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Divernan

(15,480 posts)
22. Pipelines=Cheap steel prone to cracking,bad welds,sloppy concrete jobs,fudged pressure testing
Wed Apr 30, 2014, 07:18 PM
Apr 2014

Google Keystone Pipeline & leaks/cracks, etc. Here's one example:
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/aswifttranscanadas_record_presents_a.html


Keystone I, a pipeline moving primarily tar sands from Alberta to the Midwest and Oklahoma, was TransCanada’s first crude oil pipeline. TransCanada pitched it as a state-of-the-art pipeline which would “meet or exceed world-class safety and environmental standards.” In its environmental risks assessment, the company forecast that Keystone I would leak no more than 1.4 times a decade and noted that it had agreed to 51 special conditions that would increase its safety.

When construction on the project began in 2008, reality began to sharply diverge from TransCanada’s rhetoric. As the Keystone I was being built, a pipeline inspector working for a TransCanada contractor, was alarmed by what he saw – cheap steel prone to cracking, bad welds, sloppy concrete jobs, poorly spaced rebar, and fudged pressure testing. When he reported these issues to TransCanada, he was ignored and ultimately fired.

Keystone I started having problems as soon as it commenced operations in 2010. In its first year, the pipeline leaked 14 times, with the largest spill exceeding 21,000 gallons. Federal pipeline regulators were forced to intervene, issuing a Corrective Action Order (CAO) temporarily shutting the pipeline down as an imminent threat to life, safety and the environment. Keystone I became the newest pipeline in U.S. history to receive such an order – the previous contender was a 25 year old pipeline.


Most leaks are eventually discovered by land owners, not the Frackers with their "state of the art" pressure detectors. Then the frackers immediately make false claims about how small an amount leaked and how they have the leak totally repaired.

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Shit, right next to a river again Blue Owl Apr 2014 #1
Some of the blame may also lay at the feet of poorly maintained infrastructure. Agnosticsherbet Apr 2014 #3
True dat Blue Owl Apr 2014 #4
fwiw, vandalism could also be a cause... Blue_Tires Apr 2014 #13
Oh man..a CSX oil train crosses a trestle over the road 1/2 mile from my house. dixiegrrrrl Apr 2014 #5
That is my thought as well. n/t deafskeptic Apr 2014 #15
Isn't that where Liberty University is located. greiner3 Apr 2014 #2
Classy real classy Leontius Apr 2014 #7
That was my first thought. FreedRadical Apr 2014 #6
Did they ever determine a final cause for that Canadian disaster last year? Blue_Tires Apr 2014 #11
The investigation is still listed as "active." mahatmakanejeeves May 2014 #28
Oil train derailed and on fire in Lynchburg, Virginia mahatmakanejeeves Apr 2014 #8
I live in Clifton Forge. dgibby Apr 2014 #27
Burning oil flowing into James River! Obama needs to take emergency action on this issue. Divernan Apr 2014 #9
Burning slick on the water Submariner Apr 2014 #19
At least 4 cars completely in river; at least 3 of those split open Divernan Apr 2014 #21
I was hoping it would burn up, but I guess not. undeterred Apr 2014 #23
Impressive fire. nt Crabby Appleton Apr 2014 #26
K&R DeSwiss Apr 2014 #10
Richmond stops withdrawing from James River following Lynchburg derailment undeterred Apr 2014 #12
Well I guess I will have to buy bottled water. I live a mile away from explosion. n/t deafskeptic Apr 2014 #17
If the Keystone Pipeline is approved, the derailings will stop. PeoViejo Apr 2014 #14
I don't know, that's a seriously "tin-hat" suggestion. BlueEye Apr 2014 #18
Pipelines=Cheap steel prone to cracking,bad welds,sloppy concrete jobs,fudged pressure testing Divernan Apr 2014 #22
Fair enough, shame on TransCanada for being dishonest. BlueEye Apr 2014 #25
K&R nt greyl Apr 2014 #16
Right after VA_Jill Apr 2014 #20
What exactly are you suggesting? undeterred Apr 2014 #24
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