OCR Text |
Show Pressure must turn Since October 10, the San Juan and Colorado Rivers have had 168,000 gallons of oil in and alongside them. Oil is not noted for its aesthetic and environmental benefits. So why did the oil leak from the pipe into the river, defying all efforts to clean it up or halt its advance? Indications now are that the Texas-New Mexico pipeline was in bad condition, with weaknesses in the pipe's welding. Through this sub-standard pipe oil was pumped at 940 pounds pressure up from the normal 860 lbs. to make up for the Columbus Day vacation. The result was a 26-foot gash in the line and a lot of oil on the ground. Surprise, surprise. And so why was Texaco allowed to pump oil at a higher pressure through a dilapidated pipe, with obvious risk to the environment? Amazingly enough, nobody checks on these pipes for safety or for anything else. The states don't the pipes are involved in "interstate commerce" and so a Federal responsibility. The Federal government doesn't do anything, either currently jurisdiction is in limbo between two agencies, the Railway Authority and the Office of Pipeline Safety. The Department of Transportation has not yet resolved the dispute. Even if who's-in-charge had been settled, however, enforcement would still remain a problem. There are only two OPS field agencies in the whole country to inspect pipeline conditions. Money and manpower has not been allocated in the amounts required to do anywhere near an effective job. Congressional candidate Wayne Owens, for one, has spoken out against the situation and urged a $1-million expenditure for 30 engineers. Currently, he says, oil spill cleanup costs nine times that amount (not to mention the ecological and aesthetic damage done). Meanwhile, the oil floats down through Lake Powell. Congress and the President ought to take the steps necessary to make sure a repetition does not occur. |