The Trust in the News - Pipeline Safety Trust

2022

Carbon Dioxide Pipelines Are Going Dangerously Unregulated by Molly Taft, Gizmodo (May 17, 2022) – “There are so many gaping regulatory holes that need to be filled, and so much R&D that needs to be done,” said Bill Caram, the deputy director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit that focuses on safety issues and regulations. Caram said that his organization has had productive conversations with regulators and anticipates that at least some changes will be made before any national pipelines are built. “It does seem like folks are taking this seriously now, and I hope that’s the case,” Caram said. “I hope some action is taken sooner than later.”
Marathon ends updates on Edwardsville spill, provides scant details on recovery by Meredith Howard, Belleville News-Democrat (May 10, 2022) – The Pipeline Safety Trust is a nonprofit organization that advocates for environmental safety and regulation. Executive Director Bill Caram said it was unusual Marathon officials actually knew about the pipeline movement. “The technology to learn about the position of your pipeline is not widely used in the industry. It’s not required in the regulation, and so it’s actually impressive that Marathon had collected this level of information,” Caram said in an April 14 interview with the News-Democrat. “But of course, ultimately the most important step is acting on that information before a spill happens.”
Aging pipelines pose problem for Illinois by Scott Marion, The Edwardsville Intelligencer (May 2, 2022) – Caram noted that pipeline incidents increase with the age of the pipe. Surprisingly, though, certain types of new pipes have a higher-than-expected incident rate. “There is something called a ‘bathtub curve’ where if you chart out incidents by year of installation, you often see the shape of a bathtub, where the older the pipe is, the higher the incidents are,” Caram said. “But with some newer pipes, you can also get more incidents. “Newer pipelines can have engineering issues that they haven’t worked out, so they tend to fail at a higher rate. Hinges or welds can break or get weaker, and corrosion can wreak havoc on a line.”
RADIO INTERVIEW: SAFETY ADVOCATE WARNS OF A LACK OF OVERSIGHT FOR NEW CO2 PIPELINES NEEDED FOR CARBON CAPTURE by Kara Holsopple, The Allegheny Front (April 29, 2022) – “Currently, there are about 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines, and they’re used almost entirely for what’s called enhanced oil recovery, where some older oil and gas wells will inject CO2 down into the well in order to get the last bits of oil and gas out of a well. Generally, right now, the CO2 pipelines will take CO2 from a single source and move it to a single oil field for injection.”
VIDEO INTERVIEW: Methane emissions from pipelines cancel climate benefits of move to natural gas: Bill Caram by BNN Bloomberg (April 28, 2022) – Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, tells BNN Bloomberg that major leaks and emissions of methane from natural gas pipelines in the U.S. are only being noticed now because they are spotted by satellites from space. He notes that operators are not even required to report these leaks at present, and are compensated for lost product, so they have no incentive to minimize emissions. Caram points to reports saying there’s now more climate damage coming from natural gas than from coal due to methane emissions.
Hundreds of South Dakota residents concerned about proposed carbon pipeline by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square (April 27, 2022) – One organization said carbon dioxide pipelines are not worth the risk. The Pipeline Safety Trust issued a report last month outlining its concerns. “Carbon dioxide has different physical properties from products typically moved in hazardous hydrocarbon liquid or natural gas transmission pipelines,” the organization said. ‘Those differences pose unique safety hazards and greatly increase the possible affected area or potential impact radius upon a pipeline release that would endanger the public. CO2 pipeline ruptures can impact areas measured in miles, not feet. The way regulations currently consider and mitigate for the risks posed by hydrocarbon pipelines in communities are neither appropriate nor sufficient for CO2 pipelines.”
Smell gas? Getting it fixed may depend on race and income by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (April 25, 2022) – But the disparities do raise safety concerns, said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a safety advocacy group. He said the danger zone around distribution mains and service lines is often large enough that a blast on a street could reach businesses and residences. “In many of the vulnerable communities identified in the study, there is often greater housing density,” Caram said, “putting many more people within that potential danger zone, compared to communities with less density.”
CO2 pipelines are coming. A pipeline safety expert says we’re not ready. by Emily Pontecorvo, Grist (April 18, 2022) – The most concerning finding in the new report, according to Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, is that regulations for assessing the potential impacts of a CO2 pipeline rupture were not developed specifically for CO2. “If I had to pick one finding of the report that would keep me up at night as a public safety advocate, it’s that one,” said Caram. The residents of Satartia, Mississippi, learned this the hard way in 2020 when a CO2 pipeline ruptured and a plume of CO2 settled over the town, causing people to feel dizzy, nauseous, and disoriented. Many passed out. Forty-nine people went to the hospital. PHMSA has yet to release an incident report detailing the cause of the rupture. “That incident happened over two years ago,” said Caram. “It’s crazy that communities are being asked to bear the burden of the risk of these pipelines when this report sits unreleased with all these unanswered questions.”
