The sometimes-deadly gap in US pipeline safety

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May 06, 2024 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Crews work in 2017 to remove diesel-laced pipeline drilling fluid, often referred to as "drilling mud," from a forested floodplain described as having previously been a "pristine" wetland near Canton, Ohio. | Ohio EPA photo obtained by Ohio Sierra Club through open records request The nation has a pipeline safety problem. The country’s system for safeguarding against toxic and deadly pipeline accidents largely relies on inspectors who work for the pipeline companies themselves, which has led to poor oversight and leaks, landslides, and even explosions, according to a yearlong investigation by POLITICO’s E&E News reporter Mike Soraghan. Eight inspectors Mike interviewed for the story said safety warnings and recommendations are often ignored, and those who push back risk termination. “The inspectors are like a smokescreen,” Frank Chamberlin, a pipeline inspector from upstate New York, told Mike. “They put them on the project as a scapegoat.” New pipeline projects often face fierce opposition, with farmers and landowners insisting they don’t trust the safety of such projects. That could be a major problem for the next president, whether it’s President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump. Biden is investing billions of dollars to encourage the capturing and burying of carbon emissions, which requires a network of new pipelines. And Trump has pledged to increase drilling and lay more oil and gas pipelines. Industry officials defend the privatized inspection system, where federal regulators rely on pipeline companies to hire and oversee inspectors. They compare it to the internal quality-control processes in factories and construction sites — and maintain there are plenty of safety backstops. That includes oversight by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. PHMSA has about 200 inspectors on its staff who work with another 450 inspectors at state agencies to monitor the safety of the country’s more than 3 million miles of pipe. But the agency says it devotes only 7 percent of its safety staff to inspecting new pipelines. That means overseeing the nation’s rapidly expanding pipeline network is largely left to a small cadre of inspectors hired by the companies themselves. To many farmers across large swaths of rural America, that’s not enough to allow pipelines under their property. “They’re all in the same club,” said Steve Hickenbottom, who regrets allowing the Dakota Access pipeline to cross his farm. “They’re not going to crap on the guys they work with every day. It means zero to me.”   It's Monday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF ENERGY POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries, like energy, equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other. Our energy reporting team—including Ben Lefebvre, Alex Guillen and Kelsey Tamborrino—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of energy policy and the energy industry. We bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Annie Snider breaks down how Biden’s new drinking water rules for toxic forever chemicals may spur more sales of public water systems to private companies and what that means for consumers. Power Centers A rendering of a green hydrogen production facility is shown. | iStock Does 'green' hydrogen depend on China? Lawmakers and the administration have long been concerned about China's supply chain dominance when it comes to solar panels, electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries. But the country is also leading the world in producing the machines that make hydrogen fuel from water, writes Christian Robles. The Biden administration has prioritized domestic electrolyzer manufacturing as part of its goal of producing 10 million metric tons of “clean” hydrogen annually by 2030. Democrat charged with accepting bribes Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were charged by the Justice Department with accepting $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijan oil and gas company and a Mexico City bank, write Daniella Diaz and Nicholas Wu. The moderate Democrat said in a statement that be and his wife are innocent of the charges and that he will continue seeking reelection. EU proposes Russian sanctions For the first time, the European Commission has proposed sanctions on Russia's liquefied natural gas industry, write Victor Jack, Camille Gijs and Jacopo Barigazzi. The measures would not directly ban the EU from importing Russian natural gas, but rather prevent EU countries from reexporting the gas after receiving it. In Other News Impacts: As temperatures warm, mangroves are engulfing the Texas coast. Climate migration: As climate change pushes deer north, other animals may lose out.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. A fire official helps put out the smoldering debris of a Texas home destroyed in February by the Smokehouse Creek Fire. | Julio Cortez/AP A long-delayed effort to determine how climate change is upending insurance markets could fall short in part because some of the hardest-hit states refuse to participate. Allegations that the head of one of the top oil producers in the U.S. tried to collude with OPEC to boost oil prices could hand Democrats a potent new campaign weapon. Developers of the Mountain Valley pipeline plan to finish construction work this month, but it’s unclear whether federal regulators will grant permission by then to place the project into service. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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