WASHINGTON — Congress on Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of a
terrifying pipeline leak and fireball that killed three young people in
Bellingham by creating a National Pipeline Safety Day — a day Sen. Patty
Murray said was needed as a reminder that those who died were “innocent
victims of a horrific accident that could have been prevented.”
More than 2.3 million miles of pipeline carrying hazardous liquids
crisscross the nation, running mostly unnoticed through cities, towns
and neighborhoods.
In the six years before the Bellingham explosion, nearly 150 people
were killed and 580 injured as a result of leaks, fires, explosions and
other pipeline-related incidents.
After the Bellingham accident, Murray, D-Wash., shepherded a bill
through Congress that cracked down on pipeline operators, tightened
safety standards, increased fines, hired more inspectors and required
better training.
Since the bill was passed six years ago, the Office of Pipeline
Safety, which is part of the Transportation Department, reports 94
deaths and 330 serious injuries from pipelines.
In Washington state, pipeline accidents are down 40 percent since
Murray’s bill passed, the senator’s staff said.
The numbers of inspectors and accident investigators at the Office of
Pipeline Safety has doubled, the average penalty has increased
eightfold and the number of corrective orders that have been issued has
tripled since the law took effect.
“This is a day we must never forget,” Murray said during a speech on
the Senate floor. “We cannot slip back to where we were.”
The Bellingham pipeline runs through the city and near Whatcom Falls
Park. About 3:30 p.m. on June 10, 1999, the pipeline ruptured, releasing
250,000 gallons of gasoline that ignited, sending a fireball more than
one mile down the creek. The smoke plume from the fire rose 20,000 feet.
Two 10-year-old boys playing along the creek were burned over 90
percent of their bodies and died the next day. An 18-year-old, who had
graduated from high school five days earlier, was overcome by the fumes
while fly-fishing, lost consciousness and drowned.
Murray said law-enforcement officials weren’t even aware the pipeline
ran near the creek.
“These pipelines are invisible to most people and therefore out of
sight and out of mind,” said Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, whose
district includes Bellingham. “Previous generations may ask the
question, “Where were you when President Kennedy was shot?’ In my
district, people ask the question, ‘Where were you when the pipeline
exploded?’ “
The resolution establishing National Pipeline Safety Day was approved
unanimously in both the Senate and the House without debate.
Both the American Petroleum Institute and the Association of Oil
Pipelines said the industry has worked hard to improve its safety record
since the Bellingham accident. The number of hazardous-liquid pipeline
releases have fallen by 60 percent, they said.
“Recognizing National Pipeline Safety Day is a fitting tribute to
those who lost their lives in Bellingham and a reminder of the critical
importance of safe pipeline operations to the nation and pipeline
companies,” the groups said in a joint statement.
Despite the improvements, Murray said even more needs to be done. She
included an additional $13 million in pipeline-safety funding in the
current fiscal year’s spending plan, along with $35 million in grants to
the states for pipeline safety.
“It turned out what happened in Bellingham that day was not an
isolated occurrence,” Murray said. “In fact, it wasn’t even rare.”
– The Seattle Times
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