Oil Spill Raises Concerns on Pipeline Maintenance (Alaska)

[donsu]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/20/national/20spill.html?_r=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin&oref=slogin


An oil spill this month in Alaska, the largest ever on the North Slope, has raised new concerns among state and federal regulators about whether BP has been properly maintaining its aging network of wells, pumps and pipelines that crisscross the tundra.

BP Exploration Alaska, the subsidiary of the international oil giant that operates the corroded transmission line from which more than 200,000 gallons of crude oil leaked, has been criticized and fined in several different cases, most recently in 2004 when state regulators fined the company more than $1.2 million.

Now the division of the federal Department of Transportation responsible for pipeline safety is looking into the company's maintenance practices.

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BP has cultivated a worldwide image as a company concerned about the environment, recognizing global warming and making conspicuous efforts at aggressive environmental protection in many places.

But the most recent spill, which spurted from an elevated transmission pipeline at a spot where it dips to ground level to allow caribou to cross, has prompted critics inside the industry and among environmental groups to revisit questions raised four years ago. They question whether the company is skimping on maintenance and inspections to save money — a complaint the company strenuously denies.
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and they didn't do "smart pigging "