Alaska Pipeline Closes

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hoverfly

Minister of Fire
Jun 26, 2008
550
Southern NH
By GUY CHAZAN
BP PLC and other oil producers were forced to shut down nearly all their output on Alaska's North Slope, after a leak led to the closure of the Trans Alaska Pipeline.

Analysts said the shutdown of the 800-mile pipeline network could trigger a jump in oil prices unless the flow of oil resumes quickly, as the region represents a significant slice of domestic U.S. oil output. Some analysts said the disruption could help drive crude-oil prices toward $100 a barrel from below $90 now.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., which operates the pipeline network, said the spill has had no apparent impact on the environment or wildlife. Alyeska said no oil was leaking as of Sunday evening. About 10 barrels of oil had been spilled and most of it had been cleaned up, Alyeska said.

The shutdown, however, was a "significant event," BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said. BP and other oil companies operating on the Slope, including ConocoPhillips, have periodically been forced to cut output because of major power outages or when heavy winds interrupted tanker loadings at the port of Valdez, he said. But the latest shutdown means "a big reduction" in the middle of winter "when we have temperature and weather challenges" as well, Mr. Rinehart said. The temperature at the pump station where the incident occurred is about four degrees Fahrenheit.

Associated Press

The Trans Alaska Pipeline runs from Alaska's North Slope to Valdez. Above, a section north of Fairbanks in 2005.
.BP said it was too early to say what impact the shutdown would have on the company's first-quarter earnings.

Total production on the North Slope is around 630,000 barrels a day—about 9% of total domestic U.S. output.

Alyeska shut down the pipeline system at 8:50 a.m. local time Saturday after workers discovered oil leaking into a basement at a pump station on the North Slope.

Alyeska then told BP and other producers in the region to reduce their output by 95%. Alyeska is owned by BP, Conoco, Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp. and Koch Industries.

Alyeska said it didn't know how long it would take to reopen the pipeline system, which carries oil from northern Alaska to the southern coastal city of Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in North America.

An extended pipeline outage in the middle of Alaska's harsh winter could complicate efforts to restart production. Oil becomes waxy and gelatinous when subject to freezing temperatures. To get it moving again, it would need to be reheated. BP has deployed crews to pump methanol, an antifreeze, to keep its own pipelines from freezing.

Alyeska said it is considering bypassing the damaged underground line using nearby pipes.

The area expected to be hardest hit is the U.S. West Coast, whose refineries rely heavily on Alaskan crude and whose drivers pay some of the highest prices for gasoline in the U.S.

"You can't replace 600,000 barrels per day overnight, especially when there's no other production close by," said Ed Morse, head of commodities research at Credit Suisse.

While the pipeline shutdown is just a "seasonal blip" for the time being, if it drags on "it could be a strong factor in potentially pushing up oil towards $100 a barrel," he said. If Saudi Arabia decided to increase production to compensate, it would take more than 60 days to do so. Crude-oil futures in New York closed Friday at $88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

With West Coast inventory levels already tight, analysts said it would take only a few days for the shutdown to have an appreciable impact on the oil market.

Yet analysts said there is little likelihood of severe supply shortages on the West Coast—at least for now. A large volume of crude oil is held in storage at the Valdez terminal, and refineries can buy more Middle Eastern, Russian and Latin American grades on the spot market. And once the pipeline returns to service, it will be relatively easy for companies to catch up on lost production, a BP spokesman said.

Alyeska said the source of the leak appeared to be underground piping that is encased in concrete. It said the source had been isolated and crews began recovering oil from the site at 4 p.m. local times on Saturday.

Alyeska briefly shut down the network last May, after a power outage at a different pumping station caused a tank to overflow and spill several thousand barrels of oil into a gravel containment area. While the system was shut down, Alyeska ordered producers to cut their pipeline shipments to 16% of normal, according to a statement on Alyeska's website.

—Cassandra Sweet contributed to this article.
 
10 gallons!!!!!????? Give me a break! Good thing we've shut down off shore drilling in the Gulf. What a country!!! TEN GALLONS......................
 
tjnamtiw said:
10 gallons!!!!!????? Give me a break! Good thing we've shut down off shore drilling in the Gulf. What a country!!! TEN GALLONS......................
Maybe they forgot to add the correct number of zeros on the end of that TEN GALLONS. They stated it was 10 barrels.
 
