Photo: 2017 Protests against the Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines.
by Christian Robles
Critics of the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline just got more ammunition, thanks to a federal order that outlines safety problems with a lesser-known pipeline owned by the same company.
The Mid-Valley oil pipeline spanning from East Texas to southern Michigan has had at least 34 spills and other mishaps since Energy Transfer acquired it in 2012,writes Mike Soraghan.
“Conditions exist on the Mid-Valley Pipeline that pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the environment,” the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration wrote in the recent proposed safety order.
The order comes as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considers whether to continue allowing the Dakota Access pipeline to operate underneath Lake Oahe in North and South Dakota, which is the primary water supply for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline, warning that a spill would present an existential threat — and says the Mid-Valley order shows safety problems are “systemic” to Energy Transfer.
But the Army Corps’ draft environmental review of the Lake Oahe crossing — released earlier this year — excludes the spill history of Mid-Valley before 2017. Though Energy Transfer owned the pipeline starting in 2012, it didn’t officially merge with previous Mid-Valley owner Sunoco until 2017.
Energy Transfer has called the chances of a catastrophic spill in Lake Oahe “infinitesimal.” The environmental review similarly calls it “remote.”
Neglect of the Mid-Valley pipeline, however, has led to a string of problems, including internal corrosion, pump failures, third-party damage, faulty equipment, exposed pipes, failed repairs and operator errors, according to the federal safety order. In one Tennessee spill, a mower hit an exposed section of pipe and released 200,000 gallons of crude, some of which reached a creek.
The federal government started investigating Energy Transfer’s management of the Mid-Valley pipeline after the site experienced three leaks within 10 days last summer, on top of two earlier in the year.
Energy Transfer did not respond to requests for comment. While the company can appeal the order, it has so far only sought “informal consultation,” according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
