FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 7, 2001
Contact: Patricia Klinger
Debbie Hinz
Tel: 202-366-4831
RSPA 06-01
U.S. Department of Transportation Grants Request for Restart Of Olympic Pipe
Line in Washington
Continuing its comprehensive review of the safety of the Olympic Pipe Line system, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) today approved the company’s request to restart the 16-inch, 37-mile section of pipeline that has been closed since the explosion in Bellingham, Wash., in June 1999. The pipeline will be allowed to operate at a reduced pressure and under continued monitoring by the department.
Additional testing will be conducted on the system to further assess its condition and performance prior to allowing the pipeline to go back to full operational service. OPS senior technical staff will fully monitor final restart operations on the section of the line between Ferndale and Allen, and that staff will continue to monitor tests and repairs on other portions of this pipeline.
On Jan. 25, OPS approved Olympic’s plan to fill the pipeline with a diesel product to conduct functional assessments and calibration of sensors and valves along the pipeline, including their associated monitoring systems. The tests were monitored by federal pipeline safety inspectors to ensure that the system performed properly.
"The department’s number one priority is safety. Our goal is to make Olympic Pipe Line safer through preventive actions such as continued testing with the most up-to-date technology available," said Edward Brigham, acting deputy administrator of the Research and Special Programs Administration, the department’s agency that oversees the OPS.
Immediately after the June 1999 explosion, OPS ordered the portion of the pipeline between Ferndale and Allen shut down. OPS also ordered repairs and testing on the entire pipeline.
OPS hired a noted independent expert to review the testing results to determine additional sections that might need to be repaired or replaced on the entire 400-mile system. OPS participated in a public meeting on Aug. 8, 2000, to discuss results of an internal pipeline inspection test and answer questions from the public about the pipeline safety program.
Additionally, OPS stationed a full time inspector in Washington and conducted a joint inspection with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission of all pipelines in the state of Washington. OPS participated in a pipeline safety task force convened by Washington Governor Gary Locke.
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