Do we need fewer pipelines or more (James Conca)

Link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2016/11/03/the-colonial-pipelineexplosion-do-we-need-fewer-pipelines-or-more/#337fcfa4cdfd Please see link above for original article and embedded links.

The Colonial Pipeline Explosion: Do We Need Fewer Pipelines - Or More?

James Conca

Page 1

A flame continues to burn after a Monday explosion of a Colonial Pipeline, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016, in Helena, Ala. The blast, which sent flames and thick black smoke soaring over the forest, happened about a mile west of where the pipeline ruptured in September, Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

An explosion on the Colonial Pipeline killed one worker and injured five others Monday in a wildlife area outside Helena in rural Alabama when a nine-man crew in Shelby County hit the line with a large excavator. The same pipeline burst only a month before, close to the same spot, in September, leaking almost 15 million gallons and causing gasoline shortages across the South.

The Colonial Pipeline Company, based in Georgia, has shut down its main pipeline in the area. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said there was no indication whether Monday’s explosion would lead to similar shortages, but United States gasoline futures soared 15% after the explosion, dropping back to about 5% only after Colonial said it could reopen the pipe by this weekend.

The explosion sent flames and smoke over the area while crews built a 75-foot-long earthen dam that has contained the burning fuel which will be allowed to burn itself out.

Houses around the blast scene were evacuated and Sheriff’s Office Captain Jeff Hartley said it wasn’t clear when people might be able to return home.

The Colonial Pipeline system transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel a day through 3-foot diameter pipes that cover 5,500 miles between Houston and New York City. The pipeline serves more than 50 million people. According to Governor Pat McCrory, North Carolina alone gets 70% of its gasoline from the Colonial Pipeline.

Reaction in the environmental community was immediate, many calling for shutdown of pipelines and a moratorium on new pipeline construction.

But the correct reaction may just be the opposite. We really should be replacing old pipelines and building new ones, reducing the stress on each line.

Page 2

America has over 2 million miles of oil and gas pipelines. Almost half are 50 years old.

Over 2,000 miles of pipeline are 100 years old. While breaks do occur in young lines, the majority occur in old lines which pre-date much of our modern safety standards. And these pipes have been subjected to pressure and weather-related stresses for a long, long time.

These pipelines must be replaced, or at least upgraded.

In fact, pipeline companies have been building like crazy. Investment in oil pipelines have steadily grown over the last decade. In 2007, investment was $36 billion. It was $39 billion in 2008, $41 billion in 2009, $45 billion in 2010, $50 billion in 2011, $54 billion in 2012, and $68 billion in 2013. Not chump change.

If the electric grid is our nation’s nervous system, then oil and gas pipelines are our circulatory system. Aneurisms in these metal blood vessels, like what happened on the Colonial, have to be prevented. Unfortunately, we don’t perform enough preventive care, especially on the elderly.

Construction of the Colonial Pipeline began in 1962, with expansions occurring in the 1970s and 80s. Although a dozen spills occurred over the years, the really big one occurred this year in September.

Page 3

In the United States, 100% of our natural gas is shipped by pipeline. 70% of crude oil and petroleum products are shipped by pipeline. 23% of oil shipments are on tankers and barges over water. Trucking only accounts for 4% of shipments, and rail for a mere 3%. In Canada, it’s even more lopsided. Almost all (97%) of natural gas and petroleum products are transported by pipelines (Canadian Energy Pipeline Association).

So pipeline spills are inevitable. About 280 pipeline spills occur each year in the United States that are deemed significant (USDOT), meaning either - there is a fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization, - there is $100,000 or more in total costs, - there are highly volatile liquid releases of more than 5 barrels or other liquid releases of more than 50 barrels, or - there are liquid releases that result in an unintentional fire or explosion.

The recent debates concerning the Keystone XL and Dakota lines, and the recent spills on the Pegasus, Enbridge and now the Colonial, have focused the attention on pipelines and shown that the public does not want pipelines going through their communities.

But there are only four ways to move oil and gas around the country – pipeline, truck, rail and boat – and you have to pick one of these. Or else our economy comes to a halt.

So which way is safer? The short answer is: truck worse than train worse than pipeline worse than boat (Oilprice.com). But that’s only for human death and property destruction. For the amount of oil spilled per billion-ton-miles, it’s truck worse than pipeline worse than rail worse than boat (Congressional Research Service). Even more different is for environmental impact (dominated by impact to aquatic habitat), where it’s boat worse than pipeline worse than truck worse than rail.

So it depends upon what your definition of worse is. Is it death and destruction? Is it the amount of oil spilled? Is it land area or water volume contaminated? Is it habitat destroyed? Is it CO2 emitted?

The oil industry points to its generally good safety record. Pipeline incidents involving death and injuries have steadily declined by half since 1990 because of better inspection technologies. Between 2005 and 2009, the latest period for which complete data exists (Intermodal Safety in the Transport of Oil), the rate of hospitalization among oil pipeline workers was 30 times lower compared to rail workers involved in transporting oil, and 37 times lower than for road transport workers.

With oil production increasing, the number of refineries decreasing, and capacity concentrating in ever fewer places, pipeline transport is not going to decrease. And there is no better alternative.

Page 4

So it is inevitable that we will build more pipelines with, hopefully better and better technologies, but we also must better maintain the ones we have, eventually completely replacing them.

Dr. James Conca is a geochemist, an energy expert, an authority on dirty bombs, a planetary geologist and professional speaker. Follow him on Twitter @jimconca and see his book at Amazon.com

Page 5