No, that's probably right. There was another spill of about the same size some months back where they closed a portion of the pipeline. When you think that milk is considered a HAZMAT substance, anything is possible. Yep, spill milk near a stream and it is a full blown HAZMAT issue.
 
HAZMAT you got to love it. I dug out a tree stump last year that was right at the edge of my drive way, get this it's hazmat. The town land fill will not take it. There are company's around that will take it off my hands if I bring it to them for the low fee of $200. It's still sitting in my yard rotting.
 

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I may be wrong but my understanding is that almost all of the oil from the Alaskan pipeline is exported to China and other countries in eastern Asia because they pay big money for it, more than the American public would want to pay.

One of the best reasons to own a pellet stove is to reduce our own individual dependency on oil.
 
Shortstuff said:
I may be wrong but my understanding is that almost all of the oil from the Alaskan pipeline is exported to China and other countries in eastern Asia because they pay big money for it, more than the American public would want to pay.

One of the best reasons to own a pellet stove is to reduce our own individual dependency on oil.

This may be true but it will just be another way for the oil company's to get our prices up and their profits up.

Yes owning a pellet stove cuts our dependence on oil and it's one of the many reasons I have one.
 
Shortstuff said:
I may be wrong but my understanding is that almost all of the oil from the Alaskan pipeline is exported to China and other countries in eastern Asia because they pay big money for it, more than the American public would want to pay.

One of the best reasons to own a pellet stove is to reduce our own individual dependency on oil.

Lots of petrol involved in getting the product from the forest and into your stove.

It's less efficient than using natural gas.
 
Checkthisout said:
Shortstuff said:
I may be wrong but my understanding is that almost all of the oil from the Alaskan pipeline is exported to China and other countries in eastern Asia because they pay big money for it, more than the American public would want to pay.

One of the best reasons to own a pellet stove is to reduce our own individual dependency on oil.

Lots of petrol involved in getting the product from the forest and into your stove.

It's less efficient than using natural gas.

Natural gas??? None of that in these parts... closer to the city yes but, not an option out here in Tahuya, WA.
 
Checkthisout said:
Shortstuff said:
I may be wrong but my understanding is that almost all of the oil from the Alaskan pipeline is exported to China and other countries in eastern Asia because they pay big money for it, more than the American public would want to pay.

One of the best reasons to own a pellet stove is to reduce our own individual dependency on oil.

Lots of petrol involved in getting the product from the forest and into your stove.

It's less efficient than using natural gas.
There was a lot of petrol used to get that natural gas to your house too.
If natural gas was available in my area I would be burning that too. Propane is out of the question so I use the SAFE heating oil that I can buy when I want to, maybe 200 to 225 gallons per year for hot water and the little bit of heat I might need.
 
If you think gasoline is expensive now, just wait until the greed really sets in starting in May.
There is still not, after all the years of political talk, a National Energy Policy.
 
I guess thats one way to get the price up to 5.00 a gallon like the people they pay to predict the future price will be. Sounds like another oil exec or politician needs another raise? The prices will be affected just like when there's a hurricane predicted the prices jump instantly. The storm my not come within 1000 miles of the refinery's but the prices will go up because of it. That pipeline is getting old and is a tough environment i'm surprised they don't have more leaks.
 
What ever happened to the "rebuilding America's energy infrastructure" ? NG lines need to be ran up the streets to the residential areas so we have access to Natural Gas so we can the use the stuff. bjr23
 
Years ago the Department of Energy was created to make the US self-sufficient energy wise. Tell me why we still have an agency that has failed miserably. There is one massive cost reduction just by eliminating them. Fire them for not doing their job! The price of gasoline will go up as Obama promised because his appointees are enacting layers and layers of red tape on the refiners and oil drillers that will, of course, be passed on to us. It will be cheaper to buy off-shore oil from his political contributors like George Soros.
Yes, there are NG lines within a few blocks of me but for 20 years they refused to run them to our development even though we gave them a petition signed by ALL of us promising to switch to NG if they ran the line. 20 years worth of profit for them down the drain and a small fortune spent by me to upgrade my heat pumps twice to higher efficiency units as they came available.
 
All, once again, thanks to self-serving and incompetent politicians in Washington DC and at the state level; those that have no clue to clear priorities and necessary legislation.

Come next election day, clean house of them all!
 
