Exxon: No Plans Yet To Reopen (Mayflower) Ruptured Pipeline, and No Answers Why

[unhappycamper]

http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130520/exxon-no-plans-yet-reopen-ruptured-pipeline-and-no-answers-why



The company has yet to release results of a sophisticated test of the 65-year-old pipeline's interior, conducted in February.

Exxon: No Plans Yet To Reopen Ruptured Pipeline, and No Answers Why
By David Hasemyer
May 20, 2013

Almost two months after a ruptured pipeline sent at least 210,000 gallons of oil flowing through a neighborhood in Mayflower, Ark., the line's owner—oil giant ExxonMobil—remains largely silent on the future of its failed pipeline.

Most of the visible oil has been removed from the neighborhood and the ruptured section of pipe has been replaced and reburied. Yet Exxon hasn't asked the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for permission to restart the 850-mile Pegasus line, which runs across four states from Patoka, Ill. to Nederland, Texas.

~snip~

"This pipeline will not be restarted until we are convinced it is safe to do so," said Aaron Stryk. "We need to identify the cause of the incident and the mitigation steps necessary to prevent an incident like this from occurring again."

Some industry analysts say there could also be other reasons for the delay. The 65-year-old Pegasus line could be riddled with defects and require extensive repairs. Or perhaps Exxon is considering other alternatives, including replacing the Pegasus with a larger line.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Read in the Little Rock paper last week that there were still 350 workers

in Mayflower and they'd be there another couple of months. Didn't say much about what they were doing.