Anomalies – Including Dents and Welds – Found Along Newly Laid Keystone XL Pipeline in Texas

[unhappycamper]

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=3901

Anomalies – Including Dents and Welds – Found Along Newly Laid Keystone XL Pipeline in Texas
May 30, 2013

Winnsboro, Texas – Dozens of anomalies, including dents and welds, reportedly have been identified along a 60-mile stretch of the southern segment of the Keystone XL pipeline, north of the Sabine River in Texas.

In the past two weeks, landowners have observed TransCanada and its vendor, Michels, digging up the buried southern segment of the Keystone XL pipeline on their properties and those of neighbors in the vicinity of Winnsboro, Texas. Some of the new pipeline has been in the ground on some owners’ land for almost six months. It is believed that problems identified on this section of the Keystone XL route must have triggered the current digging, raising questions from landowners about the safety of the pipeline and the risk to personal property and water supplies.

Landowners are concerned that this digging is indicative of faulty pipeline along the route that could potentially leak and threaten water supplies, and have requested TransCanada and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to provide more information about the work.

The anomalies and other problems were reported to landowners along the line and a Public Citizen consultant by several TransCanada vendors, including an independent inspector and a right-of-way representative. (To see a video of several landowners discussing the pipeline problems, visit

.)

[hatrack]

1. Good thing that faulty welds & dents couldn't lead to a spill 5-6X bigger than Conway, AR, huh?

[Socialistlemur]

2. They must have identified problems with inspection pigs

When pipelines are laid, they are welded on site. Then they are put in a ditch and buried. After this is done they perform pressure testing with water, and run what is called an intelligent pig. This is a device which measures the pipeline steel properties after it has been laid. I think it's safe to assume they ran the pig and identified sections or welds they didn't like and are going to replace them. I've read of one case where they had changed the outside plastic coating and it had detached, which would have allowed the pipeline to corrode from the outside, so they had to pull up sections to see what was happening.

This Keystone pipeline has been under attack by special interests, so I imagine they will be extremely careful passing inspection and certifying it to carry crude oil.

The USA is crisscross end with hundreds of pipelines, and I see with amusement how suddenly we have all these articles about a specific line. The Longhorn pipeline is nearby, carrying heavy crude from Cushing to the Gulf Coast, and nobody said a beep when it started last year. I guess they managed to stay under the radar?

The interesting issue I've read about which you guys never mention: from a profit standpoint the ones who benefit the most if this pipeline isn't laid are the large oil companies which own refineries North of Cushing, in the Midwest. The backed up crude fetches a lower price, they buy it, and make a lot more money because they ship the gasoline anyway. This environmental movement to stop keystone may even be financed by these oil companies?

[ret5hd]

3. "you guys".

[Newest Reality]

27. I caught that, too.

Hmmm. Low post count, pro-pipeline and, "you guys".

Yup. That was a slip.

[wtmusic]

11. Not an ounce of oil is "shipped" from the Midwest.

It has to get to port first. That's the expensive part.

[madrchsod]

4. bad welds and bad steel pipe

pushing this shit through standard steel pipe is criminal. stainless steel pipe could handle the shit but the cost of stainless steel pipe would be astronomical.

hey that crappy pipe from asia is so cost effective.....



http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/01/03/396520/pipeline-inspector-whistleblower-keystone-xl-pipeline-disasterq/

[Socialistlemur]

7. I sincerely doubt you even know what they are pumping

Long distance oil pipelines are built using carbon steel. The steel is usually high grade and the wall thickness allows for safety margins. Stainless is much more difficult to weld and its not needed. What I find really interesting when I read these notes is the amount of comments made without a full understanding of industrial processes in general. I think we have an education gap.

[ret5hd]

8. tell us what you know of hydrogen embrittlement...

and its implications on every refinery, pipeline and oil well in the world.

[Socialistlemur]

13. You would have to pay me to give you a seminar.

Heavy oil doesn't cause hydrogen embrittlement. The crude could contain organic acids, but that's easy to handle and doesn't require a stainless steel. I think all of you are in way over your heads when it comes to this subject. I'd suggest you check the DOT, AIME and API documentation and get back to me. What I'm seeing is a lot of objections to a simple pipeline, and the USA is crisscrossed with them already. What's even funnier is the Longhorn pipeline just started up last year shipping more crude from Cushing and none of you even bothered to look into it. Longhorn is an old pipeline and it was reversed. Go check the crude, the steel, and how old it is, and then write something about it.

