[WARNING - NOT VIRUS SCANNED] NTSB CHAIRMAN UPDATES CONGRESS ON PROGRESS OF INVESTIGATION INTO MARSHALL, MICHIGAN PIPELINE LEAK

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                      NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2010

SB-10-38

 

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NTSB CHAIRMAN UPDATES CONGRESS ON PROGRESS OF

INVESTIGATION INTO MARSHALL, MICHIGAN PIPELINE LEAK

 

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National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P.

Hersman today provided an update to a U.S. House of

Representatives committee on the progress of the NTSB's

investigation into an oil spill in Marshall, Michigan in

July.

 

Testifying before the House Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure, Chairman Hersman reported that, although an

official National Response Center report on the oil release

was not issued until almost 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 26,

the leak may have started as early as the previous evening.

 Safety Board investigators arrived at the scene on Tuesday

and found that the section of pipeline that ruptured was

located in a swampy, wetland area, which was further

saturated by the volume of oil that had spilled (estimated

to be as much as 1 million gallons).

 

"Although many aspects of NTSB investigations are technical

in nature, we are ever-cognizant of the collateral cost of

accidents such as this," Chairman Hersman said.  "The

economic and environmental consequences of a spill of this

magnitude are significant."

 

The pipeline is owned and operated by Enbridge Energy

Partners of Calgary, Canada.  The NTSB was able to remove

and transport two sections of pipe, each exceeding 20 feet

in length, from the accident site to its Training Center in

Ashburn, Virginia for examination (the same facility where

the section of pipe from last week's San Bruno accident is

being shipped).

 

Hersman listed areas of progress in this investigation so

far, such as completion of documentation of the coating

system on the pipe and  nondestructive testing of the

ruptured pipe piece that found surface cracks and

indications of corrosion.

 

She outlined six areas of inquiry the NTSB will pursue in

this investigation:

 

*     Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) data.

 SCADA is a system used by pipeline companies to

monitor performance of their systems in real time.

*     Pipeline controller performance.

*     Operator notification and spill response.

*     Responses to 9-1-1 calls.

*     Inspection and maintenance history of the pipeline.

*     Oversight activities and actions of the Pipeline and

Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

 

Last week, another Enbridge pipeline leaked oil in Illinois.

 That accident is being investigated by the NTSB, and the

section of pipe that failed is being shipped to the Board's

Ashburn facility for evaluation.

 

Chairman Hersman's testimony is available on the Board's

website at

http://www.ntsb.gov/Speeches/hersman/daph100915.html.

 

 

-     30 -

 

NTSB Media Contact:     Ted Lopatkiewicz

                        (202) 314-6100

                        lopatt@xxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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