TALLGRASS PONY EXPRESS PIPELINE, LLC

Incident Narrative

INCIDENT SUMMARY: AT 07:14 LOCAL TIME OPERATORS ARRIVED ON SITE AT THE STERLING TANK TERMINAL AND FOUND OIL EXITING THE TANK THROUGH AN OPEN ROOF DRAIN VALVE. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WERE IMMEDIATELY ENACTED. OIL SPILL RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS WERE NOTIFIED WHILE THE SURROUNDING AREA WAS BEING MONITORED FOR HAZARDOUS VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS. ONCE IT WAS DEEMED SAFE TO ENTER SECONDARY CONTAINMENT AREA OPERATIONS PERSONNEL ENTERED AND CLOSED THE ROOF DRAIN VALVE, STOPPING THE RELEASE. HAZARDOUS VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS CONTINUED TO BE MONITORED IN THE SURROUNDING AREA WHILE CLEAN-UP EFFORTS TOOK PLACE. ENVIRONMENTAL RELEASE: APPROXIMATELY 10,009 BARRELS OF BLS CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED OVER A 16-HOUR PERIOD THROUGH THE ROOF DRAIN VALVE INTO THE STORM WATER BASIN.  ROOT CAUSE(S): THE ROOF DRAIN VALVE WAS NORMALLY LEFT IN THE OPEN POSITION, FOLLOWING OUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. ROOF DRAIN HOSE SPLIT AT THE TOP FITTING AT THE LOCATION NEXT TO THE COMPRESSION FITTING AT THE FLANGE. INSPECTION AND DESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF THE FAILED HOSE WAS COMPLETED BY A THIRD PARTY; THE REPORT OF FINDINGS CONCLUDED ""THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF THE CRUDE OIL TANK ROOF DRAIN LINE WAS MORE THAN LIKELY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE HOSE."" ACTION ITEMS TAKEN TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: - NEW SOP WAS CREATED - ROOF DRAIN VALVES (OPERATED IN THE CLOSED POSITION) - A WORKBOOK BASED DYNAMIC MATERIAL BALANCE TRACKING / LEAK DETECTION APPLICATION FOR THE STERLING TERMINAL TANKS WAS CREATED AND IMPLEMENTED