Thousands of barrels of oil leak from pipeline

[Junior]

The Forbes author is getting his 'news' from an 'article' written way back in May. It wasn't even really news back then. A newly installed pipeline stretching 60 miles was inspected for anomalies, and those found were attended to. News? Not hardly. Pipelines require inspection, maintenance and repair - even NEW pipeline.

 

It'd be news if, 'The first time EVER, a 60 mile pipeline was installed without any welding anomalies.'

 

The original article tried to make a gloom and doom scenario, focusing on the "concerned landowners" observing the repairs -- stating the last pipeline built had leaks (confusing readers probably thinking the new pipeline is leaking already) -- without any sort of background on accepted norms in the industry, comments from industry experts, or regulatory officials.

 

The Forbes article, takes that old article --- already containing a bunch of mindless and lazy extrapolation -- and multiplies it profusely. The author would have you believe...that since a new pipe is already being repaired (normal OP) and another pipe had leaked, disaster will ensue because GREED.

 

It's not a news article. It's simply the ramblings of some bent blogger looking to rehash emotional keyword phrases to get hits and fill publishing quotas.

 

Lazy and irresponsible.

And what about this part?


It seems that the existing leg of the Keystone has spilled more oil in its first year than any other first-year pipeline in U.S. history.

If you read/remembered that article from May you've got a better memory than I.

 

Four Americans are dead, Carl. That's all you need to remember.

[carlfense]

Four Americans are dead, Carl. That's all you need to remember.

[Junior]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/01/16/169511949/a-mysterious-patch-of-light-shows-up-in-the-north-dakota-dark

 

 

 

What we have here is an immense and startlingly new oil and gas field — nighttime evidence of an oil boom created by a technology called fracking. Those lights are rigs, hundreds of them, lit at night, or fiery flares of natural gas. One hundred fifty oil companies, big ones, little ones, wildcatters, have flooded this region, drilling up to eight new wells every day on what is called the Bakken formation. Altogether, they are now producing 660,000 barrels a day — double the output two years ago — so that in no time at all, North Dakota is now the second-largest oil producing state in America. Only Texas produces more, and those lights are a sign that this region is now on fire ... to a disturbing degree. Literally.

...

When oil comes to the surface, it often brings natural gas with it, and according to North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources, 29 percent of the natural gas now extracted in North Dakota is flared off. Gas isn't as profitable as oil, and the energy companies don't always build the pipes or systems to carry it away. For a year (with extensions), North Dakota allows drillers to burn gas, just let it flare. There are now so many gas wells burning fires in the North Dakota night, the fracking fields can be seen from deep space.

[Conga3]

And what about this part?


It seems that the existing leg of the Keystone has spilled more oil in its first year than any other first-year pipeline in U.S. history.

If you read/remembered that article from May you've got a better memory than I.

 

What does 'spilled more oil in its first year than any other first-year pipeline in U.S. history' mean? Is that good or bad?

 

I can think of several scenarios where 'spilled more oil' is true, but 'less environmental impact' is also true. And that is our concern right? Or are we concerned about lost oil company revenue due to spills and clean-ups?

 

--

 

If I read an article that scratches the surface of a complicated situation with obviously cherry picked data, and it doesn't seem the author is as curious about what the numbers mean as I am...but instead is obviously trying to convince me of something without making a solid case, I tend to ignore it.

 

This author in this Forbes article is so over the top, it's ridiculous. Plus, NO NEWS.

 

--

 

And what I read/remember from back in May doesn't change the fact the author is rehashing old articles to fill publishing quotas without presenting anything newsworthy/timely.

 

--

 

This oil pipeline is kinda a big deal. If it demonstrates to be successful, more could follow. The oil companies have a very large interest in making this thing work. Alternately, some environmentalists have seizures when - MORE OIL.

 

A battle is on for public opinion... so I take the news I consume on this rather seriously. That's why the reaction to this article. It's so blatantly biased and actually works to make the readers less informed while convincing them they are more informed for having read it.

[carlfense]

What does 'spilled more oil in its first year than any other first-year pipeline in U.S. history' mean? Is that good or bad?

[HSKR]

http://www.npr.org/b...rth-dakota-dark

 

 

 

What we have here is an immense and startlingly new oil and gas field — nighttime evidence of an oil boom created by a technology called fracking. Those lights are rigs, hundreds of them, lit at night, or fiery flares of natural gas. One hundred fifty oil companies, big ones, little ones, wildcatters, have flooded this region, drilling up to eight new wells every day on what is called the Bakken formation. Altogether, they are now producing 660,000 barrels a day — double the output two years ago — so that in no time at all, North Dakota is now the second-largest oil producing state in America. Only Texas produces more, and those lights are a sign that this region is now on fire ... to a disturbing degree. Literally.

...

When oil comes to the surface, it often brings natural gas with it, and according to North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources, 29 percent of the natural gas now extracted in North Dakota is flared off. Gas isn't as profitable as oil, and the energy companies don't always build the pipes or systems to carry it away. For a year (with extensions), North Dakota allows drillers to burn gas, just let it flare. There are now so many gas wells burning fires in the North Dakota night, the fracking fields can be seen from deep space.

 

Can't blame the oil companies for not piping it out of there since there is so much opposition to building any new pipelines. I guess you could say that image is another "glaring" example of environmentalists reaping what they sow.

