Photo Courtesy of Tar Sands Blockade Testing protocols would aim to prevent pipeline spills, such as in Arkansas in 2013 (above). Related Links: Association of Oil Pipelines Letter Tar Sands Blockade How safe are all the old oil and gas pipelines that crisscross the U.S., and does it make sense to pressure-test most of them? The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration is developing a verification process that may subject to hydrostatic pressure testing as much as 95%, or 182,000 miles, of the U.S. pipelines that transport crude oil, gasoline and other liquids. Up-to-date records also would be required.Evan
AP Oil giant's formerly owned Bayway refinery site in Elizabeth, N.J, which first began operation in 1909, has extensive petroleum and chemicals-related contamination on its 1,300 acres. Related Links: NJ Legislators Kick Off Hearings into Disputed Exxon Mobil Deal How clean is a cleanup? Exxon sites scrutinized as N.J. seeks settlement NJ Sierra Club: Attorney General Tries to Spin ExxonMobil Sellout NJ Announcement of Cleanup Pact for ExxonMobil Refinery Sites Document excerpts detail the state's case against ExxonMobil prior to settlement NJDEP 2006 Report: Natural Resource Damages at ExxonMobil Bayway and Bayonne Sites The huge oil Bayway refinery complex in
Thames Water Huge upgrade will intercept around 18 million tonnes of untreated wastewater now discharged annually into the river through numerous Victorian-era combined sewer overflows. Enlarge Thames Water Sewer program, covering 25 km, will continue through about 2023. London utility Thames Water plc has named three U.K. construction teams for up to $3.5 billion of large-diameter tunnel work on its planned mega-sewer project, the 25-km Thames Tideway. Tunneling and separate financing contracts will be awarded this summer, with construction set to start next year.The tunnel, with work projected to continue through 2023, will be the UK’s largest water-infrastructure project and
Photo Courtesy of Imperial Metals Work is ongoing to build up the height of the failed dam at Mount Polley Mine before the melt. Related Links: BC Tailings Dam Spillage Bigger than Initial Estimates (ENR, subscription) Mount Polley Dam Failure Rasies Bar for Pebble Mine Backers (ENR, subscription) The Mount Polley Mine earthen dam in western Canada failed because of a faulty design that didn't consider the geology of the perimeter foundation, an independent review panel says. The Aug. 4 incident dumped 4.5 billion gallons of water and 10.3 million cu yd of mine tailings and construction waste into nearby
Related Links: EPA Seeks More Input on CO2 rule for Existing Powerplants (ENR, subscription) EPA Sets Ambitious Goal for Reducing CO2 Emissions from Existing Powerplants Speakers at a climate-focused conference on Feb. 23-25 were generally upbeat about efforts the government, states, non-profits and corporations have been making to address climate change over the past decade.Carol Browner, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, pointed to the nation's ability to improve air quality through the Clean Air Act, which was enacted in 1970. "It is because of government and the private sector working together that we have made the progress that
Related Links: Building the Knowledge Base for Climate Resiliency New York State Flood-Recovery Projects Move Forward New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) says the city is moving ahead with the implementation of its resiliency plan, based on the findings of a recently released report on climate change that predicts New York City's sea level could rise as much as 6 ft by 2100. Among city programs going forward are the $335-million Lower East Side integrated flood protection system and the estimated $100-million shoreline investment program to protect the most vulnerable waterfront communities.The announcements come as a result of
Photo Courtesy of National Corvette Museum Geologist observes micro pile at Corvette Museum site, revealing vertical dimension of sinkhole that swallowed eight sports cars a year ago. Related Links: Sinkhole Fix Proceeds at Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky. Foundation Flaws Make Kentucky's Wolf Creek Dam a High-Risk Priority Void Safe Sinkholes are common in karst areas, but karst got more attention last year after the destruction of eight specimen sports cars at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.All 50 states have karst, but it is concentrated in Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Pennsylvania, where water-soluble rock such as
Photo Courtesy U.S. EPA Airboat cleanup crews find oil, cut through the ice and swab up the spilled pollutants. Related Links: Yellowstone River Cleanup Continues Following Spill Arkansas Spill Zone Residents Await Plan to Return Home; New Leak in Missouri Bridger Pipeline LLC must install horizontal, directionally drilled crossings on its Poplar Pipeline where it crosses two rivers after a Jan. 17 breach spilled more than 29,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River, near Glendive, Mont.The cause of the breach has not been determined, but sonar testing on Jan. 24 showed that the 2,250-ft section of pipeline—laid in a
Related Links: DOE Contract and Project Management Working Group Report More Troubles, Less Support for Energy Dept.'s MOX Project U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz on Jan. 15 outlined actions his department is taking to improve project management and performance on troubled projects, such as the Mixed- Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility in Savannah River, S.C., and the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant in Washington state.Some of those steps include requiring more-developed designs before major projects can begin, reconstituting the Energy Systems Advisory Board process and establishing a portfolio review board to provide independent assessments of the risk profiles for all major
Photo Courtesy of Heath Consulting Firms say devices already exist to detect escaping methane and will be necessary for compliance with any regulation. Related Links: Fact sheet on White House Plan Datu Research Report on Methane Emissions Technologies and Jobs The Obama administration's proposal to regulate emissions from new and modified oil and natural-gas sources will provide some new work for environmental services companies.That assessment is according to companies that have been working to help oil-and-gas exploration and production companies, pipeline owners and other energy-sector firms identify and mitigate leaks of methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases. The administration
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