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May 2022 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER 23
Kinder Morgan pipeline deficiencies worry Wilsonville watchdog
City attorney awaits information after feds fi nd anomalies
By COREY BUCHANAN In 2015 , Wilsonville resident and lawyer Shawn O ’ Neil raised concerns about deficiencies in the ability of energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan to respond if a section of its petroleum pipeline leaked . The line runs from Portland to Eugene and crosses under Inza R . Wood Middle School , Wilsonville neighborhoods and close to the Willamette River Water Treatment Plant .
This led to negotiations between the energy company and the city of Wilsonville that resulted in the company establishing local automatic shutoff valves .
Now , O ’ Neil has shifted his focus to a proposed order issued by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration that identified deficiencies in the pipeline and others Kinder Morgan manages across the United States .
The proposed order does not specify exactly where the deficiencies occurred , and the federal agency declined to speak on the record about the topic . However , the proposed order stated that there were 2,700 anomalies that stood near “ high consequence areas .”
Some factors the agency considers in determining risks posed by pipelines include its age , resistance to corrosion , the nature of transported materials and proximity to densely populated areas , among other things .
“ There are thousands of unremediated anomalies on hundreds of miles of Kinder Morgan hazardous liquid pipeline across the United States . These anomalies must be remediated to ensure the safety of the pipelines ,” the proposed order read . “ The anomalies could worsen and impair the serviceability of the pipelines if left unaddressed or could develop on other areas .”
The report added that the deficiencies could pose a “ significant integrity threat ,
placing the pipelines at heightened risk of failure , threatening harm to people and the environment .”
Kinder Morgan did not answer questions but instead offered a statement , saying that the company is working closely with federal regulators to make repairs and monitor locations of the pipeline as well as its systems .
“ To date , we have made significant progress in addressing the issues that we have identified and reported . We continue to work closely with PHMSA on the resolution of all issues , and we continue to make the safe operation of our assets our top priority ,” the statement read .
The city of Wilsonville attorney Barbara Jacobson said the local government is aware of the issue and that she had spoken with Kinder Morgan .
“ They ’ re doing some enhanced studies of their line right now ... and their study area includes Wilsonville . They said this summer they will be completing that work hopefully . And then they ’ ll have something to report ,” she said .
Along with this report , the 60-year age of the pipeline concerns O ’ Neil — as well as the news of a Kinder Morgan pipeline rupture that led to 63,000 gallons of gasoline leaking into a waterway in Walnut Creek , California . Last month , Kinder Morgan also was working to respond to a diesel spill in Georgia .
“ In short , my belief is it ’ s not a matter of if but when there ’ s an issue with the pipeline ,” he said .
And O ’ Neil would like to see reform that would usher in more local oversight of the pipeline and others in Oregon . Currently , an office of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in Colorado is tasked with monitoring pipelines in Oregon , while states like Washington have more local enforcement .
“ The problem with them is this agency ( the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ) only has so many people and are required to inspect our entire nation ’ s infrastructure . There ’ s only so much they can do ,” he said .
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