Safety
Major Safety Milestone Achieved by Pipeline Contractor
Pipeline contractor achieves major safety milestone.
Utility Reminds People to Call 811 Before Digging
In honor of National Safe Digging Day tomorrow, Aug. 11, Dominion Energy Ohio today announced a reminder that Ohio law mandates that property owners and contractors to call 8-1-1 — to have underground utility lines marked — at least two business days, but no more than 10 business days, prior to any ..
Call 811 Before Digging, PG&E Says
In honor of National Safe Digging Day on Friday, August 11, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is asking all Californians to help prevent damage to gas pipelines and other underground utilities. With a free call to 811 or submission on 811express.com at least two working days ahead of any diggi..
OSHA Announces Inaugural Safe + Sound Week
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has designated June 12-18, 2017, as “Safe + Sound Week,” a new nationwide effort that urges organizations of all sizes in a wide range of industries to raise awareness of the value and importance of workplace safety and hea..
Pipeline Safety Seminars to be held in West Virginia
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia and the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association are holding Pipeline Safety Seminars in Charleston on April 20 and Bridgeport on April 25, 2017. The one-day seminars will focus on a review of federal and state requirements including recent changes..
PECO, Higher Ed. Partner on Next-Generation Natural Gas Workforce
Providing safe and reliable natural gas service is the hallmark of every natural gas distribution company. This takes a committed approach to investing in state-of-the-art equipment and best-practice sharing among industry peers to improve operations and implement the latest safety trends. New equi..
SoCalGas Makes Pipeline Safety a Top Priority
SoCalGas increases its commitment to safely working on pipeline construction projects by joining the Gold Shovel Standard.
Deal-making, Increased Pipeline Safety on Tap for 2017
Construction management and consulting firm, TRC Companies, released its top 12 predictions for the energy, utility, and oil and gas sectors for 2017, which included robust funding for utility mergers, acquisitions and infrastructure upgrades, along with big shifts in power plant and pipeline constr..
PHMSA Requires Faster Notification Following Pipeline Accidents
New pipeline regulations from PHMSA require quicker notification following accidents.
Transportation Secretary Appoints 24 Members to Pipeline Safety Working Group
PHMSA appoints 24 to group tasked with improving pipeline inspection information sharing.
NiSource Opens Employee Training Center Featuring ‘Mock Town’
MONACA, PA – Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, a subsidiary of NiSource, recently opened a modern, centralized training facility for employees who operate and maintain its natural gas distribution system. The $10 million, 22,000-square-foot facility is the first of four leading-edge training centers th..
Michigan Panel that Oversees Pipeline Network to Meet Today
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A state panel that oversees the safety of pipelines carrying oil and other substances around Michigan is meeting Monday. The Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Michigan Agency for Energy building in Lansing. The board is c..
Regulator: Dakota Access Pipeline Worker Killed in Accident
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A man working on the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline was killed in an apparent accident in western North Dakota, a state regulator said Saturday. North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Brian Kalk said the man, whose name has not been released, died of his injuries Frid..
New Report Confirms Pipelines Are One of the Safest Ways to Transport Energy
API has released a new report, with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL), confirming that pipelines continue to be one of the safest ways to efficiently transport energy across the United States. The report highlights liquid pipeline safety performance and industry-wide efforts to improve pipeli..
Feds Order More Upgrades to Spectra Pipelines After Blast
GREENSBURG, Pa (AP) – A federal agency has ordered a natural gas pipeline company to upgrade three lines buried in western Pennsylvania, including one that has corrosion similar to a fourth line that blew up in April, scorching some 40 acres. The Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration..
Upgrades to Unsafe Tank Cars Could Take 15 Years, Board Says
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Accident-prone tank cars used to haul crude oil and ethanol by rail could remain in service for another 15 years under federal rules that allow companies to phase in upgrades to the aging fleet, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Transportation offici..
Firm: California Spill Went Undetected Due to Pipeline Work
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — The operator of a pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into a Southern California ravine said Friday it didn’t detect the leak because the line was undergoing maintenance. Crimson Pipeline said the remotely monitored line was emptied on Wednesday to ..