Unregulated Texas gas pipeline triggers a huge methane leak by Aaron Clark and Maureen Malik, Bloomberg (April 18, 2022) – Except for rare over-pressurization events that can pose significant safety risks, there are almost always ways to significantly minimize methane releases from pipelines, according to Bill Caram, executive director at the Pipeline Safety Trust. However, these techniques haven’t been required in the U.S. Since pipeline operators are reimbursed for any lost or unaccounted gas through their negotiated rates, they have no financial incentive to keep the gas in the pipe, he added.“Ultimately, the consumer is paying for all of this climate-wrecking methane being released into the atmosphere,’’ Caram said in an email.
Great Plains Farmers Push Back Against CO2 Pipelines Encroaching on Their Land by Leanna First-Arai, Truthout (April 9, 2022) – According to Pipeline Safety Trust, when CO2 is released from a pipeline, it’s heavier than air. Invisible plumes can crawl across various types of terrain, then settle in low-lying areas, like valleys and ravines. The gas is an asphyxiant and can lead to death, in addition to depriving emergency response vehicles of oxygen and stalling them, significantly slowing or impeding rescue operations. In the midst of the flurry of proposed lines, existing policies do not ensure the safe transport of the gas, Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, said in a statement in March, ahead of the release of a full report on the matter. “There are little to no regulations around appropriate siting, limiting dangerous and corrosive impurities, or building the pipelines to withstand the unique properties of transporting high pressure CO2,” Caram said.
Federal rules for CO2 pipelines outdated, ‘could threaten safety,’ watchdog report says by Erin Jordan, The Gazette (April 1, 2022) – “The country is ill prepared for the increase of CO2 pipeline mileage being driven by federal (carbon capture and storage) policy,” consultant Richard Kuprewicz wrote in the March 23 report commissioned by the Pipeline Safety Trust in Bellingham, Wash. “Federal pipeline safety regulations need to be quickly changed to rise to this new challenge, and to assure that the public has confidence in the federal pipeline safety regulations.”
Government CO2 Pipeline rupture report not released until two years later by Beth Warden, Dakota News Now (March 31, 2022) Meanwhile, experts continue to wait for the official government report on the leak in Mississippi two years after the fact. The report could greatly affect the plans for both Summit Carbon Solutions and Navigator’s CO2 Heartland Greenway pipelines, here in South Dakota. “My heart does go out to the people of South Dakota that are being asked to bear this unknown risk in their backyards,” said Bill Caram with Pipeline Safety Trust.
Are CO2 pipelines safe? by Mike Soraghan, Carlos Anchondo, E&E News (March 31, 2022) -The group described the pipelines as “terribly under-regulated” on its website. “[We] call on PHMSA to close these regulatory absences as quickly as possible to make the upcoming buildout safer to the people who will live around them,” Bill Caram, executive director of the group, said in a statement.
What new reporting rules mean for pipelines by Alex Cohen, Reuters (March 28, 2022) – [This is a video Interview with Executive Director Bill Caram about cyber security and pipelines]
Public hearings begin on proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in South Dakota by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square (March 21, 2022) “There are little to no regulations around appropriate siting, limiting dangerous and corrosive impurities or building the pipelines to withstand the unique properties of transporting high pressure fluid CO2,” Caram said in an email to The Center Square. “CO2 is an asphyxiant which is heavier than air and therefore, after a pipeline rupture, a plume can maintain a lethal concentration over large distances.”
Edwardsville oil spill is among the largest here in recent years by Bryce Gray, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 21, 2022) “This is a very large spill,” said Bill Caram, the executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit focused on pipeline safety issues. “This is more than you usually see.” Caram said that, although much of the oil from the spill has been recovered, the magnitude of the incident raised cause for concern. “With a spill of this size there’s definitely a concern with the health of the entire creek, and (about) seeping down into groundwater,” he said.
Oil and gas lobby files to slash new federal pipeline safety rule by Laina G. Stebbins, Michigan Advance (March 9, 2022) “Pipeline operators have enjoyed this regulatory loophole for far too long and Congress has twice mandated this very specific fix,” said PST Executive Director Bill Caram. “This bad faith stalling effort puts our prized coastal waters, including the Great Lakes, which contain 84% of North America’s surface fresh water, at unnecessary risk.”
