DEC tackling spill; pipeline still down
by Ted Land
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Department of Environmental Conservation says it is responding aggressively to the spill at Pump Station 9.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline remains shut down.
Alyeska says nearly 70 responders are on scene at the pump station, which is about 100 miles south of Fairbanks.
The power failed yesterday and the pipeline company says several thousand barrels of oil spilled into a gravel containment area.
Alyeska says an impermeable liner prevented any oil from touching the surrounding environment.
The company says it is now taking in roughly 16 percent of the oil it normally would and is storing the crude in tanks upstream from the spill.
Those tanks are expected to fill up in the next day or two.
"We've restored backup power to the pump station and we're working now on our cleanup plan and on the remaining power that's required to start the pumps," Michelle Egan with Alyeska said.
The DEC says cleanup is proceeding as well as can be expected. It is overseeing the cleanup response plan along with federal regulators and Alyeska.
The leaking storage tank was also the site of a fire three years ago that started when a portable heater was placed too close to it.
Oil industry analyst and critic Richard Fineberg believes cost-cutting measures led to accidents and safety concerns on the pipeline.
"When we look at why these things occur through the years, the root cause is cost-cutting and trying to save money and cut corners, and that's not the way to run a pipeline," Fineberg said.
Alyeska faces fines of more than $500,000 because of the fire. The company is still contesting that case.
Fineberg thinks there should be a citizens' oversight group to look into how the pipeline is being operated.
Contact Ted Land at tland@ktuu.com
