L.A. Suggests Shutting Oil Pipeline, but State Says No

Los Angeles city officials asked the state to consider shutting down a Mobil Oil Co. pipeline that ruptured twice last month in the San Fernando Valley, but state fire officials said Wednesday the line complies with safety regulations and does not pose a threat.

Citing a history of seven ruptures in the Bakersfield-to-Torrance crude oil pipeline in the last 15 years, Kenneth Cude, division engineer with the city Department of Transportation’s regulation and enforcement division, sent a letter to the state fire marshal’s office questioning whether the pipeline should be shut down pending a safety review.

The transportation department, which awards franchises for pipelines, has been ordered by the City Council to prepare a report on the two ruptures, which occurred Sept. 10 and Sept. 27.

“In view of the history of breaks on this line, we would like your opinion on possibly halting its operation until it can be certified as safe,” Cude said in a letter sent Oct. 5 to Walter J. Hernandez, chief of the fire marshal’s pipeline safety division in Sacramento.

Letter Made Public

The fire marshal’s office enforces state and federal pipeline safety regulations. Cude said the city is preempted by state law from closing the pipeline for safety reasons.

Cude made his letter public during an appearance Wednesday before the city Environmental Quality Board. He said seven pipeline breaks in 15 years is very unusual. Five of the breaks occurred in the Los Angeles area.

The Sept. 10 break spilled 90,000 gallons of crude oil in Encino. The Sept. 27 break, which occurred during a high-pressure water test, spilled about 120,000 gallons of water mixed with less than 1,000 gallons of oil in Sherman Oaks, officials said.

Exterior corrosion of the pipe caused both breaks, Mobil officials have said. An investigation by the state fire marshal is still under way.

Hernandez said he received the letter on Wednesday and had not drafted a reply. But he said there were no plans to order the pipeline shut down. He said Mobil completed high-pressure testing of the pipe early this month and it now meets all safety regulations.

“I would say it is pretty safe,” Hernandez said. “Nothing is 100% in life but it has been tested. You should get any weaknesses out of it during the tests.

“The question is, is it a safe line or not a safe line. The answer is, it has passed the tests the state and federal governments require. It is in compliance. That is the best we can do at this point.”

However, Hernandez said, Mobil officials have agreed to take steps recommended by the fire marshal’s office to further ensure the safety of the pipeline.

The recommendations include inspecting and improving the pipeline corrosion control system, studying the spacing and location of cutoff valves in the line, performing high-pressure hydrostatic tests annually instead of every two years, and investigating the possibility of interference from other underground utilities.

Mobil officials have said “cathodic” interference appeared responsible for the Sept. 10 rupture. They explained that the combination of heat from the oil pipe and moisture and electric current from nearby water and electrical mains may have led to corrosion of the pipe.

Hernandez said Mobil has also agreed to dig to the pipe and inspect it for corrosion in all areas where it is known to intersect with underground water and electrical lines.

“This is just the beginning,” Hernandez said. “If we feel we want to go in another direction or want to take other steps, we will do so.”

Mobil officials have said that without the 187-mile pipeline, the company would have to use more costly and possibly more hazardous means of moving oil to its refinery, such as tanker trucks.