Oil and gas industry groups try to block implementation of rule to better protect the Great Lakes by Lester Graham, Michigan Radio (March 6, 2022) “Unusually Sensitive Areas fall under stricter regulations as to how an operator has to maintain the integrity of the pipe, which would lower the possibility of a failure,” explained Bill Caram, executive director of the watchdog group Pipeline Safety Trust. Caram said the filing by the industry groups came as a surprise for many because it was clear that the Great Lakes should have been better protected all along. “I certainly didn’t expect it. This [the previous rule] was an obvious shortfall of the definition. Senator [Gary] Peters and other lawmakers mandated the federal agency that that this loophole be fixed. PHMSA, the regulator, did that in a relatively straightforward manner, and so this definitely took us by surprise.”
Pipeline spill in Lawrenceville — now being cleaned up — first went undetected by Molly Samuel, WABE (March 1, 2022) “In an ideal world, Kinder Morgan would have a really robust leak detection system on this pipeline. And they would know very quickly when there was product leaking out of their pipeline, and they could respond to it,” he said. “In this case, their leak detection system never detected anything. And they had to rely on a resident spotting it.”
What’s that smell? Fuel pipeline leak hits Ga. by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (March 1, 2022) “Once again weak pipeline leak detection systems are proved useless and the operator relies on a passerby’s observation to alert them to what is happening on their system,” Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, said in a statement yesterday. “It’s well past time to start requiring operators to have accurate, reliable, sensitive, and robust leak detection systems on the pipelines in our neighborhoods and treasured places.”
First CO2 Pipeline application filed with PUC as landowners ask about safety, eminent domain of a for-profit company by Beth Warden, Dakota News Now (February 22, 2022) Caram says if there will be a CO2 pipeline in South Dakota, there are things to make a CO2 pipeline safer, which currently are not required. “And so adding an odorant like they do with natural gas so that people know that there’s been a release, installing what are called fracture arresters at pretty close distances. A valve can act as an arrestor, and often these valves are only every 10 miles and that’s just too far away,” said Caram.
Florida Says Methane Cloud Seen From Space Came From Pipeline by Francesca Maglione, Bloomberg (February 18, 2022) “Aside from rare over-pressurization events there is almost always a mitigation method that can reduce methane released into the atmosphere as much as 90% during pipeline work,’’ Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director Bill Caram said. “There is no financial incentive for pipeline operators to minimize these methane releases since operators are compensated for this gas through provisions in regulated rates. Ultimately, consumers are the ones paying for these climate-wrecking gas releases.’’
Pipeline’s safeguards not working in Louisiana diesel spill by Matthew Brown and Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press (February 7, 2022) “There are no standards on how sensitive, accurate, robust, or reliable they need to be,” said Bill Caram with the Pipeline Safety Trust, a Bellingham, Washington-based group that has pushed for stronger regulation of the industry. “I can’t help but assume that leaks would be caught much faster and the impact to people and the environment significantly lessened if operators’ leak detection systems were held to some sort of standard.”
Carbon dioxide pipelines planned for Minnesota fall into regulatory black hole by Mike Hughlett, StarTribune (February 5, 2022) “CO2 is a hazardous material that can lead to absolutely disastrous ruptures,” said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a Washington state-based group. While CO2 isn’t explosive like natural gas, it’s an asphyxiant that can be fatal in large doses. CO2 flowing through pipelines is pressurized. It has the density of a liquid and the viscosity of gas — both good traits for transport. But in a rupture, CO2 rapidly depressurizes and returns to a pure gas phase, raising the risk of “ductile fractures,” said the Pipeline Safety Trust’s Caram. “If there is a ductile fracture, it can rip the line like a zipper and it can be miles long,” he said.
CO2 pipeline plans raise fears, but blasts and leaks rare in Eastern Iowa by Erin Jordan, The Gazette (January 31, 2022) The energy industry, regulators and pipeline safety advocates have worked to inform people who live near pipelines and excavator contractors about the potential risk of a leak or line strike, said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, based in Bellingham, Wash.
Federal pipeline agency shifts focus to cut methane by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (January 18, 2022) Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a safety advocacy group, pushed back harder, saying the agency and industry need to follow Congress’ mandate. “We’re in a climate crisis,” Caram said.
Pipeline spills 300,000 gallons of diesel near New Orleans by Janet McConnaughey and Matthew Brown, Associated Press (January 12, 2022) “It’s especially maddening to learn that Collins Pipeline’s initial analysis deemed the pipe in such poor condition that it warranted an immediate repair,” said Bill Caram with the Pipeline Safety Trust. The Bellingham, Washington-based organization advocates for more stringent oversight of the nation’s sprawling network of pipelines transporting oil, natural gas and other hazardous fuels.
Spokane City Council hesitatingly approves new deal with pipeline operator by Adam Shanks, Spokesman Review (January 9, 2022) Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, acknowledged that Spokane’s deal has an unusual level of protections for the city but added, “that says more about how weak they tend to be than it does about the relative strength of this franchise agreement.”
