Pipeline that leaked – safe to reopen

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) has asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to allow the reopening of the 117-kilometer Batangas-to-Manila white oil pipeline being operated by the Lopez-owned First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) after the leak test it conducted in December indicated no more leaks in the pipeline. In a five-page manifestation [...]

Lawsuit leaves large gas storage fields in Kansas unregulated

Bill Knox knows to respect natural gas. He’s a former oil- and gas-field worker who helped lay the foundations for a mammoth underground gas storage operation three miles from his home; he lost a friend in a gas explosion in Texas; and he well remembers 10 years ago when gas escaped from underground storage and blew [...]

Iowa bridges third-worst in the nation

At first glance, the two-lane bridge over Wapsinonoc Creek seems up-to-date. But a closer inspection reveals rusted bolts, graffiti, and crooked beams. More than 4,000 cars travel across it each day, and it has not been renovated since 1956. The bridge, located in Muscatine County, is one of 5,000 bridges in Iowa classified as structurally [...]

Montana governor reviewing oil, gas pipeline safety

Earlier this week Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer  said authorities will review safety of all oil and gas pipelines that cross waterways in the state and close those that did not meet standards. “We’ll make the decision over the next couple of days whether to shut off some pipelines,” Schweitzer told Reuters in a telephone interview. “The last [...]

Santa Monica’s Famous ‘Chain Reaction’ Sculpture Corroding

A temporary fence was placed around the Civic Center sculpture Chain Reaction earlier this week while engineers assess the structure’s integrity. The sculpture by political cartoonist Paul Conrad was dedicated in 1991 and is made of copper tubing over a fiberglass core with an internal stainless steel frame that rests on a concrete base. Upon observing members of the public, including [...]

Pipeline bill may be easier sell than oil policies

WASHINGTON: “The tragic spill in the Kalamazoo River and recent leak in Stockbridge underscores the importance of strengthening pipeline safety and cracking down on violators,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. The Lansing area’s federal lawmakers split along party lines — as did most of Congress — over recent measures to expand oil drilling and to [...]

Valley residents want old pipelines out

Poll shows most customers willing to pay more to replace aging pipes. Lehigh Valley residents think the state should push utilities to get aging natural gas lines out of the ground, and they’re willing to help shoulder the cost. A new Morning Call-Muhlenberg College Quality of Life poll shows that more than 80 percent of [...]

PG&E proposes replacement of gas pipelines through Stanford

Two major gas transmission pipelines that run along Junipero Serra Boulevard adjacent to Stanford University are scheduled to be among the first segments updated under a plan by PG&E to test or replace pipelines statewide that are aging or of older fabrication. PG&E engineers told university officials at a meeting on campus May 9 that [...]

Could rupture of aging pipeline ignite nuclear plant’s control room

At the Indian Point nuclear power plant just north of New York City, anxieties often center on the potential consequences of a radiation release so close to so many people. More than 17 million, five percent of the U.S. population, live within 50 miles of the two reactors, which could make evacuation problematic. Risks cited [...]