4 Bullet Strikes Are Found on Alaska Pipeline but No Leaks
Four bullet strikes have been found on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline near the portion damaged in a shooting that caused more than 285,000 gallons of oil to gush out on the tundra earlier this month.
The bullets penetrated the pipeline’s insulation jacket but did not cause leaks, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. officials said Friday.
Alaska state troopers alerted Alyeska on Thursday about the discovery near Mile 400 of the 800-mile line. Company spokesman Tim Woolston said the bullet strikes were about a mile north of the section punctured by a bullet Oct. 4.
It is not known if the strikes are related to that shooting, Woolston said. Over the years, people have shot at the pipeline more than 50 times, but until Oct. 4 they never caused enough damage to produce a spill.
Repairs were planned for Friday afternoon, and the pipeline was to continue operating through the work.
A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted Daniel Carson Lewis, 37, on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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