Feds retain many post-pipeline spill corrective actions

BISMARCK, N.D. >> Federal officials have decided to keep in place many of the corrective measures they ordered in December after a pipeline spilled about 530,000 gallons of oil in western North Dakota, which was one of the biggest spills in the state’s history.

The March 24 decision from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s Office of Pipeline Safety stemmed from a Feb. 21 hearing in Denver. It means Wyoming-based pipeline operator True Cos. must take several steps, including digging up the failed section of the Belle Fourche Pipeline and doing additional pipe and terrain testing and analysis.

True Cos. maintains that the spill, which is believed to have been caused by hillside erosion, was an “isolated, unpredictable event.” It pointed to numerous other pipelines in the area that have not had problems.

The Office of Pipeline Safety disagreed, saying the Belle Fourche Pipeline is vulnerable spills.

“The facility is or would be hazardous to life, property or the environment without corrective measures,” Alan Mayberry, associate administrator for pipeline safety, wrote in his decision. to future

Mayberry also said it’s possible there have been other leaks on the pipeline that went undetected, though he concluded “the evidence in this case is not sufficient to compel the installation of a new (detection system) at this time.”