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Arkansas Oil Spill

Posted on 04/04/2013 8:08:47 AM PDT by stuartcr

Has anyone heard any more on this? I haven't found much written on it, not even on the Cornwall Alliance site.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Local News; Miscellaneous; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: arkansas; energy; oilspill
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1 posted on 04/04/2013 8:08:47 AM PDT by stuartcr
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To: stuartcr

Cleanup Operations Progress in Mayflower, AR
http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/safety_response_arkansas.aspx

For Immediate Release: April 3, 2013
http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/Files/news_release_ar_040313.pdf
Cleanup Operations Progress in Mayflower, AR

MAYFLOWER, AR – The Mayflower Incident Unified Command Joint Information Center provided the following update as cleanup operations continued Wednesday following a release of crude oil near Mayflower, AR.

• Removal and replacement of soil and vegetation has begun in the neighborhood where 22 homes were evacuated on Starlite Road and Shade Tree Lane. Work will continue as weather permits to enable residents to return as soon as possible. A determination of when residents can return to their homes will be made by state health authorities.

• An excavation and removal plan for the affected portion of the pipeline is being developed for review by the U.S. Department of Transportation. ExxonMobil has received a corrective action order from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

• Thirteen vacuum trucks and 46 storage tanks are on site to clean up and temporarily store oil. Most of the free standing oil has been recovered. Residual oil is being cleaned up through a combination of pressure washing, use of absorbent pads and removal of contaminated soil and vegetation.

• Approximately 570 people are responding to the incident in addition to federal, state and local responders.

• Lake Conway remains oil free. A comprehensive containment system using boom has been deployed as a precaution to contain oil found in a marsh area between the interstate highway and a cove adjacent to the lake.

• There has been no impact on Mayflower’s drinking water supply, which comes from the Community Water System, including Greers Ferry Lake.

• A claims hotline (1-800-876-9291) has been established for residents affected by the spill to register a claim and get more information. About 140 claims have been made to date.

• ExxonMobil is paying for the cleanup and will honor all valid claims. Reports to the contraryare inaccurate.

• U.S. Environmental Services, an ExxonMobil contractor, has a wildlife rehabilitation operation on site and is working with Animal Response Services on a treatment program.

Sixteen oiled ducks, seven turtles, nine reptiles, one beaver and one muskrat have been recovered for treatment. Seven ducks have been found dead. If residents find injured or oiled wildlife, they should call the claims hotline (1-800-876-9291) so that a trained professional can assist and minimize any potential harm. Residents are being asked not to approach wildlife for their safety and the safety of the wildlife.

• Continuous air quality monitoring is being conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and by ExxonMobil, and data is being provided to the Arkansas Department of Health. Current air quality readings are below levels likely to cause health effects. Workers in the cleanup areas have air quality monitors and breathing equipment for use when necessary.

• A meeting with the North Woods residents who were evacuated under a recommendation from the Arkansas Department of Health was held last night in order to convey information relative to their specific situations.

• Local emergency responders from the city and county continue to participate in a safe and responsible cleanup operation. The efficiency of the effort would not be possible without all the contributions of these professionals.

• A community meeting was held on Saturday, March 30, less than 24 hours after the incident began, with presentations from members of the Unified Command, which includes the EPA, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas Department of Health, Faulkner County, Mayflower, and ExxonMobil Pipeline Company.

• Emergency response personnel were on the ground within 30 minutes after the leak was detected.

• Emergency response efforts are focused on ensuring the safety of the community members and the response workers, addressing community concerns and the cleanup process.

• The EPA categorizes the incident as a major spill. This category reflects a quantity greater than 250 barrels. A few thousand barrels of oil were observed in the area; a response for 10,000 barrels has been undertaken to ensure adequate resources are in place.

• The cause of the spill is under investigation.


2 posted on 04/04/2013 8:15:01 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: stuartcr

Don’t you worry - Ed Markey (D-Mass) is on top of it!


