NEWS

Iowa's pipeline safety record spotty

William Petroski
bpetrosk@dmreg.com

As a Texas energy company seeks approval for its plan to build a 1,100-mile pipeline carrying North Dakota crude oil across 17 Iowa counties, documents show the state's pipeline safety record has been less than spotless.

While the state has avoided large-scale disasters, records show Iowa has had 100 pipeline spills since 2004, with a majority of the accidents involving anhydrous ammonia and propane. Other products involved in Iowa pipeline accidents over the past decade have included natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel and butane, according to state and federal records reviewed by The Des Moines Register.

Most of the spills have been relatively small — under 100 gallons and sometimes as little as one gallon. However, others have been significantly larger.

Environmental groups cite potential spills as a major reason to oppose the crude oil pipeline. Proponents, in turn, contend pipelines are the safest way to transport fuel. National statistics show a significant drop in serious pipeline incidents in the past five years.

In Iowa in the past decade, pipeline accidents have resulted in nearly $20 million in property damage, spilling a total of 10,712 gross barrels of hazardous liquids onto Iowa property, according to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Those spills were blamed for seven injuries, but no deaths.

Among the most significant pipeline spills and releases:

• On March 25, 2013, in Clinton County, 6 million cubic feet of natural gas leaked after a contractor damaged an Alliant Energy line.

• On Feb. 24, 2010, in Pottawattamie County, 2,400 gallons of gasoline leaked at a BP Amoco tank farm. The responsible party was listed as Oneok North Systems LLC.

• On June 2, 2008, 4,000 barrels of butane leaked from the Oneok Pipeline in Mills County near Hastings. The cause of the leak has never been determined.

• On March 1, 2008, near Montezuma in Poweshiek County, 700 gallons of propane vented through the snow into the atmosphere from a pipeline operated by Magellan Midstream Partners.

Other states have seen major spills

In North Dakota, where oil production has boomed with the introduction of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, serious environmental concerns have emerged.

Last fall, a farmer harvesting wheat near Tioga, N.D., discovered a spill of more than 20,000 barrels of oil that had spewed from a Tesoro Corp. oil pipeline. The incident, one of that state's worst, was confirmed by the North Dakota Health Department.

Other parts of the country also have seen major spills. Earlier in 2013, thousands of barrels of Canadian heavy crude oil flowed through the streets of Mayflower, Ark., after an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured.

Activist groups such as the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement say potential environmental problems are among the key reasons they oppose the proposed pipeline, which would initially carry 320,000 barrels of oil daily. Energy Transfer Partners is proposing the project, which would cost about $5 billion, to transport crude oil from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to Patoka, Ill.

"We are against a pipeline going through our state. Iowa won't benefit from it, and we will take all of the risks environmentally," said Neila Seaman, executive director of the Sierra Club in Iowa.

"Pipelines leak," the Iowa Sierra Club says in a position paper on the subject.

A major pipeline accident could pollute Iowa's waterways and underground water sources, destroy farmland and harm wildlife, the organization contends.

Brenda Brink, a CCI member from rural Huxley who lives near the proposed Bakken pipeline route, said she believes the pipeline will cause environmental degradation.

"It's going to ruin the whole swath that it goes through. I am convinced about that," Brink said. "I am also convinced that if it does go through it is not going to do anything for us Iowans. The profits, the oil, it is going to go elsewhere. It is not going to help anything, and it is fossil fuel."

Company says it will meet, exceed rules

Vicki Granado, spokeswoman for Energy Transfer Partners, said the pipeline project — which would employ 8,000 temporary construction workers along the entire route — would be developed and operated in ways to protect the environment.

Plans call for the project, which must still be approved by the Iowa Utilities Board, to be operational by late 2016.

"We are very experienced and very proud of the safety record that we have," Granado said, noting her company operates thousands of miles of pipelines outside of Iowa.

Energy Transfer Partners has developed other projects around the country involving wetlands crossings and river crossings. So any environmental issue required in the construction of the Iowa pipeline won't be new to the company's engineers, Granado says.

The company says the pipeline will be buried beneath at least 36 inches of soil — and even deeper if it crosses under roads, rivers, lakes or streams. In agricultural fields, the pipe will be buried at a depth of at least 48 inches.

All drain tiles will be crossed with a minimum 24-inch separation between the pipe and the drain tile, the company has said.

"There are very clear regulations and guidelines that we have to follow," Granado says. "We make sure we meet or exceed the letter of the law. But keep in mind that our project is still very much in the works. We would reroute this pipeline to mitigate any of those issues as much as we can."

Energy Transfer Partners, which had planned to host local informational meetings with residents along the proposed route beginning later this month, has announced it will push back the dates of those meetings to December to be respectful of farmers harvesting their crops.

Federal agency: Serious incidents at all-time low

Adam Broughton, an environmental specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says Iowa has been fortunate not to have suffered many serious pipeline accidents.

"We have some really good companies that have a lot of pipelines in Iowa, and they do a real good job of maintaining their equipment and monitoring their systems," Broughton said, citing Magellan Midstream Partners of Tulsa, Okla., as an example.

In general, Iowa sees fewer pipeline incidents than for other modes of transportation carrying similar products, he said.

The federal agency that regulates and oversees pipeline safety in the U.S. reported in April that pipeline penalties assessed nationwide had hit an all-time high, while serious pipeline incidents were at an all-time low.

Since 2009, the agency says it had proposed more than $33 million in civil penalties against pipeline operators, or $10 million more than for the previous five years combined. It also issued 544 enforcement orders over the five-year period. That's more than half of all orders issued by the agency since 2002.

In addition, the agency reports a 45 percent drop in serious pipeline incidents — resulting in fatalities or serious injuries — since 2009. The count has declined each year since 2009, officials say.

"The results are clear; we are using our enforcement tools to hold pipeline operators accountable and also resolve enforcement actions quicker than ever," said Cynthia Quarterman, head of the federal pipeline safety agency.

Pipelines help fuel cars, heat homes

Iowa has 41,410 miles of hazardous liquid and natural gas pipelines, according to the Iowa Pipeline Association, an industry group. That compares with a national average of 51,765 miles.

These pipelines include large-diameter lines carrying energy products to population centers, as well as small-diameter lines that deliver natural gas to businesses and households, the trade group said.

The energy products carried in pipelines heat Iowa's homes and schools, power farms and factories and provide gasoline and diesel fuel used by Iowans commuting to work and shipping freight, the association said.

"Pipelines are by far the safest method for transporting energy products. Nevertheless, they can and sometimes do rupture, posing serious risk. That's why we encourage everyone in Iowa to learn about pipelines and the products they carry, as well as a few simple steps you can take to help us ensure pipeline safety in your community," the association said.

Some of those steps include using a one-call underground damage prevention program and providing emergency responders with information needed to protect equipment and property.

Pipeline spills:

  • 100 in Iowa since 2004, totaling 10,712 gross barrels of spilled hazardous liquids
  • $20 million in property damage caused by pipeline accidents since 2004

Iowa pipeline spills since 2004:

Iowa has had 100 pipeline spills since 2004. Almost half have involved anhydrous ammonia, while leaks of propane have been the second-highest category.

Anhydrous ammonia: 44

Propane: 35

Natural gas: 7

Diesel fuel: 5

Gasoline: 4

Butane: 1

Other: 1

Source: Iowa Department of Natural Resources