Feds Say Major New York Gas Pipeline Poses Safety Risk

Feds Say Major New York Gas Pipeline Poses Safety Risk

by Nicholas Kusnetz
ProPublica, Aug. 5, 2011, 11:04 a.m.

http://www.propublica.org/article/feds-say-major-new-york-gas-pipeline-poses-safety-risk#

A major natural gas pipeline stretching across southern New York may be at risk of rupturing and poses a safety threat, according to a recent inspection by federal regulators.

The pipeline's owner, Millennium Pipeline Co., has reduced pressure on the line, lessening the risk of explosion, but there are concerns that its problems may extend beyond a leak spotted by workers in January.

The leak resulted from a faulty weld that hadn't passed an inspection but was installed anyway, a review by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration found [1]. An order issued by the agency

—first reported Wednesday by NaturalGasWatch.org [2], a website that tracks gas pipeline safety—said other sections of the pipeline also appear to have been installed without proper evaluation.

"Other welds with similar defects may also develop leaks and potentially lead to a rupture of the pipeline," the order says.

Damon Hill, a spokesman for the safety administration, said the pipeline's operator, Columbia Gas Transmission, has until the end of the year to inspect the line and fix problems.

Theresa Gibbon, a spokeswoman for Millennium Pipeline Co., confirmed the company is working with federal regulators but would not specify what measures it is taking.

The Millennium pipeline cuts through New York's southern tier and is a potential end point of a number [3] of proposed pipelines carrying gas from Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale [4]. It passes through several towns along its route [5].

Richard Kuprewicz, a pipeline safety expert and consultant, said an explosion on the line could be significantly larger than the one that killed eight people in San Bruno, Calif., in September because the Millennium operates at more than double the pressure, even after the recent reduction.

The San Bruno blast [6] was the most deadly in a series of high-profile [7] oil and gas pipeline accidents that have drawn attention to a lax regulatory system. A December investigation by the news organization Remapping Debate found that regulation of more than 2 million miles of natural gas pipelines across the country is largely left to the companies [8] that operate the lines. One recent report showed that these companies have funded and shaped most of the safety studies [9] that guide federal regulation.

The number of major accidents has more or less held steady [10] in recent years. Still, Carl Weimer, executive director of Pipeline Safety Trust, an advocacy group, said the problems with the Millennium line, along with some of the recent accidents, raise questions about whether the regulatory system is breaking down.

"As we allow the companies to do their own inspection and their own engineering to decide how to deal with pipelines in the ground, the question arises, do they have enough information," he said. "This is another case where it seems like, oops, they messed up."

Millenium Pipeline unsafe, according to a federal report

Defective welds may pose a danger

11:34 PM, Aug. 6, 2011|

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110806/NEWS01/108060348/Millenium-Pipeline-unsafe-according-federal-report?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Written by

Steve Reilly

·  Millenium pipeline letter from U.S. Department of Transportation

The Southern Tier's major natural gas pipeline poses a public safety risk due to defective welds that could lead to a rupture, according to a recent federal report.

The Millennium Pipeline, which runs more than 180 miles from Steuben County to Rockland County, has been under investigation since a leak was detected Jan. 11 near Schneider Road in the Town of Owego.

The New York State Department of Public Service conducted a five-month investigation, and determined that a 1/8-inch leak caused by a faulty weld released 1.3 million cubic feet of natural gas from the pipeline.

There was no ignition, and no injuries or property damage were reported. Repairs were completed Jan. 16.

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration received the results of the state investigation in May, and on July 6 released a document that raises concerns about the integrity of the pipeline.

"Other welds with similar defects may also develop leaks and potentially lead to a rupture of the pipeline," the report states.

" ... It appears that the continued operation of the affected pipeline without corrective measures would pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property or the environment," the report added.

The welds

According to the report, the section of pipeline that failed in January did not pass a visual inspection due to a faulty weld, and was set aside. Later, the weld was inadvertently picked up and installed.

The PHMSA report indicates that investigators identified other "suspect" welds along the length of the pipeline, and that pipeline employees could not produce records to demonstrate the welds had been tested properly.

"These issues and the inconsistencies in NDT (non-destructive testing) documentation raise concerns as to the integrity of other welds throughout the Millennium Pipeline System," PHMSA said.

Richard Kuprewicz, a pipeline safety expert based in Bellingham, Wash., said deficient record-keeping on a pipeline's welds indicates a "pretty serious" area of concern.

"The management team of the pipeline company needs to command and demonstrate that they have respect of the material," Kuprewicz said. "And not producing records on a relatively new pipeline indicates something gone wrong here -- seriously wrong."

Joseph Shields, president of Millennium Pipeline, said the pipeline is constantly monitored to ensure its safety. The company has met with PHMSA and begun the process of taking corrective measures, he said.

"We've already dropped the pressure 20 percent, and we're working with the regulators," Shields said.

The Millennium, which includes 24- and 30-inch-diameter sections, was constructed in 2007 and 2008 and went into service in Dec. 2008. It is co-owned by NiSource Inc. of Merrillville, Ind., Detroit-based DTE Energy and National Grid of Waltham, Mass.

