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As the Nebraska explosion made clear, there can be problems that are hard to spot before potentially disastrous accidents occur. Some details about the explosion might never be known because the shipping container carrying the acid was destroyed. Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said he understands and welcomes the agency's scrutiny. Vena said Union Pacific and other major railroads have become safer over time. “And that’s what I’m challenging the team with here at Union Pacific is we have to get better ... We’ll invest in it.

Persons: haven’t, ”, Andy Foust, Warren Flatau, Pete Buttigieg, —, Foust, “, hasn’t, Dennis Thompson, Thompson, Jim Vena, Vena, We’ll, Charlie King Organizations: —, Union Pacific, Federal Railroad Administration, . Transportation, Rail, Transportation Workers, Transportation Division, . Railroad, Materials Safety Administration, Norfolk Southern, Platte Fire, Pacific, of Railroad Infrastructure Locations: OMAHA, Neb, Nebraska, North Platte , Nebraska, Omaha, Norfolk, Ohio, railyard, Palestine

☆ U.S. urges rail tank car owners, shippers to use safer, newer cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) on Wednesday urged rail tank car owners and hazmat shippers of flammable liquids to stop using tank cars like some in a Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and replace them with newer, safer tank cars. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw said at a Senate Commerce hearing on Wednesday the railroad supports the provision "for accelerating safer tank car standards". Last month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on Congress to mandate owners of tank cars to expedite the phase-in of safer DOT-117 tank cars in advance of the congressionally mandated 2029 deadline. The PHMSA advisory calls on shippers of flammable liquids "to voluntarily upgrade their tank car fleets to the newest, and safest, available tank car design authorized for flammable liquid service." The advisory added railroads should consider applyingrequirements applicable to high-hazard flammable trains to trains with fewer tank cars carrying flammable liquids in DOT-111 tank cars.

☆ Live updates: East Palestine, Ohio train derailment Senate hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Chris Isidore | Aditi Sangal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In the lead-up to a Senate committee hearing on the toxic train derailment that spilled chemicals in the Ohio town of East Palestine last month, a bipartisan group of senators is introducing a new bill aimed at shoring up rail safety. The Railway Safety Act of 2023 will be introduced by Republican Sens. Vance of Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Democratic Sens. It has a provision requiring “well-trained, two-person crews aboard every train.” And it boosts the maximum fines for rail carriers for wrongdoing. Data compiled by the nonprofit OpenSecrets show that Norfolk Southern, the company involved in the Ohio derailment, spent $1.8 million on federal lobbying last year.

☆ US regulator seeks more corrective actions from TC Energy after Keystone spill
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowMarch 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. pipeline regulator said on Tuesday it would require TC Energy (TRP.TO) to take fresh action on more than 1,000 additional miles (1,609 kilometers) of its Keystone pipeline that spilled nearly 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas in December. The Canadian pipeline operator completed a controlled restart of the 622,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma, on Dec. 29 last year, returning it to service after a 21-day outage following the biggest U.S oil spill in nine years. The amended corrective order from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) requires TC Energy to keep the operating pressure on the affected pipeline segment under the previously agreed upon 923 pounds per square gauge (psig) limit. TC Energy is also required to submit an independently conducted root cause failure analysis, followed by a remedial work plan and proposed measures to mitigate consequences of failure, it added. The Canadian company said last month that a combination of factors including bending stress on the pipe and a weld flaw might have led to the Keystone oil spill, adding that it was expecting $480 million in costs related to the incident.

☆ U.S. regulators seek more answers from Freeport LNG to weigh restart request
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Freeport LNG Development LP FollowMarch 6 (Reuters) - U.S. regulators sent another list of questions seeking information to Freeport LNG on Monday, as they evaluate its request to restart full commercial operations of its export facility in Texas. Last month, the privately held LNG export facility, the second-biggest in the U.S., started to exit an eight-month outage that was caused by a fire in June 2022. FERC and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) sought answers on operating conditions and steps taken to improve safety. The request asked for "a status update on Freeport LNG’s hiring efforts to address operator fatigue and training status of the new hires," according to FERC's letter to Freeport. The fiery blast that knocked the facility offline last June resulted from inadequate operating and testing procedures, operator fatigue and other shortcomings, a review found.

