By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk News Editor
Federal agency reports the pipe’s wall thickness had eroded to 1/16 of an inch and that results from a recent inspection showed corrosion at other sites
An
aerial photo shows the section of pipeline that ruptured on May 19,
sending thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean at Refugio
State Beach. Federal officials announced Wednesday that a preliminary
examination showed extensive corrosion in the section of pipe. (John Wiley photo)
The portion of the Plains All American Pipeline
crude oil line that ruptured causing the May 19 oil spill near Refugio
State Beach was extensively corroded, according to the federal
regulatory agency investigating the cause of the spill.
On Wednesday, the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued an amended corrective order that gives new details into the condition of the failed Plains pipeline.
Experts in the field estimated that corrosion at the failure site had
degraded the pipe’s wall thickness to 1/16 of an inch and results from a
recent inspection show corrosion at other sites as well. MORE
