Pipeline operators are now required to install safety valves or comparable technology on new pipeline projects to reduce the severity of pipeline explosions and spills, and lessen the harm to communities. The new rule has been under consideration for more than a decade, and though safety advocates welcome it as a step in the right direction, they say in its current form it still leaves much to be desired. Meanwhile, a gang of criminals were recently arrested in Florida for siphoning off gas at gas station pumps, which they then sold at a reduced price to truckers.
New Pipelines Must Have Automatic Safety Valves
The U.S. Department of Transportation has belatedly implemented a rule requiring safety valves for pipelines that shut off automatically, after more than a decade of lobbying by safety advocates.
The new rule requires operators of gas and other fuel pipelines to install automatic or remotely controlled safety valves at regular intervals along newly installed infrastructure, or on pipelines that are being replaced.
Safety advocates have been pushing for this law for more than a decade, following deadly pipeline explosions over the years, including one in 2010 in California that resulted in the deaths of eight people. However, industry representatives have steadily resisted efforts to have such a rule implemented because of the added expense they would incur to do so.
Though acknowledging the safety valves would reduce the harmful impacts of spills and explosions, companies in the industry said the cost of installing the valves was prohibitive. They estimate that it would cost them billions of dollars if they were to install the safety valves on all the country’s pipelines.
Industry representatives worked in shaping the new rule, which exempts pipelines that are already in operation. That exemption, safety advocates say, seriously weakens the benefits of the new rule since many already-installed pipelines are located close to communities that could feel the full brunt of an explosion or spill. However, they welcome the progress shown by the new rule.
Currently, there are thousands of miles of installed pipelines throughout the country that are decades old and rusting. Companies in the industry, however, say the new rule ignores the day-to-day realities of their operations and that the actual risk of spills is low.
Experts agree that installing the valves will considerably reduce the devastating impacts of spills and explosions by significantly reducing response time to contain such mishaps.
The safety valves are also expected to control methane leaks, which accelerate global warming and have proved to be one of the most-difficult adverse side-effects of oil and gas operations to control.
The new rule doesn’t regulate methods of leak detection, despite leaks having an important role in major accidents where thousands of gallons of oil have spilled and damaged the environment.
Pipeline operators are required to install valves on pipelines that are half a foot in diameter or larger and ensure the valves, or a comparable technology installed, can shut down a ruptured pipeline within half an hour of an incident.
Protesters Blockade Oil Facilities in U.K.
Protesters from two climate action groups in the U.K. have been waging an intense protest campaign against the facilities of oil companies across the U.K., leading to the arrests of over 200 of the protesters.
Members of Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion have been targeting terminals owned by Esso, ExxonMobil, and BP at locations they consider to be strategic, in an effort to force the U.K. government to stop its expansion of oil and gas production.
Protesters included retirees who expressed fear over what the future holds for their grandchildren should the current pace of global warming continue.
Police arrested activists engaged in the protest at numerous sites throughout the country, saying their actions posed a real danger to themselves. Some protesters went so far as to climb onto the oil companies’ tankers, while others locked themselves to facilities’ gates and others sat on the roadway blocking entrance to the oil companies’ compounds.
The protests temporarily disrupted operations at some facilities, which resumed operations after police cleared some of the protesters.
Despite the arrests and some criminal charges, the campaigners said they will continue to demonstrate for as long as it takes to force the government to reverse its actions. They said they were compelled to take such actions since the government continues to ignore the very real perils involved in continuing to invest in oil and gas.
They also accused the government of using the war in Ukraine as an excuse to ramp up oil production, and criticized its plan to issue licenses to oil companies to permit them to open up 40 new oil fields.
Demonstrators also pointed to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report highlighting the general failure globally to move fast enough on the measures required to contain global warming before it reaches catastrophic proportions.
Sheriff’s Office Cracks Gas-Theft Scheme
A sheriff’s office in Florida announced it has uncovered a gas-theft scheme in which several men allegedly manipulated gas pumps at service stations in order to steal the fuel, which they then sold to truckers at a steeply discounted price.
Six of the men have so far been arrested, whereas their leader is said to have fled to Cuba.
Law enforcement officials said they were made aware that criminals may have been targeting gas stations, after they received reports from two of them about large discrepancies amounting to several thousands of dollars in February at their operations.
An investigation was launched, codenamed Operation Empty Tank, during which law enforcement reviewed surveillance footage from the stations that had made the reports and realized strange activity by seven trucks within a 12-hour period at one pump.
The criminals were using a homemade device to disable the gas pump’s normal metering system for dispensing gas, and then collecting the gas without paying for it or by paying mere pennies.
Describing the activity as that of an organized crime ring, detectives said they had evidence of seven instances of such criminal activity leading to $60,000 in gas being stolen. However, law enforcement believes the men have stolen far more than that amount and have probably been operating for some time throughout Tampa.
Officials said the men ran their criminal enterprise every day of the week. The charges laid against them include racketeering, grand theft, and unauthorized accessing of electronics.
The homemade device used by the criminals comprised an electrical board and battery along with a block of wood. With it, they were able to disable the gas pump’s mechanism before drawing out gas, which they then poured into large bladders they carried in their vans.
Fewer Than 5% of Households Benefit From EE Program
A recent report shows that even though Canada spends more than C$100 million on energy-efficiency programs for low-income households, less than 5% of those eligible in the country actually benefit from them.
The report by Efficiency Canada shows that the country provided C$115 million in 2020 on programs to help low-income households meet their energy needs. The funds provided money for major retrofitting of homes and to carry out low-level upgrades such as buying energy-efficient light bulbs, as well as offering one-off assistance to pay energy bills.
Residents of Alberta were the least likely to benefit from such assistance. Whereas other provinces spent up to C$11,000 per house for thousands of homes in 2020 to implement energy savings, none was available to Alberta residents during that period.
Researchers said energy-efficiency programs meet a vital need in that they help insulate low-income households against the effects of energy poverty and fluctuating energy prices. At the same time, they contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint of households.
However, some Alberta residents have had to rely on food banks because the spiraling energy costs leave them unable to pay for both food and energy bills at the same time.
Researchers are therefore urging the government to extend the reach and impact of energy-efficiency programs so larger numbers could benefit.
The province does have a new energy rebate program that will run from the fall of this year until spring of next year. Unfortunately, the rebate only becomes available to households when natural gas prices rise above C$6.50 per gigajoule, a price they haven’t reached in more than a decade and that’s considered unlikely to occur.
Britain’s PM Pushes for More Nuclear Energy
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging that the country’s energy policy should include a focus on increased energy production from nuclear power.
He is said to be keen to boost the amount of nuclear energy available to the U.K. by building both large nuclear plants and small modular reactors (SMR). SMRs are becoming increasingly popular because they offer advantages over traditional large plants, including being easier to build, as well as considered safer to operate.
Mr. Johnson and his government are currently contemplating measures to help the country reduce or eliminate its reliance on Russian gas.
However, one recent study suggests that a less-complicated fix would be for the U.K. to simply improve the energy efficiency of its buildings. The study said doing so would lead to an 80% reduction in the amount of gas needed to be imported.
In addition, spending on renewables in conjunction with energy-efficiency measures would yield enough energy for the country to eliminate all imports from Russia, the study suggested.
Opinion writer: Jewel Fraser
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