Regulators from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration have discovered lapses in the record-keeping system of Plains All American Pipeline, the Texas-based company behind the oil spill incident that contaminated beaches in California.
The federal authorities of the agency announced on Friday, Sept 11, that the company kept run-down records about their emergency training and protective processes for clear coastline should pipes break.
The agency has suggested that the pipeline company has incurred six violations according to the inspections performed, which started in 2013; however, no fines were imposed.
One of the things that the agency found was that the company was not able to adequately record the details of the pressure tests on tanks, and document how it would avoid and manage spills in important environmental locations. Aside from that, there were no documents pertaining to the emergency training programs of the company, as well as papers proving that their managers and supervisors were well aware of the emergency protocols.
The pipeline firm was also said to take approximately 90 minutes to report to the correct federal departments following a spill incident. According to the National Response Center, reports about the release of harmful agents must be made at the earliest time possible. As for the state, concerned authorities must be notified immediately.
"In all the documentation I have reviewed concerning the pipeline, I have never seen evidence of any advanced risk assessment and management processes being used by Plains," said Robert Bea, a civil engineering professor at University of California, Berkeley. According to him, the recent efforts made by the federal regulators indicate unreliable safety measures and insufficient actions to evaluate risks and avoid spills.
On May 19, 20 months after the inspections were performed, a pipeline ruptured near Santa Barbara and released approximately 101,000 gallons of crude on the coast. This incident caused massive environmental damages, including the temporary closing down of a known state park for about two months. Beaches that are located some 100 miles away were also affected by the spill, and hundreds of animals, such as sea lions and birds, were found dead.
No immediate statements from Plains were made available; however, the company has previously said that it has already beefed up its roster of staff to prevent spills and has expended more efforts on safety regulations.
Photo: Steven Storm | Flickr
