Breaking: another oil pipeline has burst, this time in Viking, MN

[kgrandia]

http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/04/24/another-pipeline-leak-enbridge-alberta-clipper-line-67-leaking-tar-sands-bitumen

This is a pretty big news story - like Keystone XL there is currently an application from Enbridge to the State Department to expand tar sands oil transport to the US.

Full story:

Enbridge's Line 67 tar sands pipeline has leaked an estimated 600 gallons near Viking, Minnesota.

Better known as the Alberta Clipper, theLine 67 pipeline carries heavy crude oil and tar sands bitumen from the Alberta tar sands region south from Hardisty to Superior, Wisconsin and refineries in the midwestern United States.

The U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center website reports the details of theincident:
"1044848","1044848","1044848","INCIDENT","23-APR-2013 17:09","THE CALLER REPORTED THAT A LEAK ON A PRESSURE TRANSMITTER RESULTED IN A RELEASE OF CRUDE OIL.","FIXED","EQUIPMENT FAILURE","23-APR-2013 15:45","18060 203TH ST NW","MN","VIKING","MARSHALL","ENBRIDGE ENERGY","SOIL","OIL: CRUDE"

DeSmog was alerted by the Indigenous Environmental Network, which is en route to the spill site to gather more information. Stay tuned.

The leak has stopped and Enbridge is working on cleanup operations now. The spill does not appear to have reached water.

Enbridge is currently seeking a Presidential Permit from President Barack Obama toexpand the capacity of the Alberta Clipper Line 67 where it crosses the international border. The pipeline currently transports approximately 450,000 bpd of crude oil from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin to the midwestern U.S.

[TeamPooka]

1. our solar pipeline is very secure.

[timdog44]

2. Leaking sunshine

all over the place.

[TeamPooka]

3. and no one ever complains about the spillage

[SheilaT]

4. Ha! Those of us who sunburn

easily have been known to complain.

[timdog44]

5. My little salvias

love it.

[CrispyQ]

14. Saw this bumper sticker a few weeks ago:

When there's a solar spill we call it a nice day!


on edit: Heard a comedian once state, "When they figure out how to put a meter on the sun, we'll have solar everything by midnight."

[lunasun]

6. By Grand Forks near Thief River Falls/Bemidji

Why is the Indigenous Environmental Network,en route to the spill is this on native land reserve?

[Viking12]

10. Knowing that area well, it could be very near the White Earth Reservation

Although I haven't looked into it. The other, obvious, possibility is that the Indigenous Environmental Network is concerned about the destruction of Indigenous Environments near the source of the pipeline and are documenting the entire life cycle of damage.

[Divernan]

7. UPDATE/CORRECTION: It's Line 2, which is crude oil, not tar sands.

Check OP link for further corrections & history of problems with Line 2.
UPDATES COMING PENDING FURTHER INFORMATION. Enbridge's Line 2 pipeline has leaked an estimated 600 gallons of crude oil at its pump station near Viking, Minnesota. Line 2 was built in 1956 and has a history of spills. Regulators ordered Enbridge to reduce its Line 2 operating pressure in October 2010 following the company's Kalamazoo River tar sands spill.

The Enbridge Viking pump station also receives oil from the Alberta Clipper (aka Line 67 pipeline) that carries heavy crude oil and tar sands bitumen from the Alberta tar sands region south from Hardisty to Superior, Wisconsin and refineries in the midwestern United States. It is unclear whether the product that spilled was tar sands-derived diluted bitumen. According to a link provided by Enbridge subsequent to this story's original posting, Line 2 begins in Edmonton and carries petroleum products, including crude oil, from Edmonton to Superior. Both lines pass through the Viking pump station.

**This story originally reported that Enbridge Line 67 tar sands pipeline suffered the leak, but Enbridge subsequently confirmed the spill was on Line 2. DeSmog regrets the error.**

Enbridge was warned earlier this month by the National Energy Board that the company "is not abiding by federal safety standards at 117 pumping stations along its extensive crude oil network in Canada, putting the safety of the public at risk."
The Line 2 leak has stopped and Enbridge is working on cleanup operations now. The spill does not appear to have reached water. For more details, visit http://enbridgeus.com/Viking/.

[snappyturtle]

8. Announcement from Enbridge website:

Update as of April. 24
At approximately 3:45 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, April 23, Enbridge personnel at our Viking, Minn., Station observed a small amount of oil on the ground. The leak is on small diameter station piping associated with Line 2. The control center was immediately notified and Line 2 was shut down and isolated as a precaution within minutes. Viking Station staff responded and completed repairs and Line 2 was safely restarted at approximately 9 p.m. CDT on April 23.

The released product – a light sour blend – was found in a small area within the Viking Station perimeter where protective barriers, including berms and graded soil, are in place to protect the surrounding environment. The release was fully contained within the existing containment berm. Berms are built according to regulatory requirements and Enbridge specifications using clay or compacted soil and grading to allow drainage to a designated area.

The cause of the leak is under investigation.

www.enbridgeus.com/Viking

[DonRedwood]

9. k r

[immoderate]

11. Is that 450,000 barrels per day?

That's more than 600 barrels per minute. Strains credibility.

--imm

[Sirveri]

12. It's actually 312.5 Barrels a minute. I've worked with pumps that do 3k gpm so...

Depends on the size of the pump, my father used to work for the city sewer department in South San Francisco, huge pumps that would move something like 10k gpm.

[CrispyQ]

13. "cleanup operations"

Filthy, dirty energy source.