Comments on: State Of Emergency in California https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/ Sat, 13 Jun 2015 00:59:47 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: Christopher Winter https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/#comment-477423 Sat, 13 Jun 2015 00:59:47 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=21172#comment-477423 Update from 5 June: Hands-on inspection found the pipe thickness at the point of the rupture had been reduced by 80 percent. Experts were puzzled by the discrepancy between this value and the 45 percent reduction indicated by earlier tests.

See http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/06/05/santa-barbara-oil-spill-update-test-missed-major-pipeline-corrosion

I’ve seen nothing about whether instrumentation on that pipeline should have detected the pressure drop.

]]> By: Christopher Winter https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/#comment-477422 Mon, 25 May 2015 19:54:33 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=21172#comment-477422 The company is defending its decision to rely on manual operators to shut down the pipeline in event of a leak. It says that automatic valves can cause pressure surges that might make a problem worse. This is true, of course, for a badly designed system or for one that’s malfunctioned. But by the same token, manual operators can screw up. That happened with another pipeline operator that Santa Barbara County had forced to install automatic shutoff valves. A leak occurred offshore in 1997, and the personnel on duty overrode the automatic system.

Even if manual shutdown really is superior, Plains All American apparently had inadequate leak-detection instrumentation in place.

]]> By: Phil https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/#comment-477421 Sun, 24 May 2015 05:58:11 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=21172#comment-477421 Santa Barbara is a very conservative area, Reagan moved there. One wonders how the Republicans are going to poo poo this spill and say how conservation is useless.

]]> By: Brainstorms https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/#comment-477420 Fri, 22 May 2015 17:47:20 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=21172#comment-477420 The obvious conclusion: Petroleum companies ARE terrorists!

Way to go, Kurt! (Not.)

]]> By: dean https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/#comment-477419 Fri, 22 May 2015 17:38:47 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=21172#comment-477419 Meanwhile, here in Michigan, after the problems Enbridge had a couple years ago, money began flowing to our elected officials, and we are now at this stage: Kurt Heise, a state representative, is pushing a bill that would prohibit access to information about pipeline safety – to protect us from terrorists, of course.

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/05/06/oil-gas-pipelines-freedom-information-foia-exempt/70923006/

]]> By: GregH https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/#comment-477418 Fri, 22 May 2015 16:20:34 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=21172#comment-477418 And we’re already hearing that the spill was ~5x larger than originally reported. By a company with a history of infractions:

Federal records show that the Plains All American Pipeline has had 175 safety and maintenance infractions since 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Times’ analysis found that “Plains’ rate of incidents per mile of pipe is more than three times the national average.”

]]> By: L.Long https://gregladen.com/blog/2015/05/21/state-of-emergency-in-california/#comment-477417 Fri, 22 May 2015 11:55:39 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=21172#comment-477417 See! This is why the pipeline is so important!
And yes we will keep the pipeline from leaking! Honest! Trust US! That little leak in Arkansas was just minor nothing, ignore the pictures, really it was nothing! We will continuously inspect the pipe line to insure no leaks! Honest trust Us!!!
At least a train wreck or boat leak is Self-Limiting, unlike a 2000mile pipe pumping it out!!!

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