[madrchsod]

10. really?

lets see....i worked in a steel forging shop for 10 years then went to the 7th largest steel mill in the usa for another 5. starting in 99 i started working at a road construction machine assembler. we went from quality usa pipe to cheap crap from korea. at that time the us pipe was more expensive and certain pipe was difficult to buy.

carbon steel is acceptable if the quality is up to specs but there is absolutely no guarantee the pipe are. unless someone wants to spend the money to make sure the pipe is with in specs there`s a very good chance the pipe will fail. there is a concern about the mixture that is being pumped into carbon steel pipe because it has never been tested under long term usage. but what has been reported on the failure lends the belief that things are going to go bad a lot sooner than expected and the destruction of our land and water is to dam high a price to pay.

[Socialistlemur]

14. The pipeline will have to be within specs

I think there's a serious misunderstanding about this process. The pipeline steel has to be inspected. Then it's coated. Inspected again. It's delivered to the site, welded, coated, inspected with x rays taken on each individual weld. The line is put in the ditch, and inspected. Then buried. And inspected again. Then it's pressure tested and a smart pig is run. The X-rays and the pig data is presented in a report with recommendations regarding potential flaws. If there are doubts the section is lifted, cut and inspected in a lab. Then the sections are replaced, inspected, pressure tested and the pig is rerun. When the final report is issued there has to be a certification authority. And the paperwork is presented to government agencies. This has to be done religiously because out companies have insurance, and the insurance company will want certification. The government of course wants to cover its behind as well. Accidents do happen, look at the space shuttle Challenger and other major disasters. But there seems to be a certain lack of knowledge about the engineering, construction and project certification universe by those with a general education which we really need to solve. What I see is that you tend to bark up the wrong tree and make up fairy tales to oppose some projects. But you don't get the full picture and this even larger problems escape you. For example, the main flaw in these pipelines are river crossings. If you want to oppose them focus specifically on where they cross a large river, and check how the line gets across. I personally think that could use a lot of improvement.

[BlueToTheBone]

5. I'm glad we own the mineral rights to our land.

I will never lease them to anyone.

[Socialistlemur]

6. It's up to you

I'm from Texas. I don't live there because I'm too liberal for that environment, but I was raised around oil wells. We don't mind it because it can really help state finances. For example Texas doesn't have an income tax.

[ret5hd]

9. You credit TX's lack of an income tax on oil wells?

[Socialistlemur]

15. I credit it on both oil and gas production

We see the impact directly. When oil prices went down things got tight and the state started considering an income tax. Given the high income from oil and gas today, the state is doing quite well. I know because my real estate taxes are down but the property values are up. The new shale gas production also produces some liquids, and these make a ton of money even if gas prices are low. Like I said, I don't like Texas politics, but the oil and gas sure give the state a boost.

[wtmusic]

12. There's this problem with the carbon that Texas pulls out of the ground.

It fucks up everyone's atmosphere and oceans.

Even people who don't care about Texas's state finances.

[Socialistlemur]

16. Go complain at carbon producers first

Texas produces hydrocarbons. It's a lot better than coal. The surge in gas production from shale has reduced USA carbon emissions. No other country with a growing economy can make this claim. Plus we have to consider the fact that temperatures have been stable for the last 12 years or so. I wouldn't be going hyper over global warming just yet.

[wtmusic]

17. Ah, a denier in our midst.

First of all, Texas also burns a helluva lot of coal. In fact their CO2 contribution, per capita, is the worst in the country.

Now to get you up to speed on this stable temperature bullshit:

http://www.skepticalscience.com/no-warming-in-16-years-advanced.htm

This is a ground rule - anthropogenic global warming is a fact (I don't waste my time with flat-earthers). If you don't want to accept it, our conversation is over and you can return to your happy carbon-intensive fantasy world.

[Socialistlemur]

21. Jesus Mary and Joseph what a harsh reaction

I'm not defending Texas as such, I'm from Texas and I moved away because I can't stand their politics, I got gerrymandered into a GOP dominated district and I like to have my vote count. The fact is the USA has cut its carbon emissions thanks to natural gas production, a lot of it from Texas. Deny it if you can.

Second, if you are going to come in here insulting me I suggest instead you take a nerve pill. I didn't say there's no anthropogenic global warming, did I? I wrote the warming has stalled over the last decade plus. Right? What else did I write? That I don't see e urgency? I don't. My educated estimate is the transient response to doubling is at most 1.8 degrees C. This amount doesn't worry me right now. I'm more worried about a world wide epidemic and other issues. And I would like to know, what do you think we can do about China and India burning so much coal? Or are you going to insult me again?

