Atlanta

Records show past problems for Colonial Pipeline

By Jodie Fleischer
By Jodie Fleischer

ATLANTA — Channel 2 Action News has been digging into past problems with the Colonial Pipeline after this past weekend’s pipe leak that has left gas stations throughout the southeast running dry.%

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A Colonial Pipeline representative told Channel 2 investigative reporter Jodie Fleischer that the company has a robust system of integrity, inspection and maintenance programs that meet or exceed all federal requirements.

They strive to have zero spills, but Fleischer found that this past weekend’s leak is at least the fourth time the company has had a failure along the pipeline in just the past year.

>>MAP: COLONIAL PIPELINE NETWORK THROUGH METRO ATLANTA<<

In February of this year, a smaller amount of gas leaked from a pipe near Pelham, Alabama, in Shelby County, which is where the current leak is under repair.

Records show a second leak in Alabama two months later, in April, east of Anniston.

A year ago this week, a Colonial pipeline in Virginia leaked thousands of gallons through a crack in a dented area of pipe.

It was the same type of pipe involved in the current leak, and it was also installed the same year as this one.

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In that case, which is still open, the company was issued a corrective order but the cause of the release has not yet been determined.

In 2003, Colonial settled with the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency, agreeing to pay a $34 million fine, the largest of its kind in history at the time.

The company also vowed to spend $30 million to upgrade environmental protection on the pipeline after seven spills leaked nearly 1.5 million gallons of gas in five states, including Georgia. Corrosion of the lines was a problem.

[READ: This Atlanta company will deliver gas to your car]

A company representative told Fleischer the settlement upgrades and others have been made since then. But records show since that settlement, the company paid at least four federal fines that mention corrosion control as an issue.

That representative told Fleischer it's still too early to tell what happened in the current case, but that the company takes these matters very seriously.

He said it would be premature to speculate on the cause until the pipe is excavated and inspected.

Colonial Pipeline sent Fleischer a statement saying:

"Colonial Pipeline has robust system integrity, inspection and maintenance programs that meet or exceed all federal regulatory requirements. We strive to achieve zero-spill operating performance, and we take these matters very seriously, which is why we invest so heavily in safety and system integrity measures every year. When incidents do occur, we investigate and determine the cause alongside government regulators, and take corrective actions based on lessons learned to minimize the likelihood of similar events happening again in the future.

"While our current focus continues to be on safely returning Line 1 back to service and delivering much-needed gasoline and other transportation fuels to markets along our lines, rest assured that there will be a full and complete investigation into the cause of this incident. It would be premature to speculate on the cause of this event until the pipe is excavated and inspected and until all relevant investigations are complete."

Cox Media Group

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