‘Dangerous’ pipeline tampering incident not reported to federal safety regulators 

‘Dangerous’ pipeline tampering incident not reported to federal safety regulators 

by Brett Dahlberg, WCMU News (November 20, 2021) – Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, called the 5-day rule “a loophole that drives us crazy.” He said the trust has been urging legislators and regulators for close to a decade to require reporting of all safety problems regardless of how long they last. Caram said emergency valve shutoffs can over pressurize and weaken pipelines. He said the October incident on Line 5 is an example of a situation that should trigger a report but was exempt from current reporting rules. “The unplanned closure of a valve is a condition that could lead to an imminent hazard. We believe regulators should know when these kinds of potential imminent hazards have happened on a pipeline,” Caram said. “It doesn’t matter that it was fixed within five days or not. Just the fact that it happened makes it worth reporting.”