FordMastertech said:
HAZMAT you got to love it. I dug out a tree stump last year that was right at the edge of my drive way, get this it's hazmat. The town land fill will not take it. There are company's around that will take it off my hands if I bring it to them for the low fee of $200. It's still sitting in my yard rotting.
It's not haz waste!
It's green waste which is banned from most if not all landfills in the US.
 
unfortunateLEE said:
FordMastertech said:
HAZMAT you got to love it. I dug out a tree stump last year that was right at the edge of my drive way, get this it's hazmat. The town land fill will not take it. There are company's around that will take it off my hands if I bring it to them for the low fee of $200. It's still sitting in my yard rotting.
It's not haz waste!
It's green waste which is banned from most if not all landfills in the US.

And some composting facilities [or town landfills / transfer stations] won't take them because they don't have a stump grinder.

I split my stump up and burned outside.
 
FordMastertech said:
HAZMAT you got to love it. I dug out a tree stump last year that was right at the edge of my drive way, get this it's hazmat. The town land fill will not take it. There are company's around that will take it off my hands if I bring it to them for the low fee of $200. It's still sitting in my yard rotting.

Looks like one giant pellet to me, lol. Should burn for a few.. weeks.
 
That's also why I use a pellet stove.NO OIL TO ARABIA,or anywhere else for that matter.I have NG 40 ft.from me,but not running by my house.They want 10k the run it down my street.No need to guess where I told them to run their pipe!!! I agree,Our energy dept.is a joke.If they want us to get away from oil,why not run the pipes?
 
Actually, a wood turner who specializes in large bowls would probably come get it. A friend of mine turns bowls out of stumps and large trunks that are so big he loads them onto his lathe with a fork truck! Google wood turners in your area and give them a call.
 
Shortstuff said:
I may be wrong but my understanding is that almost all of the oil from the Alaskan pipeline is exported to China and other countries in eastern Asia because they pay big money for it, more than the American public would want to pay.

One of the best reasons to own a pellet stove is to reduce our own individual dependency on oil.

yeah and increase your personal dependency on some jack ass to make pellets for you, be self reliant Burn wood to heat your home! I own a pellet stovetoo!
 
FordMastertech said:
HAZMAT you got to love it. I dug out a tree stump last year that was right at the edge of my drive way, get this it's hazmat. The town land fill will not take it. There are company's around that will take it off my hands if I bring it to them for the low fee of $200. It's still sitting in my yard rotting.

A solution for you, dig a nice deep hole and bury it or use the hole as a burn pit and get a burn permit.
 
SmokeyTheBear said:
FordMastertech said:
HAZMAT you got to love it. I dug out a tree stump last year that was right at the edge of my drive way, get this it's hazmat. The town land fill will not take it. There are company's around that will take it off my hands if I bring it to them for the low fee of $200. It's still sitting in my yard rotting.

A solution for you, dig a nice deep hole and bury it or use the hole as a burn pit and get a burn permit.

I have another stump in the back yard that I have my fire pit on, see I burn real wood too, and it has taken a few years to get that stump burnt out.
Digging a hole is a option but the rocks in the ground around here are ridiculous.
The only reason I dug it out in the first place was to widen the drive way and I don't want sink holes in the new pavement.
My neighbor behind me has a lot of land so it will probably find a home up there in the woods at some time, was to busy last year building a porch across the front of the house to worry about the stump after I got it out of the ground. The Porch isn't finished, was too hot in the summer and weather turned cold to early.
Before and after shots below.
 

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FordMastertech said:
Shortstuff said:
I may be wrong but my understanding is that almost all of the oil from the Alaskan pipeline is exported to China and other countries in eastern Asia because they pay big money for it, more than the American public would want to pay.

One of the best reasons to own a pellet stove is to reduce our own individual dependency on oil.

This may be true but it will just be another way for the oil company's to get our prices up and their profits up.

Yes owning a pellet stove cuts our dependence on oil and it's one of the many reasons I have one.

Used to go to Japan but not anymore according to my secret sources!
 
SmokeyTheBear said:
FordMastertech said:
HAZMAT you got to love it. I dug out a tree stump last year that was right at the edge of my drive way, get this it's hazmat. The town land fill will not take it. There are company's around that will take it off my hands if I bring it to them for the low fee of $200. It's still sitting in my yard rotting.

A solution for you, dig a nice deep hole and bury it or use the hole as a burn pit and get a burn permit.

Wasn't it just IN a nice big hole?
 
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