Plugs for Public-Safety Holes : Quake-caused leaks in oil pipeline raise a warning for all of California

According to the standards set by the California Government Code, the underground pipeline that carries crude oil from Kern County fields to the Los Angeles Refinery in Carson was not a high-risk pipeline. Still, the Four Corners Line No. 1 leaked at eight locations after the Northridge earthquake. The worst of those breaks was not the largest: Crude that seeped to the surface on Wolfskill Street in Mission Hills somehow ignited, injuring a man and charring 17 cars and a house.

Discovery that the pipeline is one of the state’s oldest, built in 1925 with old-fashioned acetylene welds, generated even more concern among officials. First, the Los Angeles City Council slapped a moratorium on new pipeline franchise agreements. The San Fernando City Council followed by ordering the operator to forgo pumping until the city received a report on the incident.

But these local initiatives, in part, exceeded municipal powers. By state and federal statute, responsibility for petroleum pipeline safety rests with the state fire marshal’s office. Fortunately, that office appears to be assessing not only the Wolfskill spill but the warning it has raised for oil pipelines throughout the state. There are 8,000 miles of underground petroleum pipeline in California, enough to run from Los Angeles to New York City and back, with 2,000 miles to spare. Those with acetylene welds should be checked for the kinds of problems that led to the Wolfskill spill.

The fire marshal’s office says that the Four Corners line will not reopen until it has been tested exhaustively. Findings should be shared with local officials.

In addition, there is another issue that local officials will have to look at. The state fire marshal says that the pipeline’s owner, Arco, agrees that it should be taken out of service and replaced with a pipeline that avoids residential areas. The task of choosing a new route is sure to be difficult, not to mention politically unpopular. But county and city officials cannot avoid this responsibility, so the sooner they begin discussions with state officials and Arco the better.