Arkansas tar-sands spill was an accident 60 years in the making. The pipeline spill that flooded Mayflower, Ark., with up to 290,000 gallons of tar-sands oil in March was an accident that had been waiting to happen — for more than 60 years. The pipeline that ruptured beneath the town was defective, with manufacturing flaws going undetected since it was laid in the 1940s, according to independent laboratory tests. ExxonMobil released a short summary of test results Wednesday. The findings bring into question the integrity of the entire Pegasus pipeline system — and other oil pipelines that crisscross the nation. The Pegasus system, which runs from Illinois to Texas, was laid in 1947 and 1948. The pipeline manufacturer, Ohio-based Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co., is no longer in business but was reportedly one of the leading suppliers of pipelines in the 1940s. The Pegasus pipeline remains shut down following the spill. From ExxonMobil’s press statement about the lab results: Spilled tar-sands oil could be creeping toward the Arkansas River.
Rocker Neil Young wanted to see for himself the damage from ExxonMobil’s ruptured Pegasus oil pipeline, which recently spewed reeking, black goo into small-town Mayflower, Ark. So Young, a stalwart environmentalist, drove his revamped, super fuel-efficient hybrid 1959 Lincoln Continental into Mayflower on Monday, unannounced. A few people snapped pictures with Young (local blogger Shelli Russell bumped into a telephone pole while chasing him down). But regardless of how cool his car is, it’s unlikely the famous singer got into the Northwoods neighborhood, where the pipeline ruptured. Round-the-clock security patrolmen still have the place tightly guarded for ExxonMobil, as they have from the beginning of the spill when it seemed the town was under martial law.
On his brief journey, Young undoubtedly saw crews without respirators working in an area locals call the Cove. ExxonMobil has insisted that it stopped the oil from seeping from the Cove into Lake Conway. The Arkansas oil leak: Proof the Keystone pipeline is dangerous? The Week, April 1, 2013 The Arkansas oil leak: Proof the Keystone pipeline is dangerous? By Harold Maass Exxon Mobil is busy cleaning up a Mayflower, Ark., neighborhood where thousands of barrels of heavy Canadian crude oil spilled last week, forcing the evacuation of 22 homes. Exxon officials are still trying to figure out what caused the leak from the 40-year-old Pegasus pipeline, which is buried two feet underground and can transport more than 90,000 barrels of oil per day from Patoka, Ill., to Nederland, Texas.
Environmentalists, however, aren't waiting for the final report to call the accident proof that it would be dangerous for President Obama to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which would be able to carry 800,000 barrels per day from Canada's tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast. "Ruh roh," says John Aravosis at America Blog. Keystone's defenders, however, are pointing to the leak from this aging pipeline as another reason the new one is a no-brainer. The pipeline to disaster. The Keystone XL pipeline would tie the U.S. and the president's legacy… (Nati Harnik / Associated…) In March, the State Department gave the president cover to open a big spigot that will hitch our country to one of the dirtiest fuels on Earth for 40 years or more.
The draft environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline acknowledges tar sands are nasty stuff for the environment, but concludes that the project is OK because this oil will get to market anyway — with or without a pipeline. A public comment period is underway through April 22, after which the department will prepare a final statement to help the administration decide whether the pipeline is in the "national interest. " If the conclusion is yes, a Canadian company, TransCanada, gets a permit to build a pipeline to transport toxic tar sands through our heartland, connecting to refineries in the Gulf of Mexico, for likely export to China.
Around the world, emissions of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide continue to soar. Exxon's 22-Foot Rupture Illustrates Tremendous Operating Pressure of Oil Pipelines. Home Page Title: Under Pressure: Exxon Pipeline Rips a 22-Foot Gash Exxon oil spill in Arkansas demonstrates how quickly pipeline accidents can turn into catastrophe. The rupture in the ExxonMobil pipeline that sent a river of oil through a suburban neighborhood in Mayflower, Ark. is now known to be 22 feet long and 2 inches wide .
That's almost four times longer than the six-foot pipeline tear that sent more than one million gallons of Canadian dilbit into Michigan's Kalamazoo River in 2010, the worst accident of its kind in U.S. history. The size and speed of the release through a long opening, thin as a mail slot, shines a spotlight on just how quickly oil pipeline accidents can turn into catastrophes. Few Americans realize how much pressure is needed to operate a pipeline like the Pegasus, which moves more than 90,000 barrels a day of crude across four states, from Illinois to Texas.
Exxon's Pegasus pipeline rupture/Credit: Duncan Firm According to preliminary findings from the U.S. Exxon pipeline breaks spilling 84,000 gallons of Canadian crude oil near Arkansas lake [VIDEOS] [NOTE: Scroll to bottom for latest updates] Originally published: March 31, 2013 On Thursday, I wrote about the 30,000 gallons of Canadian oil that spilled in Minnesota following a train derailment and noted the differences in oil spills caused by train accidents versus oil pipelines.
Unfortunately, we now have another example of the large scale disasters oil pipelines create. On Friday, the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline, which brings Canadian crude oil from Illinois to Texas, ruptured, leaking at least 80,000 gallons of oil into the Central Arkansas town of Mayflower. Arkansas' THV11 reports: It was a rough start to the Easter holiday weekend after an oil spill struck in Mayflower.
Authorities said as many as 40 homes had to be evacuated Friday afternoon. Lisa Song at Inside Climate News reports on the size of the spill: The size of the spill remains unclear. KARK posted some photos taken by residents in the affected neighborhood: Facebook/via More from Diane Sweet at Crooks and Liars: New Photos From Keystone XL Debate: 'Imagine Arkansas Spill Times Ten' New aerial photos from above Mayflower, Arksansas released by Greenpeace on Tuesday show the extent of the devastation caused by the ruptured Pegasus pipeline, owned by oil giant ExxonMobil, as residents from the town spoke out and climate campaigners continued to use the latest localized catastrophe to denounce the fossil fuel industry's destructive nature.
"Despite what oil companies like Exxon want you to believe, oil pipelines leak," said Greenpeace USA executive director Philip Radford. "It's what they do. " "Imagine the photos we're seeing from Arkansas times ten, and that overlaid over the Olgallala Aquifer in Nebraska—our nation's largest source of fresh water. " --May Boeve, 350.org "What's happening in Arkansas right now could be the future for communities from North Dakota to Texas if President Obama approves the Keystone XL pipeline," he continued. "There's a reason it's called 'dirty energy,' and it's time we put it behind us. "This Keystone pipeline is bad news," Hooks said. ExxonMobil deserves a pat on the back for Arkansas spill response, says congressmember. ExxonMobil’s recent oil spill dumped some 200,000 gallons into Mayflower, Ark., killed wildlife, and caused 22 homes to be evacuated.
As the Natural Resources committee takes up another bill to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) argued at a hearing that the spill is more evidence the Keystone XL pipeline is a safe bet for Americans. Comparing the safety of a pipeline to other transportation methods, Mullin said there is no reason to make a “big deal” about the spill: Would we really rather ship oil across the oceans? Watch it: [youtube In fact, Exxon has been heavily criticized for its public dismissal of the harm and scope of the spill. Mullin also claimed the pipeline would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, which he linked to acts like the Boston Marathon bombing.
For the record, oil and gas companies rank among the freshman representative’s largest donors.