Pipeline shuts down after large spill near Mississippi River by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (January 5, 2022) Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, called it “maddening” that the problem wasn’t fixed more than a year after it was discovered. He also flagged a portion of PHMSA’s order explaining that the inspection found the problem warranted immediate repair, but that was changed after the vendor reevaluated the data and found less damage. “Now we have over 300,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled, a mere few hundred feet from our treasured Mississippi River,” Caram said.

2021

Battle heats up over gap in federal pipeline rules by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (December 23, 2021) Pipeline Safety Trust’s Caram bristles at that assertion, saying it “ignores the fact that just three years ago 3-year-old Delaney Tercero was killed by an explosion from a 10-inch diameter gas gathering pipeline while inside her home in Midland, Texas.” “The industry continues to hamstring progress,” said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust. Delaying and chipping away at the rule, he said, will allow industry “to continue to get away with negligent practices, which will continue to lead to the loss of life in our rural communities and unconscionable amounts of methane leaks further destabilizing our climate.”
Gas industry pushback revives decade-long debate over major gathering line rule by Tom DiChristopher, SP Global (December 22, 2021) “The industry continues to hamstring progress,” Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director Bill Caram said in a Dec. 16 press release. “The proposed petition by GPA Midstream and API would gut the key parts of the new rule, allowing the industry to continue to get away with negligent practices, which will continue to lead to the loss of life in our rural communities and unconscionable amounts of methane leaks further destabilizing our climate.”
Texas pipeline company charged in California oil spill by Brian Melley and Matthew Brown, Associated Press (December 15, 2021) Pipeline safety advocate Bill Caram said the indictment paints a picture of a reckless company. “I understand there are false positives on leak detection systems but this is our treasured coastline,” said Caram, director of the Bellingham, Washington-based Pipeline Safety Trust. “The fact that they kept hitting the snooze button and ignoring alarms, stopping and starting this pipeline and all the while leaking oil in the Pacific Ocean is reckless and egregious.”
Proposed School to Be Steps Away from Dangerous Pipelines by Claudia Vargas, NBC 10 Philadelphia (December 6, 2021) Pipeline Safety Trust executive director Bill Caram says Rose Tree Media catchment area parents have reason to be concerned about the district’s proposal. “I am surprised that a new school would be built so close to a gas transmission line because we all want to keep our kids safe and the lines do pose a risk,” Caram said. If gas were to leak out an ignite, it could cause an explosion, such as the one in 2016 outside of Pittsburgh. That incident severely burned and injured a man, and destroyed a quarter mile of land, including at least one home. Caram said that based on the size and pressure of the pipes, the blast radius could extend 400 feet. “But there’s a BIG asterisk on that number given the other pipelines running through the property,” Caram said in an e-mail “Also the grade of the property and where the proposed building would be sited have a big impact on potential risk as well.” Caram added that a Potential Impact Radius is usually determined through a risk assessment report. But so far, the Rose Tree Media School District has not commissioned such a report– at least not one that has been disclosed publicly.
Climate Champions Learn What They Can Win at the Local Level by Peter Fairley, The Tyee (November 30, 2021) The Bellingham-based Pipeline Safety Trust, which Weimer ran for years, still drives pipeline safety policy 22 years later. And city residents still remember and discuss the explosion. “That pipeline accident united the community. It didn’t matter if you were a Republican or a Democrat,” says Weimer. “It really did organize people and made them start thinking about fossil fuels and the risks around fossil fuels.”
Concerns Linger Over a Secretive Texas Company That Owns the Largest Share of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline by David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News (November 22, 2021) Carl Weimer, special projects advisor for the Pipeline Safety Trust, a non-profit watchdog organization, says it’s a “head scratcher” to try to predict how Hilcorp will perform now that it is the principal owner of TAPS because it has no track record of administering oil pipelines of significant size.“Since they have so few miles of pipelines, there isn’t much data to help us understand their safety record with (oil) pipelines,” he said. “Hopefully they inherited, and are paying good attention to, experienced personnel on TAPS.”
‘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.”
Raging Flood Waters Driven by Climate Change Threaten the Trans-Alaska Pipeline by David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News (October 12, 2021) “One of the federal regulations that applies to Alaskan and all pipelines in the United States is a requirement that they must have their rights of way inspected at least 26 times a year, at intervals not exceeding three weeks. In most circumstances, that should give an operator enough time to detect a pipeline threat, said Rebecca Craven, program director for the Pipeline Safety Trust, a non-profit watchdog organization. ‘But in a situation like TAPS, where it runs so close to rivers that can change very quickly, depending on snowmelt, precipitation and temperature, it may be that a whole lot of change could occur in three weeks,’ she said.”
