List of pipeline accidents in the United States in 2020

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The following is a list of pipeline accidents in the United States in 2020. It is one of several lists of U.S. pipeline accidents. See also list of natural gas and oil production accidents in the United States.

Incidents[]

This is not a complete list of all pipeline accidents. For natural gas alone, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a United States Department of Transportation agency, has collected data on more than 3,200 accidents deemed serious or significant since 1987.

A "significant incident" results in any of the following consequences:

  • fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization
  • $50,000 or more in total costs, measured in 1984 dollars
  • liquid releases of five or more barrels (42 US gal/barrel)
  • releases resulting in an unintentional fire or explosion

PHMSA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) post incident data, and results of investigations, into accidents involving pipelines that carry a variety of products, including natural gas, oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, carbon dioxide, and other substances. Occasionally pipelines are repurposed to carry different products.[1]

  • On May 4, a gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned, in Fleming County, Kentucky. There were no injuries.[2]
  • On July 28, a gas line explosion and fire occurred in Martin County, Texas, on Tuesday, which injured four workers. A ditching truck hit an existing high-pressure gas line, causing an explosion and fire.[3]
  • On July 29, a contractor ruptured a gas pipeline, in Mont Belvieu, Texas, causing an explosion and fire. There were no injuries.[4]
  • On August 14, a Colonial Pipeline mainline, a 40 inch pipeline, was discovered to be leaking, in the , near Huntersville, North Carolina. Approximately 1.2 million gallons of gasoline were spilled. The leak was near a previously repaired area.[5]
  • On August 18, an El Paso Natural Gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned, near Midland, Texas. There were no injuries.[6]
  • On August 21, a dredging vessel hit a submerged Enterprise Products propane pipeline, in the harbor of Corpus Christi, Texas, causing an explosion and fire. Five of the crew were killed, and, six others were injured.[7][8][9]
  • On September 10, 2020, Florida Gas Transmission’s 12-inch Sanford Lateral gas pipeline ruptured and subsequently ignited, in Sanford, Florida. The size of the burn area around the rupture site was determined to be 515 feet by 100 feet. 20 nearby homes were evacuated, but, there were no injuries reported.[10]
  • On September 24, 2020, Florida Gas Transmission’s FLMEA-21 18-inch pipeline ruptured and ejected multiple pieces of pipeline into the air, in Lake Worth, Florida. There was no fire & no injuries, but, the outside lane of northbound traffic on the Florida Turnpike was closed while FGT assessed the damage and initiated repairs. An unknown number of people were evacuated from commercial businesses and a nearby elementary school.[10]

On September 24, Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, LLC's 20-inch Indian Basin Pipeline ruptured, and released approximately 31,757 MCF (31,757,000 cubic feet) of natural gas, in Eddy County, New Mexico. There was no fire or injuries.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ "Pipeline Incident Flagged Files | PHMSA". www.phmsa.dot.gov. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "Gas pipeline explosion in rural Kentucky shoots flames into the sky". WDRB. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Ditching truck strikes Enterprise gas line, triggers explosion in Martin County". newswest9.com. July 28, 2020. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "City of Mont Belvieu: Fire contained at Lone Star NGL Facility". FOX 26 Houston. July 29, 2020. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2021.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Nymex Natural Gas Futures Flat as Traders Mull Stronger Exports, Ballooning Storage". August 19, 2020. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  7. ^ Greenwood, Al. "Texas propane pipeline blast restricts ship traffic at Corpus Christi port". ICIS Explore. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  8. ^ "Port of Corpus reopens after pipeline fire: Update". www.argusmedia.com. August 24, 2020. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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