skip to navigation | skip to content
Inslee listens to a constituent.

Montage of Wing Point in Bainbridge Island and the Edmonds Ferry.

Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District

Home > Issues > Pipeline > Summary

Issues

Pipeline Safety

Numerous Seam Failures Cited
Clear Need for Hydrostatic Testing on U.S. Steel Pipe

This document supports my contention that Olympic Pipeline’s entire 16-inch line should be hydrostatic tested prior to restart, and my belief that all people living along this line deserve the same high level of protection and peace of mind residents of Whatcom County now have.

Hydrostatic testing of pipelines is the only way to detect potential longitudinal seam failures. Internal "smart pig" inspections cannot detect these problems.

According to OPS’ own regulation (CFR 195.303(d)), "All pre-1970 ERW pipe and lapwelded pipe is deemed susceptible to longitudinal seam failures…" Despite this regulation, The Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) ordered Olympic Pipeline Company to only hydrostatic test parts of the 16-inch line containing pre-1970 ERW pipe manufactured by Lone Star Steel, even though the line is composed primarily of pre-1970 ERW pipe, manufactured by U.S. Steel Corporation.

OPS’ and Olympic Pipeline’s have asserted all along that it is unnecessary to test U.S. Steel pipe since it was the Lone Star Steel that had a history of experiencing seam failures. My office has recently found that OPS’ data show that U.S. Steel Corporation also has a record for longitudinal weld failures.

Both tables only show failures for gas pipelines. Unfortunately, comparable information on liquid pipelines is not collected by OPS. Pipeline experts have confirmed to my office that the only significant factor in causing a longitudinal weld failure is the pressure inside the pipe, regardless of the contents of the pipe. In fact, both liquid and gas pipelines are built to the same specification: American Petroleum Institute (API) 5LX.

The tables compare the number of failures of electric-resistance longitudinal welded pipes manufactured by U.S. Steel Corporation, and Lone Star Steel from 1970 to mid 1984. It is OPS’ contention that only Lone Star Steel pipes have a history of failure as a result of this type of manufacturing. The fact is, according to OPS records, from 1970 to 1984, U.S. Steel pipe experienced 38 longitudinal weld failures, whereas Lone Star Steel had 35.