Poplar pipeline Yellowstone spill: update

A Montana pipeline that spilled 30 000 gallons of oil had been split at the site of an exposed weld where the line crosses beneath the Yellowstone River, officials have announced, prompting a warning for pipeline companies nationwide to take precautions against flooding.

The damaged section of the 12 in. pipeline that crosses the Yellowstone upstream of the city of Glendive was pulled from the river this Wednesday.

It will be sent to a laboratory in Oklahoma for analysis, said Tim Butters, Pipeline Safety Administrator at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The cause of the split has not been determined.

The line, which was installed in 1967, is owned by Bridger Pipeline LLC of Casper, Wyoming. Company spokesman Bill Salvin said the break occurred along a section of the line between 100 and 120 ft long that somehow became exposed to the river.

An advisory warning pipeline companies about potential damage from severe flooding was scheduled to be published Thursday in the Federal Register. It cites the recent Yellowstone spill and several prior pipeline accidents caused by flooding or similar issues at river crossings in Iowa, Nebraska and Montana.

Edited from various sources by Elizabeth Corner

Sources: ABC News, Fox Business

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/09042015/poplar-pipeline-yellowstone-spill-update/