Cook Inlet Keeper: Pipelines too risky

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Cook Inlet Keeper said Jan. 10 that new findings on pipeline spill trends and regulatory oversight show pipelines pose an unnecessary and serious risk to Cook Inlet water and wildlife.

The citizen-based non-profit organization is dedicated to protecting Alaska’s Cook Inlet watershed. It said in a statement that the number of pipeline spills in Cook Inlet has increased to nearly one per week in 2001; nearly one-fourth of Cook Inlet’s on- and offshore pipelines receive little or no regulatory scrutiny; and industry has failed to make information available to help inform pipeline safety decisions.

The organization said it would release a full report on these and additional findings in spring 2002.

“The current status of pipeline safety in Cook Inlet is unacceptable,” said Lois Epstein, senior engineer and oil and gas industry specialist for Cook Inlet Keeper, and the principal researcher for the pipeline study.

“The technology exists to significantly improve Cook Inlet pipeline operations but operators have failed to use it, and regulators can’t seem to find the traction they need to press for change,” Epstein said in a statement.

Cook Inlet Keeper said it is recommending immediate baseline integrity assessment for all pipelines that have not been recently assessed; integrity reassessment at least every three years; pipeline leak detection and shut-off valve upgrades; enhanced public reporting of pipeline operations; removal of inadequate lines from service; federal funding for state-level inspections; and establishing a strict liability standard for pipeline releases.

“The increased number of pipeline spills in Cook Inlet raises concerns that its antiquated pipeline network, with many pipelines built in the 1960s, cannot endure the inlet’s harsh environmental conditions without extensive maintenance and upgrades,” Cook Inlet Keeper said. The organization said the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation requested funding from the Legislature last year to conduct a review of the operational status of Cook Inlet pipelines, but Unocal lobbied legislators Drew Pearce and Loren Leman and the funding was stripped from DEC’s budget.

Epstein said she was prevented by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association from appearing on a panel at a Jan. 10 forum on Cook Inlet pipelines, forcing her to present her findings during the public comment period.