Utah; Chevron's Petroleum Pipeline Ruptures, Spills Oil

The timing for this latest accident follows the giant BP spill in the Gulf, two separate pipeline explosions in TX (Dallas and Lubbock), all prior to the planned construction of the Ruby Pipeline, one of the longest natural gas pipelines to cross through pristine habitat, watersheds and seismic faults.

It was reported that 50 gallons per minute leaked out of the pipeline's quarter sized hole for several hours before anyone noticed. Residents quickly placed booms around the spill to prevent further movement down the watershed into Farmington Bay Refuge.




"An oil spill that briefly threatened Utah's Great Salt Lake last weekend may have been caused by an electrical arc burning a small hole in a Chevron Corp. pipeline, the company reported Monday.

The spill, first spotted on Saturday morning, poured 33,600 gallons of crude oil into a creek on the eastern edge of Salt Lake City, near the University of Utah campus. Emergency crews stopped the oil before it reached the lake, but not before the crude coated about 200 birds.

Chevron, based in San Ramon, will pay for the cleanup, the costs of which aren't yet known.

"We have assumed full responsibility for this," said company spokesman Sean Comey. "Money isn't the issue right now. Whatever resources need to be deployed to get the job done is what we'll do."

Most of the spilled oil had been collected by Monday afternoon, Comey said. But the company was still investigating why its pipeline, which brings oil from Colorado to Chevron's Salt Lake City refinery, sprang a leak.

Investigators found a hole roughly the size of a quarter in the top of the pipeline, where it runs through Red Butte Canyon. The breached section of pipe lies underground, inches away from a metal fence post outside an electrical substation, and Chevron investigators believe that an electrical arc from the fence may have created the hole. The cause of the arc, however, remains under investigation.

Although it may have started Friday night, the spill came to light around 6:50 a.m. Saturday, after neighbors noticed the smell of petroleum in the air. Oil was found streaming through Red Butte Creek, which feeds into the Jordan River and, eventually, the Great Salt Lake.

Chevron shut off the pipeline east of the rupture, stanching the flow of crude. But by then, the oil had already contaminated the creek banks and some of the waterfowl living there. Oiled birds were taken to Hogle Zoo for cleaning.

"Speaking with neighbors affected by this spill, and seeing the environmental and wildlife impacts, I am saddened about the extent of the damages and will do all I can to ensure our city's natural assets are restored," said Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, in a prepared statement.

The spill comes at an inopportune time for the oil industry. An ongoing spill from an undersea oil well run by BP has poured millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, subjecting the industry's practices and safety record to intense public scrutiny."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/14/BU1U1DV1A7.DTL

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/14/BU1U1DV1A7.DTL#ixzz0r0hwIk3f

When too many intrusions underground get their wires crossed;

"The issue concerns a fence that Rocky Mountain Power says was installed in the early 1980s. One of those posts was either touching or within inches of the Chevron's pipeline, according to the Salt Lake City Fire Department. Due to charring on the pipe, investigators believe the fence post was somehow electrified and basically melted a quarter-size hole in the pipeline, which then spewed an estimated 33,000 gallons (correction 6/15/10 3 p.m.: this post originally used the incorrect units) of crude oil into Red Butte creek about 30 feet away. Precisely how the fence post was electrified--either lightning, the nearby transmission line, or something else--is still subject to investigation. Investigators say there is no evidence that suggests either sabotage or terrorism."

entire article here;
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/blog-3761-blue-stakes-prez-comments-on-chevron-oil-spill.html

What seems to be happening following the BP disaster is contrary to reason; establishment Republicans are calling for additional oil and gas drilling throughout the interior regions of the west. The above mentioned proposed Ruby Pipeline would be transporting large quantities of natural gas coming from Wyoming into California across hundred of miles of seismically active pristine mountain habitat. There's so few places left untouched by the ravages of civilization, guess the current human legacy on Earth is to fuck up as many pretty places as we possibly can before we make ourselves extinct!!

Either petroleum or natural gas corporations will attempt to profit by extracting and selling off gas and oil deposits found under public land. The people and ecosystems get to take all the risk and reap none of the profits, while corporate execs can take their money and run. What happens once the gas/oil deposits are removed and the corporations move on? Leave the place a superfund site and all those jobs will disappear when the oil and gas dries up also!!

More manipulation from establishment Republicans;

"As the magnitude of the Gulf Oil spill began unfolding, Utah's Republican Governor Gary Herbert decided to use the catastrophe as a talking point in his battle with the U.S. government over drilling policies on federal lands in Utah. Herbert is demanding more drilling for his Big Oil allies. Then this past weekend an oily disaster struck right in Salt Lake City. According to the Salt Lake Tribune "a leak from Chevron's underground oil pipeline may have gone undetected for hours as it spilled 50 gallons of crude a minute Saturday into Salt Lake City's Red Butte Creek. The oil blackened the east-side creek, stained scores of birds, prompted the closure of Liberty Park and sent oil as far west as the Jordan River."
"

above article found here;
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2010/06/another-oil-spill-in-salt-lake-city.html

Purchasing natural gas coming out from a corporation's pipeline isn't the path to energy independence either!

