PLAINS PIPELINE, L.P.

Incident Narrative

APPROXIMATELY 4.05 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WERE RELEASED FROM A SUMP WITHIN MIDLAND MESA STATION. THE DATE AND TIME OF THE SEAL LEAK ALARM IS INDICATIVE OF THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE TIME THE REPORTING CRITERIA COULD HAVE BEEN MET BASED ON MIDLAND CONTROL CENTER (MCC) INFORMATION. THE CAUSE OF THE RELEASE IS ATTRIBUTED TO EQUIPMENT FAILURE OF PUMP 14 AS A RESULT OF A SEAL FAILURE; DEBRIS WAS FOUND WEDGED AGAINST THE SEAL CAUSING A MISALIGNMENT. THE SEAL FAILURE HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE MCC, HOWEVER, A MISCOMMUNICATION OCCURRED BETWEEN THE MCC AND THE LOCAL STATION OPERATOR, AND THE STATION OPERATOR CHECKED AN INCORRECT PUMP WITHIN THE STATION (PART A Q19). LATER IN THE MORNING, ANOTHER OPERATOR MAKING ROUNDS WITHIN THE STATION DISCOVERED THAT CRUDE OIL HAD BEEN RELEASED FROM A SUMP ASSOCIATED WITH PUMP 14 (PART A Q20). TO PREVENT FUTURE INCIDENTS, THE SEAL ON THE PUMP WAS REPLACED AND TRAINING WAS CONDUCTED ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION. DUE TO A SHIFT CHANGE, THE MISCOMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE MCC AND THE LOCAL STATION OPERATOR AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE RELEASE DID NOT BECOME KNOWN UNTIL AFTER THE TESTING PERIOD HAD PASSED, SO ALCOHOL AND DRUG TESTING WAS NOT PERFORMED WITHIN THE DESIGNATED TIME FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT. IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY PROCEDURE, THE DELAYED OR MISSED POST-ACCIDENT TEST FORM WAS COMPLETED FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHOSE PERFORMANCE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT OR COULD NOT BE DISCOUNTED COMPLETELY AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.