Calif. launches oil spill investigation as cleanup efforts wane by Heather Richards, E&E News (October 12, 2021) “‘Amplify Energy oil spill demonstrated how wading through the confusing and complicated world of MOU’s and boundaries of authority can delay that response,’ Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, said in an email. ‘There should be no question which facilities are regulated by PHMSA, and which are regulated by BSEE to ensure the appropriate regulator can take swift action on the accident response.'”
Pipeline company evades questions over a 15-hour gap before reporting oil spill by Anita Chabria, Laura J. Nelson, and Adam Elmahrek, Los Angeles Times (October 9, 2021) Rebecca Craven, program director of Pipeline Safety Trust, said Amplify has failed to publicly explain how it responded to signs of a possible failure in the pipeline. “An operator would undoubtedly make an argument that they needed to confirm the discharge before being obligated to report, but that would not account for the time between shutdown and reporting, and wouldn’t even account for much of the time between the pressure alarm and the shutdown,” she said.
Amplify Took Three Hours to Halt California Pipeline Spill by Robert Tuttle and John Gittelsohn, Bloomberg (October 5, 2021) “While all the details aren’t known, ‘the facts that are stated are very concerning to us,’ said Bill Caram, executive director of Pipeline Safety Trust, a group that engages with pipeline operators. Operational reasons can cause a pipeline to lose pressure suddenly, but ‘we would have expected a pipeline to shut a line much faster than three hours’ and also report it more quickly, he said.”
Delay after alarm puts California spill response in question by Matthew Brown, Associated Press (October 5, 2021) “The pending rule does not set standards for leak detections, giving companies significant leeway in how sensitive to leaks their equipment needs to be, said Bill Caram with the Pipeline Safety Trust, a Bellingham, Washington-based group that advocates for safer pipelines. ‘It makes us worry for our country’s aging energy infrastructure,’ Caram said. ‘We fear this could become a bigger and bigger issue.'”
Did ship’s anchor cause California oil spill? Maybe by Stefanie Dazio and Christopher Weber, Associated Press (October 5, 2021) “‘If the operator had more valves installed on this line, they’d have a much better chance at having the point of failure isolated by now,’ said Bill Caram with the Pipeline Safety Trust, an organization based in Bellingham, Washington. The pipeline was built using a process known as electric resistance weld, according to a regulatory filing from the company. That welding process has been linked to past oil pipeline failures because corrosion can occur along seams, according to government safety advisories and Pipeline Safety Trust Director Bill Caram.”
California Oil Spill Closes Beaches and Renews Call for Drilling Ban by Jill Cowan, Clifford Krauss and Ivan Penn, New York Times (October 5, 2021) “Beta Offshore had a 2,000-gallon spill from a pipeline between the two platforms, Eureka and Elly, in 1999 for which the operator was fined $48,000, according to Bill Caram, executive director of Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit group in Bellingham, Wash. Beta Offshore also had four federal compliance violations or warnings from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a federal agency that is part of the Transportation Department, between 2008 and 2010 involving welding, valves and risk management procedures. Mr. Caram said he was troubled that it took the company time to identify where its pipe failed. ‘Why did it take so long for the cleanup effort to begin?’ he said. ‘If the operator has a proper spill response plan, they should be able to put it into action very quickly.'”
A pipeline expoded in Bellingham 22 years ago, It’s still influencing federal policy by Ysabelle Kempe, Bellingham Hearld (August 22, 2021) “It’s been more than two decades since a leaking gas pipeline in Whatcom Falls Park resulted in a deadly explosion. But the incident is still serving as a potent lesson for the federal government. Federal policymakers and regulators toured the site of the explosion on Thursday, Aug. 19, led by representatives from Bellingham’s Pipeline Safety Trust, which was formed in the aftermath of the 1999 disaster. The group included U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, whose congressional district includes Bellingham, and Tristan Brown, acting administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.”
Permafrost melt threatens Alaska’s largest oil pipeline by Heather Richards, E&E News (July 14, 2021) “Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, said the pipeline does not appear to be in immediate danger of a severe failure, such as a collapse that could lead to an oil spill. But he said this finding, and the necessary remediation, could be a “harbinger” of things to come as temperatures rise. ‘The pipeline was designed to handle the dynamic nature of permafrost, but not in a rapid climate change environment,’ he said.”
Thawing Permafrost has Damaged the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and Poses an Ongoing Threat by David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News (Jul 11, 2021) “‘This is a wake-up call,’ said Carl Weimer, a special projects advisor for Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit watchdog organization based in Bellingham, Washington. ‘The implications of this speak to the pipeline’s integrity and the effect climate change is having on pipeline safety in general.'”
Pipeline giant sues feds to block release of ‘bias zone’ info by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (Jul 2, 2021) “‘Given the importance of allowing the public to know the quality of the assessments of pipeline operators and the plausibility of their operational response claims, we think these are situations where the communities’ right to know should prevail,’ said Rebecca Craven of the Pipeline Safety Trust.”
