Oil Pipeline Route Through L.A. Approved

Setting the stage for a legal battle with the city of Los Angeles, a state agency gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a proposed 132-mile pipeline that would pump crude oil through the heart of the city.

The California Public Utilities Commission certified that a consortium of oil companies has met the environmental requirements needed to build the $170-million line that would carry 130,000 barrels of crude oil daily from Kern County to refineries in Wilmington.

In response, Los Angeles city officials renewed their vows to fight the project, saying an environmental report failed to consider alternative routes that could reduce many environmental risks, including the threat of contamination of the city’s water supply.

The council has already instructed the city attorney’s office to be prepared to sue the state agency if the project fails to address the city’s concerns.

“Now, we have to sue,” said Councilman Mike Hernandez, a longtime opponent of the project whose East Los Angeles district will be bisected by the line.

Another staunch opponent, Councilman Richard Alarcon, said he watched a pipeline burst and catch fire in Pacoima after the Northridge quake and fears the proposed line will pose the same threat throughout the city.

“I know that pipelines break when earthquakes occur,” he said. “I know there will be another earthquake and I don’t want to be worried about a pipeline rupture on top of everything else.”

But Thomas Walker, a spokesman for the pipeline consortium that includes Chevron, Texaco and Unocal, rejected the criticism, saying the proposed Pacific Pipeline will include high-tech equipment to detect leaks and shut off oil flow in the event of a quake.

“I really don’t see where a lawsuit is necessary,” he said.

Walker said he believes a lawsuit is being pursued because city officials are simply trying to curry favor with voters.

“I think it’s become a political issue more than a technological issue,” he said.

Walker and other proponents of the project have said the pipeline will actually improve the environment by eliminating the need for tanker trains and trucks to haul oil to the Wilmington refineries.

They also point out that the project will create up to 700 local jobs, including construction workers, pipe fitters and welders.

“The Pacific Pipeline presents a win-win situation for everyone,” said Chevron regional Vice President Wally Fassler. “It will enhance safety, help clean the air, reduce surface traffic, create jobs and save money.”

But a coalition of residents along the pipeline route says the line is an accident waiting to happen.

Michele Grumet a member of the Coalition Against the Pipeline, said her group fears a rupture near the Van Norman aqueduct and reservoirs in Sylmar that could contaminate up to 70% of the city’s water.

“All this state-of-the-art technology can fail,” she said. “You cannot test for the worst-case scenario.”

She echoed the concern of city officials who said the environmental report for the pipeline failed to consider two alternative routes that are being proposed by other oil and utility firms. The other lines run through less populated areas and do not travel near the aqueducts.

Martha Sullivan, a project manager for the PUC, said the project includes many mitigation measures to reduce the threat of a potential rupture.

But she acknowledged that the risk remains.

“Nobody is going to guarantee that there won’t be pipeline ruptures,” Sullivan said. “But the possibility is lower because of all the mitigation measures that are offered.”

As proposed, the Pacific Pipeline would travel along the Southern Pacific Railroad right of way parallel to the Golden State Freeway. Along the way, it would cut through the San Fernando Valley, Burbank, Glendale, San Fernando and communities in South Los Angeles.

In areas where the pipeline would travel along city streets, the oil consortium would still have to obtain a franchise agreement with the cities where the line would travel. In the case of Los Angeles, the consortium would have to pay about $10,000 per year for such franchise rights.

But even then, another legal battle appears imminent.

If Los Angeles refuses to grant a franchise agreement, the oil companies can appeal to the PUC, which may use the power of eminent domain to force the city to allow the pipeline to run under city streets, according to city attorneys. City officials are likely to challenge that eminent domain, sending the issue again to the courts.