The pipeline is operated by Columbia Gas Transmission LLC, a subsidiary of NiSource.

The leak

A Columbia Gas Transmission employee discovered the leak Jan. 11 after noticing bubbles in a small creek near the border of Broome and Tioga counties, the PHMSA report states.

While the leak is a serious problem, Kuprewicz said, the pipeline failure "could have easily been a rupture."

"This whole issue of welds and records is getting a lot of attention, as an example, in the San Bruno case," Kuprewicz said, in reference to a Sept. 2010 pipeline rupture outside of San Francisco that killed eight people.

"'The dog ate my homework' just isn't going to fit," he added, "especially if you've got a fairly new line here and should have records."

The Millennium bisects Broome and Tioga and other counties as it moves from the Southern Tier to downstate New York, and is considered a major artery among the network of pipelines carrying natural gas from local drilling fields to the national energy market.

At least two midstream gathering lines -- the Susquehanna Gathering System and the Bluestone Pipeline -- are planned or under construction to link natural gas produced in Pennsylvania's Northern Tier to the Millennium.

Remediation proposed

In the July 6 report, PHMSA proposed a set of corrective measures that "must be completed" by the end of the year.

The agency has asked the pipeline's owners to reduce the pressure of the pipeline and develop a plan to analyze and document the integrity of circumferential welds along the length of the pipeline running from Corning to Ramapo, N.Y. -- virtually the entire line -- by Dec. 31.

PHMSA asked for monthly reports until the corrective actions are completed.

From Mary Sweeney

Here's the NaturalGasWatch.org article on the pipeline's defects:
http://www.naturalgaswatch.org/?p=761
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Natural Gas Watch.org - Natural Gas Watch
Federal Regulators: Millennium Pipeline in New York May Be Riddled
With Faulty Welds
Aug 3rd, 2011 | By fjgallagher | Category: Lead Articles, Natural Gas Leaks
Federal regulators suspect that the Millenium natural gas pipeline in New York may be riddled with faulty welds after discovering a leak in the pipeline and reviewing construction records of the line, installed in 2007 and 2008. They
have ordered the pipeline’s operator to take immediate protective action to prevent a tragedy, according to documents obtained by NaturalGasWatch.org.
The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PMHSA) issued the order on July 6, in connection with a leak that was discovered in the Millenium pipeline, which runs between Steuben County and Rockland County in southern New York, in January.
During a routine surface patrol, Columbia employees noticed bubbles emerging from a creek located in a remote part of Tioga County, near the Schneider Road, and identified a leak that ultimately resulted in the release of more than 1.3 million cubic feet of natural gas into the environment.
The New York Department of Public Service (NY DPS) subsequently inspected the line and determined that the leak resulted from a defective weld that joined two segments of the 30-inch pipeline.
The Millennium Pipeline is a New York-based interstate natural gas pipeline serving the northeast. Millennium is anchored by its customers National Grid, Consolidated Edison of New York, Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation and Columbia Gas Transmission L.L.C. It is jointly owned by affiliates of NiSource Inc., National Grid and DTE Energy.
From the federal corrective order:
The weld was characterized as a “double-joint” weld, which refers to a mechanized weld that was made to join two lengths of pipe in a staging yard, prior to shipping to the final installation site.Records indicate that the double joint section containing the anomaly did not pass visual inspection and was set aside at the double joint rack where the welding activities were being performed. It appears that during the course of the construction project for the line, the subject pipe section was inadvertently picked up and subsequently installed in the pipeline.
The NY DPS subsequently reviewed records filed by the pipeline’s owner, Millenium Pipeline Co., LLC in connection with the pipeline’s construction, discovered three additional welds that were potentially inadequate as well and concluded that the integrity of entire pipeline could not be trusted.
From the PHMSA order:
These issues and the inconsistencies in NDT [non-destructive testing] documentation raise concerns as to the integrity of the welds throughout the Milenium Pipeline System. … PHMSA is particularly concerned with the integrity of the welds in the Affected Sections, including, but not limited to, the two double joint welds and the one tie-in weld that were not adequately evaluated. Other welds with similar defects may develop also leaks and potentially lead to a
rupture of the pipeline. … After evaluating the foregoing preliminary findings of fact … it appears that the continued operation of the affected pipeline without corrective measures would pose a pipeline safety risk to public safety, property and the environment.”
As a result, the PHMSA ordered the pipeline’s operator to take immediate corrective action. Specifically, the PHMSA directed Columbia to develop a plan to assess the integrity of the pipeline and the welds, along with a detailed and specific timeline for carrying out the plan, and to submit it to the PHMSA for review and approval.
The PHSMA also stated that all remediation work must be completed by Dec. 30, 2011.
In addition, Columbia must submit monthly reports to the PHMSA detailing the progress that has been made in the repair work. The reports are due during the fourth week of each month.
Victor Gaglia, the Vice President for Operations at Columbia, told NaturalGasWatch.org that Columbia is working with the PHMSA and the NY DPS to develop a plan.
“From our perspective, working together with the agencies to give all the stakeholders confidence is important,” Gaglia said. “We’re working collaboratively to meet everybody’s expectations.”