[wtmusic]

24. Harsh? You haven't seen anything.

Goody for the U.S., and goody for Texas which hasn't cut its own carbon emissions at all. Goody for natural gas, which isn't close to good enough, and for your "educated estimate", which doesn't square with thousands of the world's top climate experts who are very worried right now. Apparently you didn't take the time to read the link I posted which proves beyond a doubt that warming has not stalled at all. Yet, you repeat the same crap over again.

Yes, I've had enough of self-estimated experts who think they know a lot more than they do, and I don't apologize for it.

What do I think we can do about China and India burning so much coal? Hmm. Before we go there, let's discuss what we can do about our own carbon contribution - 5x that of the rest of the world per capita - and what right we have to tell anyone else what to do. Just possibly, despite the American Petroleum Institute's efforts to keep everyone pointing fingers at China and India, we're 5x as responsible to fix the mess we've created?

[Socialistlemur]

25. The link you provided isn't peer reviewed literature, is it?

I prefer peer reviewed literature, and preferably dated 2012 or 2013. You see there are model changes and of course differences of opinion. Do understand I'm a bit ahead of the common person. I'm highly educated. It would really help if you turn down the loudspeakers. The most recent data we have shows differences between the northern and Southern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere north of 60 degrees latitude appears to be cooling slightly. There's significant warming in the northern hemisphere overall, but this trend stalled over the last 12 years. The Arctic ice is melting. Vegetation cover has increased as the world warmed, but this increase also stalled as the warming stalled. The latest most reliable estimate I have seen for the transient response of climate (TRC) to doubling is ranging as low as 1 degree C. Depending on how I feel when I get up in the morning I change my mind, but I'd say its about 1.6 to 1.8 degrees C. Do note I used Celsius. Is there anybody willing to discuss these topics without going hysterical?

[wtmusic]

31. Your use of Celsius is duly noted. I'm very impressed.

Personally I prefer discussion with people who aren't quite so pompous, because frankly I've found that the people who claim they're a bit ahead of the "common person" and "highly educated" are actually quite a bit farther behind than they think they are.

If you actually even looked at my link, you'd find references to no less than 15 peer-reviewed papers, many of them from the last two years.

How did you feel when you got up this morning, and why should anyone care?

[Socialistlemur]

33. Huh, don't get personal

I usually discuss the issue and don't patronize. This means I don't insult others and I definitely don't post links and tell them to go read them because they are yahoos. When you do this, you turn people off, you know. In my case I felt it was useful to let you understand I'm ahead of the curve so you wouldn't waste your time patronizing me and discussing the wrong subject. Which is exactly what you do when you try to veer the discussion to personal attacks.

If you have global warming religion and you can't discuss the issue in a civil fashion, then you will lose every argument you ever have. This morning I continue to think the Transient Climate Response to doubling is 1.6 to 1.8 degrees Centigrade. Do you think the number is about right? If so, then what's the big deal?

[sikofit3]

20. Until

Until your water is contaminated and the set backs aren't distant enough for residents to sleep because of the 24 hour drilling. You may not live in Texas now but those who do in areas that are drill heavy are complaining but aren't being heard nationally. Who cares if your taxes are lower if you can't shower or resell your property because of contamination. A lot of people probably think like you and would rather gamble the risks over the payouts. Where did you get the information on the carbon emission reduction in the USA vs. the rest of the developed world? Global warming is NOT just about temperature stability or just about carbon emissions and there are feedback loops that have nothing to do with ambient air temperature with some we know are happening such as the jet stream, permafrost melt releasing methane, salinity changes etc... and probably others we don't. So your statement on not going hyper over global warming just yet is kind of shallow in depth.

[Socialistlemur]

22. I don't see the water contamination issue to be significant

We don't see water contamination as an issue, to be honest. But my property gets water from a surface reservoir.

I think what you guys need is a good set of lawyers. One thing about these large oil companies is their tendency to think we landowners are stupid. A good lawyer will set them straight. Also don't sell your mineral rights. And if you get drilled under using horizontal wells give them a call and tell them you want to unitize. This means you get paid cash for the gas coming from under your property. But like I said, get a good lawyer. He could set you up to sell to a different company and start a bidding war. You guys just don't know how to deal with the oil companies, that's all.

