-ExxonMobil is investigating a Sunday flaring incident at its Baton Rouge, La., Polyolefins Plant in which it exceeded Louisiana’s reportable quantity for ethylene. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the flaring incident was caused by a power outage. Flaring continued on Monday despite the power being restored. The company reported no injuries or damages as a result of the flaring.
-Kinder Morgan secured a long-term agreement with NOVA Chemicals to transport ethane and ethane-propane mixtures through the proposed UTOPIA pipeline. The 240-mile pipeline will stretch from Harrison County, Ohio, to Kinder Morgan’s Cochin pipeline near Riga, Mich., where it would then move product to Ontario. The $500 million pipeline is expected to be in service by early 2018.
-Meanwhile, Enbridge announced it would spend US$39.4 billion through 2018 on new pipelines and power projects. The Canadian oil pipeline firm is expanding infrastructure to ship crude to the U.S. Gulf Coast and to Canada’s eastern provinces.
-The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) criticized the Department of Transportation’s recently proposed safety rules for crude oil trains, saying they do not adequately address the root causes of derailment. AFPM also said the rule’s three-year timetable for the retrofit of existing tank cars “goes beyond the capabilities of rail tank car repair facilities.” DOT’s July proposal mandated that all older DOT-111 tank cars be phased out within two years unless they are to be retrofitted.
-Meanwhile, in addressing DOT’s rules American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard referenced retrofit guidelines the association developed with the railroad industry that he said would allow existing cars to remain in service for their full useful lives. API recommends that all existing cars be upgraded with advanced pressure relief valves with added protection for the valves on top and on bottom, among other retrofits. Gerard also said the federal government’s proposed retrofit timeline was “not feasible” and could harm consumers.
