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CULVER CITY : Decision on Mobil Oil Pipeline Delayed Again

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Culver City has put off for another week a decision on whether to allow Mobil Oil Corp. to run a pipeline through the city.

Mobil Oil is replacing a 92-mile pipeline stretching from oil fields in Kern County to its refinery in Torrance. The 16-inch diameter pipeline will carry an average of 95,000 gallons of crude oil a day, a 50% increase over the old pipeline.

Culver City is the last municipality to stand in the path of the $88-million project. Torrance, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Los Angeles have already awarded franchise agreements to Mobil to operate and maintain the pipeline in their cities.

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Culver City and Mobil officials had agreed on a franchise fee and a list of mitigation measures to be taken, but many new questions concerning safety and construction procedures were raised at a public hearing Monday, prompting the council to continue the hearing to next Monday.

The city will earn $64,139 a year if it approves the franchise. Mayor James Boulgarides called the amount “a pittance” compared to what is at stake and pledged not to rush the process.

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