Here's an option that enables local ownership and control, long term instead of short term jobs and true energy independence by simply recycling organic wastes into methane;

http://www.biomethane.com


Biomethane background;

"Biomethane or "Renewable Natural Gas" is practically the same as is a gas that contains molecules of methane with one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen (CH4 ). It is the major component of the "natural" gas used in many homes for cooking and heating. It is odorless, colorless, and yields about 1,000 British Thermal Units (Btu) [252 kilocalories (kcal)] of heat energy per cubic foot (0.028 cubic meters) when burned.

Natural gas, or methane, is a fossil fuel - was created hundreds of thousands of years ago by the anaerobic decomposition of organic materials (primarily algae). It is often found in association with oil and coal.

The same types of anaerobic bacteria that produce natural gas also produce biomethane today. Anaerobic bacteria are some of the oldest forms of life on earth. They evolved before the photosynthesis of green plants released large quantities of oxygen into the atmosphere. Anaerobic bacteria break down or "digest" organic material in the absence of oxygen and produce "Biomethane" as a waste product. (Aerobic decomposition, or composting, requires large amounts of oxygen and produces heat.)

Anaerobic decomposition occurs naturally in swamps, water-logged soils and rice fields, deep bodies of water, and in the digestive systems of termites and large animals. Anaerobic processes can be managed in a "digester" (an airtight tank) or a covered lagoon (a pond used to store manure) for waste treatment. The primary benefits of anaerobic digestion are nutrient recycling, waste treatment, and odor control. Except in very large systems, biomethane production is a highly useful but secondary benefit.

Biomethane produced in anaerobic digesters consists of methane (50%–80%), carbon dioxide (20%–50%), and trace levels of other gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen sulfide. The relative percentage of these gases in biomethane depends on the feed material and management of the process. When burned, a cubic foot (0.028 cubic meters) of biomethane yields about 10 Btu (2.52 kcal) of heat energy per percentage of methane composition. For example, biomethane composed of 65% methane yields 650 Btu per cubic foot (5,857 kcal/cubic meter).

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic decomposition is a complex process. It occurs in three basic stages as the result of the activity of a variety of microorganisms. Initially, a group of microorganisms converts organic material to a form that a second group of organisms utilizes to form organic acids. Methane-producing (methanogenic) anaerobic bacteria utilize these acids and complete the decomposition process.

A variety of factors affect the rate of digestion and Biomethane production. The most important is temperature. Anaerobic bacteria communities can endure temperatures ranging from below freezing to above 135° Fahrenheit (F) (57.2° Centigrade [C]), but they thrive best at temperatures of about 98°F (36.7°C) (mesophilic) and 130°F (54.4°C) (thermophilic). Bacteria activity, and thus biomethane production, falls off significantly between about 103° and 125°F (39.4° and 51.7°C) and gradually from 95° to 32°F (35° to 0°C).

In the thermophilic range, decomposition and biomethane production occur more rapidly than in the mesophilic range. However, the process is highly sensitive to disturbances, such as changes in feed materials or temperature. While all anaerobic digesters reduce the viability of weed seeds and disease-producing (pathogenic) organisms, the higher temperatures of thermophilic digestion result in more complete destruction. Although anaerobic digesters operated in the mesophilic range must be larger (to accommodate a longer period of decomposition within the tank (hydraulic retention time), the process is less sensitive to upset or change in operating regimen.

To optimize the digestion process, anaerobic digesters must be kept at a consistent temperature, as rapid changes will upset bacterial activity. In most areas of the United States, digestion vessels require some level of insulation and/or heating. Some installations circulate the coolant from their biomethane-powered engines in or around the digester to keep it warm, while others burn part of the biomethane to heat the digester. In a properly designed system, heating generally results in an increase in biomethane production during colder periods. The trade-offs in maintaining optimum digester temperatures to maximize gas production while minimizing expenses are somewhat complex. Studies on digesters in the north-central areas of the country indicate that maximum net biomethane production can occur in anaerobic digesters maintained at temperatures as low as 72°F (22.2°C).

Other factors affect the rate and amount of biomethane output. These include pH, water/solids ratio, carbon/nitrogen ratio, mixing of the digesting material, the particle size of the material being digested, and retention time. Pre-sizing and mixing of the feed material for a uniform consistency allows the bacteria to work more quickly. The pH is self-regulating in most cases. Bicarbonate of soda can be added to maintain a consistent pH; for example, when too much "green" or material high in nitrogen content is added. It may be necessary to add water to the feed material if it is too dry or if the nitrogen content is very high. A carbon/nitrogen ratio of 20/1 to 30/1 is best. Occasional mixing or agitation of the digesting material can aid the digestion process. Antibiotics in livestock feed have been known to kill the anaerobic bacteria in digesters. Complete digestion, and retention times, depend on all of the above factors."

more info here;
http://www.anaerobicdigesters.com/