until we saw then vote WITH all the Republicans.

THIS IS THE POINT YOU'RE MISSING as is Samuelson, a Teapublican operative: The Canadian Tar Sands had too great a sulfur content to be refined to meet our air quality standards so it was NEVER going to be for U.S. consumption anyway.

Oh, and nice Teapublican dismissal of the pages of data showing pipeline safety issues. Do have a short attention span?

Your handle certainly speaks volumes about your political tendencies.

You made my point perfectly!
Naw, I saw this wiki article about two months ago when another Sandbox discussion brought up the safety of pipelines.

Items I consider that caused me to dismiss the impact of the article:
1) Look back only 20 years ago. Technological advances and just outright maintenance makes pipelines safer.
2) See the number of instances of where someone or nature (other than corrosion) damaged the pipeline. This is still a common problem that no one will eliminate.
3) Look at the number of instances where someone was killed. Large majority it was some type of natural gas pipeline. As far as I can tell, the Keystone pipeline isn't that kind of pipeline.
4) Look at the number of oil/desiel/gasoline incidents. A relatively small amount is leaked in most and I guarantee you the pipeline/oil companies worked like the dickens to have it cleaned up. My guess is the Exxon Valdez leaked more fuel than most of these incidents combined over the last 20 years.

In summary, oil pipelines still very relatively safe. Perfect, no, but in general, an outstanding track record.

Your point about the oil sands petroleum product may have some merit. Right now I know the heaviest crude is processed in western US. That doesn't mean that the Gold Triangle refineries can't be upgraded. But more supply is more supply.

Don't worry Lil Stevie.. the sky is NOT falling. All that oil is going to be shipped, processed and burned whether we and Barack get a taste of the action or not.

Last night I heard Dem strategists proclaim "The President is going to re-evaluate this decision right after the 2012 election." What pandering morans.
CuteOldGuy's Avatar
Stevie, LOL. I read it before you posted it. I probably read it in more detail than you did. Be that as it may, you obviously didn't read my whole post, where I gave you credit for having a point. I guess I spoke too soon.

You are too angry to be coherent. Too bad. Lighten up, the Obama gestapo will be coming after all of us soon, so might as well enjoy life while we can.
Lil Stevie, your long list proves nothing. You had some legitimate examples but you inflated your list by giving examples of plastic fitting failures and natural gas incidents which have little or no bearing on safety considerations related to the pipeline in question. Unless you study the root cause of each of those incidents and also consider the safety systems that will be in place on the new pipeline you are comparing apples to lemons.

The oil will get sold. It not to the U.S. it will go to China where they have far fewer environmental controls than the U.S. so it will result in far more emissions there than here. It also would serve to strengthen one of our enemies. I don't see anything good coming out of the administration's announcement.
Lil Stevie, extremism. That's all I have to say
Sign the petition.

http://dickmorris.rallycongress.com/...tone-pipeline/