Cleanup Underway After California Oil Pipeline Spill
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of gallons of crude oil spilled Thursday from a pipeline and flowed down a ravine in Southern California but did not reach the ocean, officials said. As much as 29,400 gallons of oil spilled and flowed a quarter- to half-mile from the spill, fire authorities said. ..
New Pipeline Safety Bill Heads for House Passage; Senate Bill Waiting
Two House committees passed nearly identical pipeline safety bills. Once combined into a single piece of legislation, the House will work with the Senate, which previously passed a bill, to come up with a single version for President Obama’s signature. All three bills pale beside the 2011 pipeline b..
Shell: Pipeline Fixed after California Oil Spill
Officials at Shell Oil Co. say crews have repaired an underground pipeline after it broke and spilled up to 21,000 gallons of oil in rural Northern California. Company spokesman Ray Fisher said Tuesday that workers are running small amounts of oil through the pipeline to test it and are working on ..
Despite Leak, Sempra CEO Gets Hefty Bonus
The same year a broken Sempra Energy storage well created the biggest natural gas leak in U.S. history, CEO Debra Reed earned her largest bonus yet. While Reed received no payout for the part of her 2015 bonus that’s tied to customer satisfaction and pipeline safety at two Sempra utilities, amounti..
House Democrats Seek to Toughen Senate Pipeline Safety Bill
Key Republicans and Democrats in the House were determined to pass a pipeline safety bill this year, although it may have some differences with the bill just passed by the Senate. That bill is called the Securing America’s Future Energy: Protecting Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (S..
PHMSA Cites External Corrosion as Cause of Santa Barbara Spill
External corrosion on a pipeline pumping crude was the root cause of the rupture last May that spilled over 140,000 gallons of oil on the Santa Barbara coast, federal regulators reported. The spill occurred after pumps on the Plains All American Pipeline were shut down and restarted, sending a large..
SoCalGas Finally Able to Plug Leaking Injection Well
A Los Angeles-area injection well was permanently sealed on Feb. 18 and taken out of service, according to Southern California Gas. The leak was temporarily plugged earlier and SoCalGas finished pumping cement into the base of the well. Residents who were relocated to temporary housing because of th..
TransCanada Resumes Oil Shipments Through Keystone Pipeline
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — TransCanada Corp. has resumed sending oil through the Keystone Pipeline after a weeklong shutdown prompted by a leak and oil spill in southeastern South Dakota. The pipeline came back online Sunday, but with a reduced pressure. The company says it is continuing cleanup and ..
New Pipeline Safety Proposal Contains Multiple New Requirements
Pipeline industry executives are pouring over the 500-plus page safety proposal from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), an effort that will take some time before informed comments can be made. The initial comment deadline is at the end of May. “The typical 60 days in..
Pipeline Industry Leaders to Produce Safety Leadership Training Program
Caterpillar, in collaboration with PipeLine Machinery International, Inc. (PLM) and a group of industry leading companies, is now offering the Pipeline Safety Leadership Program, a first-of-its-kind training course produced specifically for pipeliners. With a focus on personal accountability for saf..
Apache Faces More Charges in Canada over Safety
The Alberta Energy Regulator said Apache could be slapped with a penalty of up to $2.5 million for a spill in northwestern Alberta two years ago. In that incident, contaminated water spilled about 40 km from Whitecourt, affecting a nearby creek. Apache has been charged on five counts under the Pipel..
Liquid Pipeline Safety Proposal Criticized from All Sides
Reaction to the PHMSA’s proposed rule (NPRM) to tighten liquid pipeline safety regulations has run along predictable lines. The pipelines think the proposal is too expansive and expensive. The environmental community and some notable safety experts believe the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety..
- Phillips 66 to Shut LA Oil Refinery, Ending Major Gasoline Output Amid Supply Concerns
- FERC Sides with Williams in Texas-Louisiana Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- Malaysia’s Oil Exports to China Surge Amid Broader Import Decline
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Marathon Oil to Lay Off Over 500 Texas Workers Ahead of ConocoPhillips Merger
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure