EXPRESS HOLDINGS (USA), LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 16, 2019
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 16, 2019 |
| Operator | EXPRESS HOLDINGS (USA), LLC |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 41.32234, -102.87687 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $15,000 |
| Emergency Response | $298,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON DECEMBER 16, 2019 AT 12:30 MST A RELEASE WAS DISCOVERED AT THE GURLEY TERMINAL ON LINE 41. CRUDE OIL WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM A 3"" DRAIN LINE VALVE ON THE END OF THE HITCHING RAIL ON THE TANK MANIFOLD. THE VALVE WAS REMOVED AND THE RELEASE WAS STOPPED BY INSTALLING A PLUG. THE LOCATION OF THE FAILURE DID NOT REQUIRE A SHUTDOWN OF LINE 41. APPROXIMATELY 15 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED. THE NRC WAS NOTIFIED ON DECEMBER 16, 2019 AT 13:28 MST (NRC# 1266588). A 48-HOUR UPDATED WAS MADE TO THE NRC ON DECEMBER 18, 2019 AT 9:50 MST (NRC# 1266747). THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS ATTRIBUTED TO FREEZING WATER THAT HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE LINE RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE VALVE. THE HITCHING RAIL THAT THE FAILED VALVE WAS CONNECTED TO HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM THE SYSTEM BY REMOVING THE VALVES CONNECTED TO THE TANK LINES AND BLINDING THEM OFF. APPROXIMATELY 810 CUBIC YARDS OF CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS DISPOSED OF AT AN APPROVED SITE.
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.