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U.S. NEWS Friday 1 april 2022
U.S. will require valves on new pipelines to prevent disasters

By MATTHEW BROWN quirements" for pipeline
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — operators that don't reflect
U.S. officials on Thursday real-world operating condi-
adopted a rule aimed at tions or the low risk of spills in
reducing deaths and en- some scenarios.
vironmental damage from Amy Andryszak, president
oil and gas pipeline rup- of the Interstate Natural
tures — a long-delayed re- Gas Association of Amer-
sponse to fatal explosions ica, said her organization
and massive spills that have and companies it repre-
occurred over decades in sents were still reviewing
California, Michigan, New the rule but were "generally
Jersey and other states. supportive" of rules that en-
But safety advocates said courage safety.
the move by the U.S. Trans- Experts say automatic
portation Department valves can help eliminate
would not have averted some human-caused er-
the accidents that prompt- rors that contribute to ac-
ed the new rule. That's be- cidents, such as a delay of
cause it applies only to new more than 17 hours to con-
pipelines and not to hun- firm the 2010 Kalamazoo,
dreds of thousands of miles Michigan, pipeline rupture
of lines that already criss- In this July 6, 2011, photo, cleanup workers use oil absorbent materials along side the Yellowstone because workers ignored
cross the country, many River in Laurel, Mont., to clean up an oil spill. alarms indicating a possi-
of them decades old and Associated Press ble spill. The break released
corroding. more than 800,000 gallons
The rule requires compa- valves would also protect on an existing line could risk pipes was rejected. (3,600,000 liters) of crude
nies to install emergency against large releases of cost up to $1.5 million and However, transportation oil and caused roughly $1
valves that can quickly shut methane, a highly potent it would take billions of dol- officials adopted some of billion in property and envi-
off the flow of oil, natural greenhouse gas blamed lars to retrofit lines nation- industry recommendations ronmental damage.
gas or other hazardous fu- for helping drive climate wide. that will give operators In San Bruno, a 30-inch
els when pipelines rupture. change. Industry representatives latitude to make adjust- (76-centimeter) gas pipe-
It came in response to a "Today we are taking an were closely involved in ments to where valves are line exploded and burned
massive gas explosion in important step to protect crafting the rule. Their re- placed. like a massive blowtorch
San Bruno, California, that communities against haz- quest to allow valves to be Association of Oil Pipe in a suburban California
killed eight people in 2010, ardous pipeline leaks — more widely spaced along Lines Vice President John neighborhood for 89 min-
and to large oil spills into helping to save the lives, pipelines and remove the Stoody said the final rule utes before a manual valve
Michigan's Kalamazoo Riv- property, and jobs of peo- requirement for some low- still contains "arbitrary re- was used to shut it down. q
er and Montana's Yellow- ple in every part of the
stone River and other spills. country while preventing
The National Transporta- super-polluting methane
tion Safety Board since the leaks." Buttigieg said.
1990s has recommended The Pipeline Safety Trust, a
the use of automatic or re- Bellingham, Washington-
mote controlled valves on based advocacy group,
large pipelines — whether said the rule marked prog-
they are existing or new — ress since Congress man-
to reduce the severity of dated more stringent pipe-
accidents. Following a 1995 line regulations over a de-
gas pipeline explosion and cade ago.
fire that destroyed eight But the group said exempt-
buildings in Edison, Jersey, ing pipelines that are al-
the safety board urged the ready in the ground means
Transportation Department it would not prevent a re-
to expedite requirements peat of the accident at
for shut-off valves in cities San Bruno, which involved
and natural areas. a pipeline that was more
But pipeline companies for than 50 years old.
years resisted new valve re- "This rule falls far short of
quirements because of the the NTSB recommendation
expense of installing them and will offer no additional
and concerns they could safety to communities liv-
close accidentally and shut ing near existing pipelines,"
off fuel supplies. said Bill Caram, executive
Transportation Secretary director of the safety trust.
Pete Buttigieg said the The government estimated
more stringent regulations it would cost a combined
for the industry were need- $5.9 million annually for
ed because too many companies to comply with
people have been harmed Thursday's rule. By com-
by pipeline failures. parison, industry represen-
He said installation of the tatives said a single valve