 

BTW, I'd love to see a night sat image from July because I bet you could have seen Lac-Megantic, Quebec quite easily as well.

[HSKR]

All new oil and refined product pipelines have to be inspected before put into service. If they are not; PHSMA, EPA, DOT, OSHA and a lot of others will have a heyday with the company installing and the company that owns the pipeline. Pipelines that are used to transport " hazardous " materials need to be inspected yearly for defects. This is a new rule that they implemented in 2010 I believe. It used to be every 5 years, which in my eyes was to long.

 

Please leave facts out of this discussion. Instead we would all prefer if you could just post some cheesy opinion pieces. Thanks.

[Junior]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/02/fracking-radioactive-water-pennsylvania/2904829/

 

River water in western Pennsylvania has elevated levels of radioactivity, some of it from fluids discharged after natural gas extraction, says a Duke University study today that's likely to stir more controversy over the booming business of "fracking."

 

Radium levels were about 200 times greater in sediment from a creek where wastewater was discharged from a treatment plant than in sediment upstream, according to the peer-reviewed study in the Environmental Science & Technology journal. The amount exceeded thresholds for safe disposal of radioactive waste.

[carlfense]

North Dakota officials are trying to determine if Tesoro Corp. knew about potential problems — including one deemed "serious" in documents obtained by The Associated Press — with a pipeline that leaked more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil in a wheat field in the northwestern part of the state. . . . Farmer Steve Jensen discovered the North Dakota oil spill the size of seven football fields while harvesting wheat Sept. 29. Tesoro Corp. first estimated the spill at its underground pipeline near Tioga at 750 barrels. About a week later, the San Antonio, Texas-based company increased the estimate to 20,600 barrels, making it one of the largest spills in North Dakota history.

 

http://abcnews.go.co...imates-20583710

[sd'sker]

Can't blame the oil companies for not piping it out of there since there is so much opposition to building any new pipelines. I guess you could say that image is another "glaring" example of environmentalists reaping what they sow.

 

BTW, I'd love to see a night sat image from July because I bet you could have seen Lac-Megantic, Quebec quite easily as well.

this is literally the republican attitude nowadays. if they do not get what they want, it is our fault when we have to watch the world burn at their hands.

[HSKR]

Can't blame the oil companies for not piping it out of there since there is so much opposition to building any new pipelines. I guess you could say that image is another "glaring" example of environmentalists reaping what they sow.

 

BTW, I'd love to see a night sat image from July because I bet you could have seen Lac-Megantic, Quebec quite easily as well.

this is literally the republican attitude nowadays. if they do not get what they want, it is our fault when we have to watch the world burn at their hands.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57608318/fiery-tanker-train-derailment-in-canada/

 

"In the first half of this year, U.S. railroads moved 178,000 carloads of crude oil. That's double the number during the same period last year and 33 times more than during the same period in 2009."

 

 

You can keep your head in the sand and pretend that the oil isn't going to be moved and blame everyone else every time this happens or you can accept the fact that the oil is already being moved and choose to support the safer method of transport, pipeline. Nobody wants any accidents to occur but you are absolutely right I will blame environmentalists when this happens in Nebraska when it could have been shipped via pipeline, the safer and more environmentally friendly alternative. Of course the good news is when trains derail, cleanup is easier since they have to just let it burn out instead of cleaning up oil off the ground. Just hope it doesn't happen in the middle of your town.

[carlfense]

Those dang environmentalists and their oil spills.

[Stumpy1]

North Dakota officials are trying to determine if Tesoro Corp. knew about potential problems — including one deemed "serious" in documents obtained by The Associated Press — with a pipeline that leaked more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil in a wheat field in the northwestern part of the state. . . . Farmer Steve Jensen discovered the North Dakota oil spill the size of seven football fields while harvesting wheat Sept. 29. Tesoro Corp. first estimated the spill at its underground pipeline near Tioga at 750 barrels. About a week later, the San Antonio, Texas-based company increased the estimate to 20,600 barrels, making it one of the largest spills in North Dakota history.

 

http://abcnews.go.co...imates-20583710

 

Tesoro will get hung over this. They were told numerous times that they needed to add safety devices ( cathotic protection, pressure detectors, line balance equipment and ect.) to better monitor the line.

[carlfense]

North Dakota officials are trying to determine if Tesoro Corp. knew about potential problems — including one deemed "serious" in documents obtained by The Associated Press — with a pipeline that leaked more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil in a wheat field in the northwestern part of the state. . . . Farmer Steve Jensen discovered the North Dakota oil spill the size of seven football fields while harvesting wheat Sept. 29. Tesoro Corp. first estimated the spill at its underground pipeline near Tioga at 750 barrels. About a week later, the San Antonio, Texas-based company increased the estimate to 20,600 barrels, making it one of the largest spills in North Dakota history.

 

http://abcnews.go.co...imates-20583710

 

Tesoro will get hung over this. They were told numerous times that they needed to add safety devices ( cathotic protection, pressure detectors, line balance equipment and ect.) to better monitor the line.

And they should.

 

It's the same pattern that we've seen before. Lead with a dramatically underestimated report regarding the size of the leak (likely a blatant lie rather than a mistake, IMO). Hide evidence. Etc