TransCanada Has Already Had To Fix 125 Dents And Sags In Southern Keystone Pipeline

[Bill USA]

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/12/2926341/transcanada-keystone-fixes-report/

Synthetic crude oil hasn’t yet entered the southern segment of the Keystone XL pipeline, but a report released Tuesday by non-profit consumer rights group Public Citizen says the pipes are already bending, sagging and peeling to the point of a possible spill or leakage of toxic tar sands.

Drawing on the accounts of landowners, citizens and former workers of TransCanada, the report documents alleged construction problems and engineering code violations along the Texas portion of the pipeline, proved by what the group says is a staggering amount of excavations to correct dents and patch holes. Public Citizen is calling on the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration to review TransCanada’s construction quality assurance records for possible federal violations, and perform a complete re-testing of the pipeline to see if the repairs work.

“The government should investigate, and shouldn’t let crude flow until that is done,” Public Citizen’s Texas office director Tom Smith said in a statement. “Given the stakes — the potential for a catastrophic spill of hazardous crude along a pipeline that traverses hundreds of streams and rivers and comes within a few miles of some towns and cities — it would be irresponsible to allow the pipeline to start operating.”

One of the landowners cited in the study is David Whitley, a self-described “go-along guy” who owns an 80-acre plot of land in Texas which the pipeline crosses.
(more)

[davidpdx]

1. Is the pipe above or below ground?

[Bill USA]

2. "a staggering amount of excavations to correct dents and patch holes"... this sounds like at least

part of it is below ground. Probably all of it is below ground. If you are not in the permafrost area, I suppose it would be more protected from varying weather conditions, and possibly there is concerns about vandalism (?).. for which underground would be much better.

they had to keep the pipeline out of Alaska above ground to keep the warmed up crude from melting the permafrost (...faster than GW is doing it).