The Keystone XL Pipeline Is Dead, but TC Energy Still Owns Hundreds of Miles of Rights of Way by Nicholas Kusnetz, Inside Climate News (Jun 30, 2021) “Bill Caram, executive director of Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit watchdog, said similar problems are beginning to emerge around the country. In some cases, he said, landowners who hired lawyers have negotiated terms in their easements to return the land in the event a pipeline isn’t built. But most people have no recourse. Companies have even felled trees to make way for pipelines that ultimately were not built, and there’s no clear guidance on the degree to which developers are responsible for compensating landowners in those cases.”
Big Oil lobby fought cybersecurity regulations for years, making pipeline attack easier by Igor Derysh, Salon (June 2, 2021). “‘Over the years, control of Colonial Pipeline has moved away from oil and gas companies towards private equity firms and institutional investors,’ Bill Caram, the executive director of Pipeline Safety Trust, a public interest nonprofit, said in an email. ‘These types of investors have a history of wringing every dollar of revenue out of an asset while spending as little as possible on things like safety.'”
After Colonial Pipeline Hack, U.S. to Require Operators to Report Cyberattacks by Rebecca Smith, Wall Street Journal (May 25, 2021) “Both the power and pipeline industries have had detailed state and federal safety standards for decades. But a separate, and uneven, system of oversight has sprung up to protect against malicious acts and it has resulted in a somewhat artificial distinction between safety and security, said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a nonprofit advocacy organization in Bellingham, Wash.”
Pipeline cyberattack raises concerns about leak safety, federal oversight by John Ruch, Reporter Newspapers (May 13, 2021) “The Pipeline Safety Trust, a watchdog group based in Washington state, has no information that the Colonial hackers caused any leak, according to Rebecca Craven, the group’s program director… ‘The lack of mandatory requirements [for pipelines] is an issue. There are that kind of mandatory cybersecurity requirements in the electric grid world,’ said Craven. ‘It’s way past time that there was a uniform standard of security that these operators need to meet.'”
Tech audit of Colonial Pipeline found ‘glaring’ problems by Frank Bajak, Associated Press (May 12, 2021) “Bill Caram, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog Pipeline Safety Trust, called worrisome the allegations of deficient IT management, piecemeal spill reporting and pipeline integrity issues. ‘I think all these things just could paint a picture of the culture at Colonial maybe not taking risks seriously enough,’ he said.”
The U.S. Has Ignored Pipeline Cybersecurity and Now You’re Paying the Price by Molly Taft, Gizmodo (May 11, 2021) “Bill Caram, the executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, said in an email that ‘the lack of any kind of reporting requirement around these cyber security events’ is ‘troubling.’ He added that ‘we really have no idea how widespread they are.'”
Old pipelines become new flashpoints for U.S., Canada environmental clashes by Lauren Gardner, Politico (May 5, 2021) “About 43 percent of hazardous liquids pipelines in the U.S. are more than 50 years old, and federal decommissioning rules are vague and don’t require much of the operators, said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, an advocacy group formed after a fatal pipeline explosion in Washington state in 1999.”
Texas seeks $1.6 million from Atmos after fatal Dallas gas explosion by Holly K. Hacker, Dallas Morning News (Apr 1, 2021) “‘In the context of pipeline safety violations, it’s a pretty high fine. In the context of pipeline operators, it’s a slap on the wrist in terms of their net worth and annual profit,’ said Rebecca Craven, program director for Pipeline Safety Trust, a national watchdog group. ‘Enforcement penalties are not typically ever big enough to make a dent financially.'”
Giant N.C. spill shows gaps in pipeline safety by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (Feb 25, 2021) “‘It’s a very large gasoline spill no matter how you cut it,’ said Bill Caram, executive director of the advocacy group Pipeline Safety Trust. ‘This is different than a tank farm. This is out in a community.'”

2020

Trump signs long-delayed pipeline safety legislation into law by Tom DiChristopher, S&P Global (Dec 28, 2020) “‘Along with providing more funding for PHMSA, we are happy to see progress being made on public transparency,’ Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director Bill Caram said in an email. ‘We are also pleased that for the first time, operators will need to address the serious environmental effects from pipelines that, up until now, have been allowed to leak methane as a regular course of business.'”
Too Much Sun Degrades Coatings That Keep Pipes From Corroding, Risking Leaks, Spills and Explosions by Phil McKenna, Inside Climate News (Oct 11, 2020) “Significant failures in pipelines transporting gas, oil and other hazardous liquids are increasing, with one fifth of all failures due to corrosion, according to a recent assessment of government data by the Pipeline Safety Trust, a watchdog group.”
