Calif.-Phoenix gas pipeline disrupted by truck crash

The Business Journal ^ | Mike Sunnucks

[AZ GRAMMY]

Calif.-Phoenix gas pipeline disrupted by truck crash Mike Sunnucks

The Business Journal

Every time some sunshine and hope appear on the Valley's gas shortage front, a new storm cloud dims the picture.

Gov. Janet Napolitano said Wednesday there was more gas on its way into Maricopa County, more trucks to get the fuel to stations and more gas stations were open on Wednesday than previous days of the shortage.

But there are still plenty of obstacles in the way of getting the Valley's gasoline supplies back to normal.

Napolitano said there is a problem with another Kinder Morgan pipeline that feeds gas from Southern California to Phoenix. The governor said a dirt truck crashed into a Kinder Morgan pipeline in San Bernardino, Calif., and it has been temporarily shut down while it is tested for damage.

Napolitano said any delays in fuel from that pipeline would not impact the Valley until Aug. 24. Kinder Morgan officials in California would not comment on the pipeline disruption and referred calls to the company's Houston headquarters. Officials in Texas could not be reached for comment.

In Tucson, Kinder Morgan is trying to repair the El Paso to Tucson to Phoenix pipeline that was shut down earlier this month and is the main culprit for the Valley's gas crisis.

A portion of the repaired pipeline failed testing early Wednesday morning. Napolitano said the company will test the pipeline again tonight and said the company could put in new segments or bypass problem areas in order to get gas flowing to the Valley this weekend. Napolitano said the company is looking to have gas moving through the pipeline by Sunday evening.

The governor is frustrated with the pipeline company and distribution problems that have magnified the shortage and cautioned that even when the pipeline is operational the fuel supply will take a while to return to normal.

"It will not be solved overnight," Napolitano said.

The governor -- who is getting some heat for the state's slow reaction to the gas crisis -- announced she is taking some further steps on the pipeline and shortage front.

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2003/08/18/daily46.html

[Cold Heat]

Uh............Could it be federal regs???

LOL

[RS]

Well, our gas here is up over 20 cents in the past week, and they blamed it on a shortage because gas was being shipped to Arizona.

So now since the pipes broke and they can't ship it out will our price go back down ?

.... I know, I know... stupid question ...

[templar]

It's a good thing that Islamic terrorists can't figure out how vulnerable we are through our gas pipelines. It's also good that they are so well protected that they can't be attacked.

[man of Yosemite]

Maybe they're paying to sabotage their own systems to prevent the price from going down. Have a fun time in hell boys, you've earned it.

[Spiff]

Tin foil hat time:

If only one plane was involved in 9/11, we'd still be hearing about that horrible accident that brought down one of the WTC towers. But there was a second and a third. It was too obvious and no one could deny that it was a terrorist act.

If only one pipeline had broken, I'd say it was most likely an accident. But the second was run into by a dirt truck while the other was down too!? This is starting to look a little weird to me. Terrorism? Or what? Certainly strains believe that this is only coincidence.

[tbird1]

She also said that everyone should ride the subway- (sarcasm)
tbird1

[secret garden]

Dear Santa,
Slippy wants a Segway for Christmas. Early delivery would be extra nice!

[babaloo999]

Yes. Dirt truck drivers are some of the most careful, intelligent and courteous people to grace our roadways.
This is one of those to file under "he couldn't have done it better if he was trying to do it".

[SandRat]

Could it be that Kinder Morgan is just plain incompetent along with NapoliReno?

[JustTheTruth]

Maricopa County (Phoenix metro area) has its own stupid blend of gasoline with MTBE - nobody else uses it. So, when there is a disruption in fuel supply for some reason, the problem gets really bad, really fast.

The governor reportedly turned down requests more than a week ago to seek a waiver from the EPA to use the normal Federal blend for unleaded fuel, concluding that it wasn't necessary. Had she done so, fuel could have been trucked in from California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.

But NOooooo . . . !, liberal Democrat Janet El-Renyo-Napolitano couldn't upset her girlfriend environmentalist allies by temporarily suspending an unproven fuel mandate to prevent a problem from worsening! A pox on you, Janet! She finally woke up and got the waiver yesterday - at least a week too late. Now she is on the offensive - taking a page from the Clinton's - and pointing the finger of blame at everyone except herself. Pitiful.

[rockfish59]

Took my bike to town today for errands.

If their plan is to get us out of our cars, then....

[kstewskis]

If only one pipeline had broken, I'd say it was most likely an accident. But the second was run into by a dirt truck while the other was down too!? This is starting to look a little weird to me.

/tin foil hat on

Hmmm....it is weird. I wonder what kind of backgrounds or country of origin these dirt truck, or other Kinder Morgan employees have?

/tin foil hat off

[dk/coro]

Government incompetence gleams brightly in emergencies. This fiasco is no exception.

Timely, competent leadership could have dramatically minimized the problem. Not a chance, however, with this broad in charge.

Arizona deserves her. I live in Bullhead City now, and I don't need the newspaper comics in the morning. I just read about the abominable antics of our local (Dem) politicians on the front page.

Pox on their House(s) !!!

[SAJ]

Very well said! Entirely too many folks do not appreciate the effect on price caused by the ''mandate'' (for which, of course, read EPA order, compounded by assorted local politics) that we now have 71 or 72 blends of gasoline required, in spots, nationwide. When delivery of one or another of the highly localised blends is hampered (as is now the case in Phoenix and environs, and was the case in 2001 in N. Illinois and Wisconsin), gee, guess what, prices go bazoo for a little while.

Well, at least Napolitano got around to applying for/issuing a waiver, but that's all the good news ANYONE is going to get for a while.

Combining today's API/DOE supply figures, motor gasoline stocks dropped roughly 1.8 MM bbl in the past week, even with refinery utilisation at 94%, and the current storage level is now 7.5% under the 3 year average figure on this date.

Wouldn't suggest waiting on price relief any time soon, bar the correction of distribution shortages due, as in AZ, to infrastructure problems.

Well, I suppose there is ONE more piece of good news; no pol in his/her/its right mind will propose raising gasoline taxes for a while (g!).

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

From a $1.39 to $1.89 in the last week here in Bullhead City, AZ. I know that when the dust settles, we will never see it below $1.60 again.

They just test our pain threshold to see how much we will tolerate, and keep socking it to us.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Hey there in BHC, we live out in Topock just down the river.

Was in town today, every time we hit the main drag I think all four tires went flat, again. Out tax dollars at work.

[Slip18]

"Slippy wants a Segway for Christmas. Early delivery would be extra nice!"

That would be a nice gift from Santa. But in case he can't deliver, I have my Radio Flyer Town & Country wagon. I use it all the time for dirt and stuff. I can always stop using the treadmill and jog my wagon to the grocery store. But where the heck would you park it?

[RS]

"From a $1.39 to $1.89 in the last week here in Bullhead City, AZ. "

Havent seen $1.39 in more then a year - must be because you have all those refineries right there in Bullhead :-)

My local station is now at $2.09