Spectra pipeline property damage and safety record

Sabal Trail Transmission reps promise us their pipeline will be safe, but their parent company Spectra Energy has had twenty one incidents since 2006 for $8,564,246 in property damage, according to PHMSA, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

That Final Order of 21 December 2012 to Spectra CEO Gregory L. Ebel for $134,500 for violating both federal regulations and Spectra’s own internal company policies was only a in the flaming bucket. Another, marked in red as MAT’L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE, PUMP/COMPRESSOR-RELATED EQUIPMENT for $251,170 in property damage on 13 March 2012 in Marietta, York County, Pennsylvania, could be related to that compressor incident Spectra first said was nothing. Most of the others are about “internal corrosion” such as a Spectra employee says they never bothered to check for.

Here’s the current list of incidents from PHMSA, no doubt each with its own sordid story:

Serious Incidents are denoted in red.

TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION LP (SPECTRA ENERGY CORP)
All Incidents(3)(4): 2006-2013
Date System City State County Cause Sub Cause Fatalities Injuries Property
Damage (A)
Value of Product Lost (B)
06/04/13 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $522,432 $22,432
03/27/13 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $552,580 $52,580
11/03/12 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $647,212 $47,212
10/24/12 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $269,974 $29,974
09/06/12 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $673,200 $73,200
09/01/12 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $444,913 $19,005
08/13/12 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $642,498 $42,498
04/19/12 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $339,188 $39,188
04/13/12 GT MARIETTA PA YORK MAT’L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE PUMP/COMPRESSOR-RELATED EQUIPMENT 0 1 $251,170 $1,170
05/04/11 GT HALLETTSVILLE (15 MILES SOUTHE TX LAVACA MAT’L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE MANUFACTURING-RELATED 0 0 $219,929 $43,490
12/19/10 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $661,268 $161,268
10/12/10 GT TOMPKINSVILLE KY MONROE OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE VEHICLE NOT ENGAGED IN EXCAVATION 0 0 $131,004 $127,504
09/29/10 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $649,580 $49,580
09/16/10 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $302,400 $52,400
09/02/10 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $432,820 $32,820
06/20/10 GT OFFSHORE OCS CORROSION INTERNAL CORROSION 0 0 $861,268 $161,268
06/08/09 GT OFFSHORE LA ALL OTHER CAUSES MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE 0 0 $130,000 $1,000
10/01/08 GT CLINTON MS HINDS OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE VEHICLE NOT ENGAGED IN EXCAVATION 0 0 $120,010 $120,000
07/12/08 GT RED LION OH WARREN MAT’L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT 0 0 $55,100 $5,050
09/30/06 GT OFFSHORE N/A MAT’L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE JOINT/FITTING/COMPONENT 0 0 $255,000 $5,000
04/09/06 GT DELMONT PA WESTMORELAND MAT’L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE NON-THREADED CONNECTION FAILURE 0 0 $402,700 $2,700
Totals        0 1 $8,564,246 $1,089,339

These incidents add up not only to $8,564,246 in property damage. They add up to a less than sterling reputation for safety. And these incidents are for only one of Spectra’s pipelines.

Maybe you should know this before you let them on your property. Maybe we should ask why Spectra hasn’t told us about any of these incidents.

-jsq

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  1. Pingback: Spectra Energy fined $15 million for PCB spills at 89 pipeline sites –EPA | On the LAKE front

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