The Growing Danger From Gas Pipelines by Jeremy Deaton, Nexus Media (Sep 24, 2020) “‘We haven’t made big advances in making us safer from pipeline accidents,’ said Bill Caram, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, which was created by order of a federal judge after a 1999 pipeline explosion killed two 10-year-olds in Bellingham, Washington. Over the last decade, firms have built new pipelines while continuing to make use of older ones. This added infrastructure creates more opportunities for accidents, and aging pipes are at greater risk of failure. At the same time, pipeline operators, regulators and lawmakers have failed to apply lessons from past mistakes, Caram said.”
“I can sum it up in one word, and that is: nightmare.” 10 years after massive oil spill in Michigan by Rebecca Williams, Michigan Radio (Jul 24, 2020) “‘One of the things I’m surprised about that didn’t come out of Michigan is that the state still hasn’t stepped up and taken any regulatory authority over these types of pipelines. I’m surprised the state of Michigan hasn’t done that,’ he said.”
Industry seeks flexibility in federal pipeline safety rules for rupture response by Tom DiChristopher, S&P Global (Jul 23, 2020) “The final rule should reflect that venting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is not ideal, said Sara Gosman, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law. ‘I think it’s important to point out that there are environmental consequences to continuing to release gas that we need to take into account here and balance against the safety set of issues,’ said Gosman, who sits on the board of directors of the Pipeline Safety Trust, which represents the public on the GPAC.”
Trail of spills haunts Dakota Access Developer by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (May 27, 2020) “They’re never the worst one,” said Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, which worked with PHMSA and industry groups to develop performance rankings. “But they’re always in the top 10.”
Pipeline accidents, spills down 17% – report by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (May 14, 2020) “But a pipeline safety group says the industry’s report doesn’t tell the whole story. Bill Caram, deputy director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, a Bellingham, Wash., advocacy organization, said the industry groups are measuring improvement from a year that had a lot of accidents to paint a happier picture. ‘Let’s not celebrate a reduction from an unusually awful period of pipeline safety to one that remains unacceptable,’ Caram said. Measured against 2010, he said, the ‘trend line’ points upward for both total incidents and incidents harming people and the environment.”
Trump rule rollback to save pipeline industry $270K yearly by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (Apr 21, 2020) “‘PHMSA and the industry have all committed to pursuing a goal of zero incidents,’ she said. ‘We should not seek to reach that goal by defining our way out of reporting incidents.’ Said Rebecca Craven of the Pipeline Safety Trust.”
His hometown ‘blew up.” Then he got involved by Mike Lee, E&E News (Feb 3, 2020). “Weimer has gone on to lead the Pipeline Safety Trust, one of the nation’s most vocal nonprofits dedicated to educating the public about pipeline safety, emerging as a critical voice on the issue and a regular face on Capitol Hill.”
LNG plant explosion raises concerns about federal oversight by Mike Soraghan, E&E News (Jan 21, 2020) “‘Kinder Morgan took over 2 ½ months to adequately investigate a leak and ‘detonation’ within an LNG facility,’ said Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust. The incident also reveals a gap in federal reporting requirements for LNG, Weimer said. PHMSA rules require oil and hazardous liquids pipeline operators to report fires and explosions, he said, but there’s no specific requirement for natural gas pipelines or LNG facilities to do so.”

2019

Decade that opened with pipeline disasters closes with mixed progress on safety by Tom DiChristopher, S&P Global (Dec 30, 2019) Democrats have also recently sought to tackle climate change through more stringent rules on methane emissions from pipelines, arguing that PHMSA’s mandate includes protecting the environment. Republicans pushed back on that view, but stakeholders said overlap between pipeline safety and climate policy appears inevitable given the rise of global warming as a top Democratic issue. “I think that that will continue to be a push in the next decade — maybe the highest push,” Weimer said.
A Pipeline Runs Through It by Lyndsey Gilpin, Grist (Dec 3, 2019) “‘It’s cheaper to build in rural areas — they don’t have to worry about added regulations when they do that,’ Weimer said. ‘But if there’s a pipe next to your house that blows up, you’re gonna be just as dead as someone in a populated area.'”
Keystone Pipeline Spills 383,000 Gallons of Oil into North Dakota Wetlands by Phil McKenna, Inside Climate News (Nov 1, 2019) “‘It’s a lot for a new pipe,’ said Rebecca Craven, program director for the non-profit Pipeline Safety Trust. The 2017 spill had shut the pipeline down for two weeks.”
Keystone pipeline shut after spilling 9,000 barrels of oil in North Dakota by Devika Krishna Kumar, Reuters (Oct 31, 2019) “’They’ve had a few spills … more than you would hope to have on a line that’s still fairly new,’ said Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust in Bellingham, Washington, a nonprofit promoting pipeline safety.”
