Moratorium OKd as Pipeline Inquiry Continues

The Los Angeles City Council approved a moratorium Tuesday on all new agreements to operate oil pipelines in the city until an investigation into a blaze caused by a quake-ruptured pipeline in Mission Hills is completed.

The moratorium initially will last 45 days, but can be extended until city officials submit a report to the City Council on the Mission Hills rupture and on the safety measures used by operators of underground pipelines.

About 500 miles of oil pipelines operate under city streets. During the Northridge quake, a 1920s-era line carrying oil from Kern County to Los Angeles refineries broke at eight spots, including at Wolfskill Street in Mission Hills.

The broken line filled gutters on both sides of the street with crude oil, which then ignited, burning one man, destroying one house, damaging three other residences and charring 17 cars and dozens of trees.

Councilman Richard Alarcon, whose district includes the Wolfskill neighborhood, called for the moratorium because he said the city should not approve new pipeline agreements until the safety of such lines can be assured.

A spokesman for Pacific Pipeline Systems Inc., which is proposing a 52-mile pipeline from Santa Clarita to Wilmington, said his firm supports the moratorium. But he assured the council that the pipeline his company wants to operate is much more earthquake-resistant than the line that broke.