Alaska Pipeline Leaked Gas into Endangered Animals' Habitat for Five Months

 

The area has been subjected to a number of gas and oil leaks.

 

An underwater gas pipeline in Alaska that had been leaking gas for almost five months has finally been repaired.

 

The 8-inch diameter pipeline, which supplies gas for power to four Hilcorp Alaska, LLC production platforms, was found leaking on Feb. 7 when a helicopter crew spotted gas bubbling near it.

 

An analysis of the flow found that the pipeline likely started to leak in mid-December. Hilcorp said floating ice and other weather conditions made it too dangerous for divers to reach the leak sooner.

 

Dive crews began working on repairing the leak on April 8 and finished Thursday night.

 

“Now that the leak has been stopped, over the next several days, as weather permits, further inspection and stabilization of both the oil and gas pipelines in Middle Ground Shoal will be completed,” Hilcorp said, as reported by KTUU. “Neither pipeline will be returned to regular service until Hilcorp, along with state and federal regulators, agree it is safe to do so.”

 

The leak spewed hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of processed natural gas into Alaska’s Cook Inlet, which is home to endangered beluga whales and other marine mammals. It had leaked twice in 2014.

 

Environmental groups are concerned about both the short and long-term effects of the leak, and many are calling for a risk assessment of the area, given the extensive network of energy infrastructure in the inlet.

 

“It’s scary to think about how decayed some of the offshore pipelines littering Cook Inlet may be,” Kristen Monsell, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “These old, vulnerable pipelines pose a toxic threat to the people and wildlife of Cook Inlet.”

 

Hilcorp is also looking into two other potential Cook Inlet leaks.

Where do they get 5 months from?

Alaska Pipeline Leaked Gas into Endangered Animals' Habitat for Five Months

 

The area has been subjected to a number of gas and oil leaks.

 

An underwater gas pipeline in Alaska that had been leaking gas for almost five months has finally been repaired.

 

The 8-inch diameter pipeline, which supplies gas for power to four Hilcorp Alaska, LLC production platforms, was found leaking on Feb. 7 when a helicopter crew spotted gas bubbling near it.

 

An analysis of the flow found that the pipeline likely started to leak in mid-December. Hilcorp said floating ice and other weather conditions made it too dangerous for divers to reach the leak sooner.

 

Dive crews began working on repairing the leak on April 8 and finished Thursday night.

 

“Now that the leak has been stopped, over the next several days, as weather permits, further inspection and stabilization of both the oil and gas pipelines in Middle Ground Shoal will be completed,” Hilcorp said, as reported by KTUU. “Neither pipeline will be returned to regular service until Hilcorp, along with state and federal regulators, agree it is safe to do so.”

 

The leak spewed hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of processed natural gas into Alaska’s Cook Inlet, which is home to endangered beluga whales and other marine mammals. It had leaked twice in 2014.

 

Environmental groups are concerned about both the short and long-term effects of the leak, and many are calling for a risk assessment of the area, given the extensive network of energy infrastructure in the inlet.

 

“It’s scary to think about how decayed some of the offshore pipelines littering Cook Inlet may be,” Kristen Monsell, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “These old, vulnerable pipelines pose a toxic threat to the people and wildlife of Cook Inlet.”

 

Hilcorp is also looking into two other potential Cook Inlet leaks.

 

So they have been off since the leak was found, not leaking anything.

So they have been off since the leak was found, not leaking anything.

 

Where are you getting that?

Where are you getting that?

 

I quoted it.

Where do they get 5 months from?

 

"An analysis of the flow found that the pipeline likely started to leak in mid-December"

 

True...Mid-December to mid-April is four months, not five. The discrepancy on my end was just because I went by the article's title rather than doing the math on the duration.

I quoted it.

 

The leak was found in February. I'm seeing nothing you quoted that says they were turned off in February.

So they have been off since the leak was found, not leaking anything.

 

Well, it appears it has been taken "out of service", since the leak was identified. I would assume that means the line has been shut off.

 

Regardless of that, the bigger issues here are the facts that 1) they've got a pipeline that leaked hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of gas into a habitat for endangered species, 2) the pipeline is apparently in enough disrepair that this is the third time that's happened in a 4-year span, and 3) there are times of year when they just shrug their shoulders and say "oh well" after they do identify a leak because the ice/weather/sea conditions are not suitable for them to repair it.

The leak was found in February. I'm seeing nothing you quoted that says they were turned off in February.

 

In order to return to service, it has to be off from service.

In order to return to service, it has to be off from service.

 

Obviously.

 

I'm just not seeing anything that says it was taken out of service in February as opposed to when they were able to repair it earlier this month...:idunno:

In order to return to service, it has to be off from service.

 

It didn't just say service, it said regular service. The article said it was not returned to regular service, but what about service...is there any other kind?

 

I want the truth!!

It didn't just say service, it said regular service. The article said it was not returned to regular service, but what about service...is there any other kind?

 

I want the truth!!

Well done!

It didn't just say service, it said regular service. The article said it was not returned to regular service, but what about service...is there any other kind?

 

I want the truth!!

 

You can't handle the truth!!!