Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration News

US Agency: Exxon Trying to Dodge Blame for Arkansas Leak

Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co. is trying to “escape responsibility” for not considering that a pipeline that ruptured in Arkansas was susceptible to seam failure despite a history of such problems, according to a federal agency. Exxon Mobil is challenging a …

U.S. Regulator Treads Lightly on Railroads Over Hazmat Violations: Report

Federal regulators are failing to refer serious safety violations involving freight rail shipments of crude oil and other hazardous cargo for criminal prosecution, and are going lightly on civil fines, according to a report released last week by a government …

U.S. Again Warns Airlines Against Carrying Lithium Battery Cargo

U.S. aviation safety officials are raising new warnings about the dangers of carrying bulk shipments of lithium-based batteries on commercial flights. The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates the aviation industry, on Tuesday sent a notice to airlines urging them to …

Operator of Ruptured Arkansas Gas Pipeline Was Cited in 2011

Federal inspectors found several violations during their most recent review of Spectra Energy’s Texas Eastern Transmission system, which includes the pipeline that burst in the Arkansas River in May. Spectra Energy was cited during the 2011 inspection for three violations, …

Calls for Safety Upgrades Follow West Virginia Oil Train Crash

A fiery oil train derailment in West Virginia this week exposes lax safety standards and strengthens the case for tougher U.S. rules governing such shipments, safety advocates said on Tuesday. A 109-car delivery of crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken …

Railroads Now Required to Alert States When Shipping Oil

The U.S. Transportation Department issued an emergency order designed to reduce the risks of transporting crude from North Dakota’s booming Bakken region by rail, a week after an oil train derailed and burned in Virginia. The order requires railroads to …

U.S. Safety Rule for Oil Trains Delayed for Year

The Obama administration has delayed by nearly a year a plan to boost safety standards for the type of rail car involved in a fiery explosion that killed at least 47 people in Canada this month. Officials began work on …

Federal Watchdog Issues Report on Gas Pipeline Safety

Federal regulators must account for response times in the data they collect from transmission operators on natural gas pipeline incidents, a congressional watchdog agency said this week. The U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report that the Pipeline and …

West Virginia Explosion Reminder of Risk of Natural Gas Pipelines

Nearly 15,000 miles of natural gas pipeline stretch across West Virginia, and as residents of this community north of Charleston now know, devastating explosions can happen without warning. Federal regulators say there have been 20 “significant” pipeline incidents involving deaths, …

While Debate Over Safety Valve Goes On, Gas Explosions Continue: AP

The bulldozer was clearing land outside a day care center in Hapeville, Ga., when it broke open a buried 1-inch pipeline. The escaping gas ignited into a fireball that killed nine people, including seven children settling down for their afternoon …