The number of leaks on oil and petroleum pipelines has risen 60% since 2009, according to an analysis of government data by the Associated Press (AP). Nearly two-thirds of those leaks were attributable to corrosion or material, welding and equipment failures. The recent spike in pipeline accidents has largely tracked the growth in U.S. oil production over the past six years, AP said.
Last week a pipeline owned by Plains All American Pipeline ruptured near Santa Barbara, Calif., spilling an estimated 21,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific Ocean and fouling a stretch of beach.
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