3 posted on 04/04/2013 8:16:21 AM PDT by Ken522
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To: stuartcr

See also:

Newsletter to the Mayflower Community
http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/Files/news_mayflower_newsletter040213.pdf

The above contains a related map.


4 posted on 04/04/2013 8:16:32 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: stuartcr
Sabotage?? Wouldn't surprise me a bit.

Maybe the pipe was shot up with an assault rifle??

5 posted on 04/04/2013 8:19:50 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

Unlike the Alaska Pipeline, nearly all of the pipeline is underground.


6 posted on 04/04/2013 8:22:43 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: All

Map of entire Pegasus pipeline.

http://www.exxonmobil.com/Images/EMPCo/central_north_crude2.pdf


7 posted on 04/04/2013 8:27:34 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: Ken522

The Clinton State. What would you guess?


8 posted on 04/04/2013 8:29:42 AM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: Ken522

The Clinton State. What would you guess?


9 posted on 04/04/2013 8:30:00 AM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: thackney

Thanks for the update


10 posted on 04/04/2013 9:12:54 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: stuartcr

Seen this video?

http://www.dump.com/pipelinebreaks/


11 posted on 04/04/2013 9:16:39 AM PDT by servo1969
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To: servo1969

I hadn’t seen that. It’s horrible.


12 posted on 04/04/2013 9:24:19 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: stuartcr
FAA NOTAM Mayflower, AR NO FLY ZONE
13 posted on 04/04/2013 10:21:01 AM PDT by DCBryan1
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To: stuartcr

Not the best moment for the oil pipeline folks, especially while trying to get approval for the Keystone XL.

But I would rather we deal with the facts here on FR, than hide what happened.


14 posted on 04/04/2013 10:44:06 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: stuartcr

Did you see the video of the oil flowing through that neighborhood? What a mess!

The pipeline was old, built in 1940 and was probably not even built of steel. I’m told that it was probably cast iron, built with rivets, and nothing like newer pipelines. The pressure testing that the companies are required to do is nothing. It won’t show any problems until there is an emergency.

There was a pipeline explosion, here in Bellingham, WA in the ‘90s and some of the local politicians took credit for toughening the pipeline oversight, but in reality all they did was make sure that existing regulations were followed. It amounted to a big nothing, except a win for the pipeline companies.

The enviros work against themselves on the pipelines by making it so difficult to get permitting through even to replace old pipelines. We have deteriorating pipelines all over the country and can expect to see more incidents like this.


15 posted on 04/04/2013 10:51:01 AM PDT by Eva
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To: stuartcr

Yet the big oil spill from one of Warren Buffet’s trains went by with little notice. Pipelines are infinitely more safe than rails to move oil.


16 posted on 04/04/2013 10:52:27 AM PDT by Eva
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To: thackney

It’s really sad.


17 posted on 04/04/2013 11:16:46 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: Eva

This one was only mentioned a few days ago. I haven’t seen anything since, that’s why I started the thread.


18 posted on 04/04/2013 11:18:28 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: Eva

If they would just spend the money right at the start, lot’s of these things are preventable.


19 posted on 04/04/2013 11:19:13 AM PDT by stuartcr ("I have habits that are older than the people telling me they're bad for me.")
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To: Eva
The pipeline was old, built in 1940 and was probably not even built of steel. I’m told that it was probably cast iron, built with rivets, and nothing like newer pipelines.

Pipelines were made with steel back then. I've worked on upgrades for a couple different ones made back then. Nothing was cast iron and with rivets in that time frame for longm major oil pipelines.

The pressure testing that the companies are required to do is nothing.

The pressure testing is no different for it than other pipelines built today. It might have been different back then, but the FERC regulations are quite clear and this pipeline went through a major expansion a few years back. It operates with the same safety margins. I likely operates a lower pressure since it wasn't built with the exotic alloys used today, but it was built with steel and likely quite thick.

The real concern should be how the maintenance is kept up, how often smart pigs are run through it and what corrosion allowance the company uses before making repairs.

20 posted on 04/04/2013 11:22:39 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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