[sikofit3]

23. It is THE issue

Water contamination is the issue especially, and not only that water scarcity is also when they use millions of gallons per well. In Texas and out west where water is in scarce supply these days, the oil and gas industry are buying water surplus right out from under the farmers who can't compete with the money they have. Water is, and from here on out, will be the issue. After they seal these wells it is a time bomb and nobody checks them after that to see if the contents have migrated through the fractured and fissure d shale, not even the EPA and that's besides the contamination that occurs during drilling either from well failure or human error. I hope you would never trust what the oil and gas industry tells you is safe because they are a big business that will tell you anything, but I think you already know that. As for a lawyer, I doubt people can afford a good one. Here in NY there are those working pro bono because of the stakes but that's rare. Just because you know how to deal with oil companies doesn't mean you will be successful and quite honestly you make this sound so easy and the law will just take care of it but they rewrite the laws or in this case the companies are exempt from the laws.... If this was so easy there wouldn't even be an issue.

[Socialistlemur]

26. I just don't see water as an issue

Make them use salty water or the effluent from a sewage plant as fracturing fluid.

[sikofit3]

30. You need to read more on this process

I don't think you understand the process when you say this. They need fresh water because the mixture of these compounds to fracture the shale have to be just right for it to happen. This is why the pull the trade secret clause to get out from having to tell the public what chemicals they are using because a lot of companies have proprietary mixtures that work best to keep the well work efficiently. In fact they do recycle some of the flow back water but they even have to treat that at a water treatment facility to reuse it to take out most of the brine salt water that flows back up as well as the NORMs. There are times when you come back with some good arguments but this one through me for a loop.

[sikofit3]

18. Don't be so sure

In some instances they can take those minerals under confiscation laws, depending on your state. Also, Natural gas drill sites can be on a neighbor property but they drill horizontal and can be under your property....

[Socialistlemur]

28. I don't see a problem if they drill a mile under a property

If they drill under a property using a horizontal well, it should be fine. Just make sure they pay your royalties. Why not look at specific states where they can confiscate you? I never heard such thing. Any examples?

[sikofit3]

29. You don't see a problem?

Well you may not have a problem with it but most people do. Have you ever heard of Eminent Domain? Read Pennsylvania's Act 13. It is still in court because Corbett over stepped his states zoning laws and home rule but it is in appeals and even what they are appealing over is only a tiny portion of the Act and the rest was found constitutional. NY also has a law that if most of the surrounding area is in agreement with drilling and one small area is not, they can over rule them and drill on their property anyway.

http://www.stuarthsmith.com/feds-pave-way-for-fracking-industry-to-perpetrate-biggest-land-grab-in-u-s-history/

http://www.alternet.org/story/154459/fracking_democracy%3A_why_pennsylvania's_act_13_may_be_the_nation's_worst_corporate_giveaway



There are so many examples out there of it, google is your friend.

[Socialistlemur]

32. Most people do?

I don't have a problem if they drill a mile below my property. And to be honest, I think most people don't worry about it either if they know how it works. I think you are confusing two issues: surface impact versus underground drilling. I do have a problem with surface impact. Butmone mile down? They can make as many holes as they want.

The surface issue is a different matter, of course. And I can see why if the majority wants to benefit from gas development a single owner shouldn't be able to block it. When we had the gas development near my property we got everybody together, and city hall laid out rules. For example the well site near my property is surrounded by a tall white wall and they put landscape around it. So it's impossible to see it unless you zigzag in. I don't live there, but I do worry about the impact because I have tenants and I'll be selling it someday. We have increasing home prices, the tax district is charging less because they have the ability to charge the oil companies. And there's more work. We have a lot of university students studying to work in the new industry jobs, and it seems to be fine. But I do think the key is to have people get involved and hire good lawyers and make sure the politicians don't get bribed and so on. Got to stay on top of it. There's a lot of money involved.

[sikofit3]

34. You should be worried

about what goes on below the surface. I feel that you are short sighted and if you google the contamination from these wells you will find that they are bubbling up from below, some are surface spills and yes you should definitely be worried about those. I think if you research that, you will be surprised but it also depends on the Geology of the area so you might want to look into that to. I would be concerned for your tenants and the resale value of your property. I hope nothing happens for you because I have been to Pennsylvania and have seen for myself what these wells do to people and their property and their farm animals and its not pretty. Contamination is contamination either at the surface level or down below. Believe it or not, I myself looked into working with these companies, not because of the money, but because I wanted to know what goes on but I couldn't do it. I have a GIS degree which is highly sought out since we map out the geology and the well placement, depth etc... and then monitor the process as well as seismic activity. We can't all sell out.