Biofuels: Commentary from Eric Gustafson
Senior VP, Buckeye Partners
Even at the current level of approximately 6 billion gallons per year, roughly 4% of U.S. gasoline consumption, producers are looking for alternatives to rail and truck shipments. With the constraints on the nation’s transportation infrastructure, for ethanol and other biofuels to become major fuels of the future as envisioned by policymakers, shipment of these fuels via pipeline will be essential.
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Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) Turns 30
 This year marked the 30th birthday of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), one of the largest pipeline systems in the world. The 800-mile long, 48 inch diameter pipeline makes its way down from the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, Alaska. Construction on the pipeline began in March 1975. Three years later oil began to flow on June 20, 1977.
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International Pipeline Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The 2007 Rio Pipeline Conference was held October 2-5. “Rio Pipeline 2007”, one of the main pipeline events in the world, had a record number of participants: 3,200 visitors, 1,400 delegates from 30 countries, and 120 exhibiting companies were present at the expo and conference.
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Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel at One Year
by Cheryl Trench
In 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a regulation to reduce the emissions of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter from diesel-fueled heavy trucks by adding a treatment mechanism to the engine’s exhaust. Because sulfur compounds in diesel fuel can compromise the catalytic equipment that reduces the exhaust emissions, a corollary rule required a reduction in the sulfur content of on-highway diesel fuel from 500 parts per million (ppm) to 15 ppm.
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Anatomy of a One-Call
by Cheryl Trench
For oil pipelines, mechanical damage is not the leading cause of spills, but it causes the largest share of very big spills and the largest share of incidents that involve a fatality or an injury. The Pipeline Performance Tracking System (PPTS), the oil pipeline industry’s voluntary spill reporting system, helped oil pipeline operators identify the hazards and focus their strategies for prevention. The record has improved: the industry has achieved a 60% reduction in the three-year annual average of spills from the period of 1999-2001 to 2004-2006.
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Construction Projects: Update
The oil pipeline industry is in the midst of a rapid growth period. Construction projects for crude oil and refined product pipelines are ramping up to accommodate new sources of crude oil and to meet rising fuel distribution demands in various parts of the country. A few projects are highlighted below. A few projects are highlighted below.
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811 Campaign Continues: Damage Prevention Highlighted at National Conference of State Legislatures
Before any dig job all excavators should call the national “Call-Before-You-Dig” number, 811, in order to identify underground utilities and have them marked. This is essential in avoiding injury or death resulting from damage to underground utilities.
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Changes at Department of Transportation
The past six months have seen a few changes at the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). On November 1, 2007 President Bush nominated Carl Johnson to replace Vice Admiral Thomas Barrett as Administrator of PHMSA. Mr. Johnson previously served as the Executive Director of the Compressed Gas Association which represents the industrial gas industry. The Senate is expected to confirm his nomination without controversy as early as December.
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