Risk of Oil Spills Moves Onshore

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2006/mar/23/032308250.html

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Since the Exxon Valdez caused the worst oil spill in the nation's history, tankers that ship Alaska's crude oil to the West Coast have become stronger, with double hulls and redundant operating systems for safety.

Two escort vessels guide the tankers out of Prince William Sound. And more equipment is housed nearby to respond if a spill happens again.

With the 17th anniversary of the 11 million-gallon spill on Friday, some say the potential for oil spill disasters has shifted onshore. Corrosion in the aging oil supply system is seen by some as a growing threat to the state's pipeline system, as evidenced by a leak on the North Slope this month.

"I think many of us are seriously concerned about the aging and the deterioration of the pipeline and the facilities," said John Devens, executive director of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council.

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/23/valdez.ap/index.html

For five days or more, a transit line operated by BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. upstream of the 800-mile-long main pipeline leaked up to 267,000 gallons of crude from a small hole onto the frozen tundra.

Transit lines generally have not been subjected to regulations as rigorous as the main line, although state regulatory officials say that could change because of the spill. State environmental regulators said the spill will likely lead to fines.
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The main pipeline, which stretches from Prudhoe Bay in the North Slope to Valdez in Prince William Sound, will be 30 years old in 2007. Less than half the oil is flowing now than at peak production, but the oil industry and state officials figure on at least another 30 years of life out of the pipeline.
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However, as the oil fields of the North Slope decline, the quality of oil is also declining, meaning coarser and heavier crude is flowing down the pipe, causing stress on it. That's what happened in the North Slope spill, BP officials said.
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