FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday,
June 5, 2001
Contact:
Patricia Klinger
Debbie Hinz
Tel.:
(202) 366‑4831
RSPA 16-01
U.S.
Department of Transportation Grants Request for Restart of Former PEPCO Line in
Southern Maryland
The
U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) today
approved a request by a pipeline operator to restart its Piney Point pipeline
system, which has been closed since an April 7, 2000 oil spill into the Swanson
Creek, Md., a tributary of the Patuxent River.
Immediately after the spill, OPS ordered the operator to shut down the line. OPS also issued a corrective action order requiring specific actions to ensure the integrity of the line. On Dec. 20, 2000, OPS issued a proposed civil penalty of $674,000 against Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) and pipeline operator ST Services for alleged safety violations.
“The
department’s number one priority is safety.
We are interested in more than just compliance with regulation -- we want
assurance that the pipeline is sound and that the operator can respond correctly
and quickly to problems,” said Edward A. Brigham, acting deputy administrator
of the Research and Special Programs Administration, the DOT agency that
oversees pipeline safety.
In compliance with the OPS order, the operator
conducted a series of tests that showed the pipeline is fit for service.
Hydrostatic tests to 125 percent of the pipeline’s maximum operating
pressure on the entire line were conducted.
Based on internal inspection results and engineering analysis, more than
70 locations along the pipeline were excavated and examined.
The operator’s integrity management plan, which OPS has approved,
includes internal inspection of the pipeline every five years.
The pipeline supplies fuel oil to the Chalk Point and
Morgantown Generating Stations. At
the time of the spill, the pipeline and generating stations were owned by PEPCO
and the pipeline was operated by ST Services.
PEPCO has since sold the facilities to Mirant Mid-Atlantic, LLC.
OPS
worked closely with state and local officials during the investigation and
evaluation of this pipeline and will monitor the restart operation.
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