6 Years After Exxon’s Oil Pipeline Burst in an Arkansas Town, a Final Accounting by David Hasemyer, Inside Climate News (Oct 24, 2019) “The Pipeline Safety Trust, a non-profit watchdog group, began the five-year fight for information in 2014 about the Pegasus pipeline spill after PHMSA denied a reporter from InsideClimate News access to disciplinary hearings on the incident. The trust ultimately obtained a transcript of the hearing and some regulatory documents, but it was denied many others on grounds that they involved Exxon trade secrets and were not subject to release. ‘The lack of transparency creates distrust in the system on the part of the public,’ the trust’s Rebecca Craven said in an interview, ‘whether that distrust is warranted or not.'”
New Mexico oil and gas boom heightens pipeline safety by Adrian Hedden, Carlsbad Current-Argus (Oct 23, 2019) “’The uncertainty surrounding the safety of new pipelines underscores the need to push for pipelines to be sited, installed, tested and inspected in the best way possible, and for the regulators to ensure that is the case through strong and enforced regulations,’ read the report [by the Pipeline Safety Trust]. ‘And all of this only works well when the public has the ability to be involved in the process and has access to the information needed to understand and review all aspects of pipeline safety. We still have a long way to go.'”
Enbridge pipeline rupture causes explosion in Kentucky by Caroline Llanes, Michigan Radio (Aug 2, 2019) “Carl Weimer is the executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust. He says Enbridge’s number of incidents per mile of pipeline has gone up over the past five years, particularly in regard to the Texas Eastern pipeline. ‘We have looked at the instant trends for that company, for those natural gas lines, and they have had a number of failures in the past few years. So that’s kind of concerning that their incident rate seems to be increasing,’ says Weimer. He says that’s not the only thing his group is concerned about. ‘The causes are kind of concerning too, because about 70% of those significant incidents are from things that the pipeline companies say that they ought to be able to control, things like corrosion, bad welds, and bad equipment, and incorrect operation of the pipeline,’ he says.”
Safety, Competition Concerns Raised Over Proposed Sale of Major California Oil Pipeline by Ted Goldberg, KQED (Jun 24, 2019) “One of the nation’s top pipeline safety experts said he’s concerned about the deal. Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust, an independent advocacy group based in Bellingham, Washington, said the CPUC should carefully review Crimson’s recent safety history. ‘I think the regulators would want to get some assurance that Crimson has the ability to operate and maintain a pipeline that’s already been somewhat problematic,’ Weimer said.”
The lessons of Bellingham’s Olympic Pipeline explosion by Derek Moscato, Special to the Seattle Times, (Jun 4, 2019) “One positive legacy of the 1999 tragedy was the establishment of the Pipeline Safety Trust, which came into being thanks to a grassroots watchdog group called SAFE Bellingham and the families of the deceased, who demanded improved oversight and accident prevention planning. Inspired by a similar organization set up in the wake of Alaska’s 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Bellingham-based organization has a mandate to advocate for safer pipelines not only in the Northwest but, indeed, nationally.”
Midwest Flooding Exposes Another Oil Pipeline Risk — on Keystone XL’s Route by Neela Banerjee, Inside Climate News (May 16, 2019) “Pipeline companies bury their pipelines at prescribed depths, based on their permits. But there is no requirement that they maintain over time those original depths or amount of soil cover, said Rebecca Craven, program director at the Pipeline Safety Trust, a watchdog group based in Bellingham, Washington.’So what can happen is that as rivers flood and scour their beds, or as stream channels migrate, a lot of sediment can get moved,’ Craven wrote in an email, ‘and pipelines can be exposed alongside rivers, or the forces of the water (or ice) can cause a failure of the pipeline.'”
Explosions from unregulated pipelines can kill in Texas while energy companies go unpunished by Mike Lee and Mike Soraghan, E&E News (Mar 7, 2019) “‘The longer they stall, the longer they can put pipelines in the ground without worrying about construction standards and such,’ said Carl Weimer, executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust.”
How safe are Utah’s gas pipelines? One is at center of sickening smell investigation by Michael Locklear, KUTV (Feb 28, 2019) “’If I was buying a new house, I’d like to know if there’s one of these big pipelines nearby,’ said Carl Weimer, executive director of the watchdog nonprofit Pipeline Safety Trust.”
Fire fuels concerns over Consumers’ natural gas system by Mike Martindale, The Detroit News (Feb 6, 2019) “’I think this same issue could happen in many areas, since natural gas is moved mainly through linear pipelines, so if anything happens along that line, such as a pipeline failure or a fire in a compressor station, supplies can be severely impacted,’ said Carl Weimer, the executive director of the Pipeline Safety Trust in Bellingham, Washington.”

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