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO apologizes to Ohio townspeople, vows to 'do what's right'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shaw sat down with people from the town of 4,700 people for the CNN event, repeatedly apologizing and saying, "We're going to do what's right for the community." U.S. and Ohio environmental regulators and the company hired experts who say testing shows the water and air are safe. Norfolk Southern reported net profit of $3.27 billion in 2022 when it paid nearly $1.2 billion in dividends to shareholders and bought back $3.1 billion worth of shares. Insurance will help offset those costs, including a liability policy that will cover up to $1.1 billion in certain situations. Stewart said he was planning to sell his house so he could retire but now his property value had plummeted.

☆ Norfolk Southern wants to 'make things right' after Ohio train crash, CFO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) will take responsibility for cleaning up the environmental damage from this month's train derailment and controlled detonation of hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio, its finance chief said on Wednesday. "We take responsibility ... We're fully dedicated to making things right," George said at an investor conference hosted by Barclays. Norfolk Southern will quantify costs of the clean up no later than its first-quarter earnings, he said. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has said it would release a preliminary report on its initial findings on Thursday into the derailment. He will be joined by representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

☆ Norfolk Southern takes responsibility for Ohio crash environment cleanup, CFO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We take responsibility ... We're fully dedicated to making things right," Mark George, Norfolk Southern's (NSC.N) chief financial officer, said at an investor conference hosted by Barclays. A day earlier, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered Norfolk Southern to "pay for cleaning up the mess" created by toxic chemicals that spewed into the air, water and soil after the accident. Norfolk Southern plans to quantify related costs no later than its first-quarter earnings. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) plans to release a preliminary report on Thursday on its initial findings into the fiery crash. He will be joined by representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

☆ Elon Musk's Neuralink is under investigation for possible unsafe transport of contaminated hardware
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company Neuralink is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation for allegedly packaging and transporting contaminated hardware in an unsafe manner, a DOT spokesperson confirmed to CNBC. PCRM claimed the materials were not properly contained or transported, possibly because Neuralink employees had not received proper safety training. The staffer wrote that if Neuralink employees had not completed the necessary training, UC Davis personnel were "always happy" to package and ship materials. PCRM obtained these records from UC Davis through a public information request. Representatives from UC Davis did not respond to requests for comment.

☆ U.S. energy regulators questioned on oversight of Freeport, Texas, LNG plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Freeport LNG Development LP FollowFREEPORT, Texas, Feb 11 (Reuters) - U.S. energy regulators on Saturday assured Texas residents they are monitoring repairs and the eventual restart of the fire-idled Freeport LNG plant as a vessel this week began taking the first fuel out of its storage tanks in eight months. When fully operational, Freeport LNG processes about 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas and exports up to 15 million tonnes of LNG per year. Methane is the main component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas. Freeport LNG was invited to send a representative to Saturday's meeting, PHMSA said. Reporting by Arathy Somsekhar in Freeport, Texas Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Keystone Pipeline to Fully Restart After Oil Spill, Repairs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Benoît Morenne | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The operator of the Keystone oil pipeline said it was moving to fully reactivate the system, ending a weekslong outage that pressured U.S. oil prices and complicated some Gulf Coast refiners’ operations. TC Energy Corp. said Thursday that it had completed repairs, inspection and testing on the pipeline and that the system was now operational to all delivery points. It had said last week that it had received approval from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to restart a 300-mile branch linking Steele City, Neb., to the main U.S. oil storage hub in Cushing, Okla.

☆ TC Energy says Keystone pipeline returns to service
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 29 (Reuters) - Canadian pipeline operator TC Energy Corp (TRP.TO) said on Thursday it had completed a controlled restart of its Keystone crude oil pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma, safely returning the pipeline to service after a 21 day outage. "The Keystone Pipeline System is now operational to all delivery points," the company said in a statement, while operating "with additional risk-mitigation measures, including reduced operating pressures." TC Energy did not publicly identified the cause of the spill. Under terms of PHMSA's corrective action order issued to TC after the spill, the company must operate at 20% lower pressure along the segment that ruptured once it returns to service until it receives further regulatory approval. The pipeline has had 12 significant incidents in as many years of its life, including major spills in 2017 and 2019, according to the Pipeline Safety Trust, a watchdog group.

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 23 (Reuters) - TC Energy Corp (TRP.TO) on Friday said that a U.S. regulator had approved a restart plan for an idled segment of its Keystone oil pipeline to Cushing, Oklahoma, and it looked to restore service after several days of testing and inspections. The 622,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) pipeline was shut on Dec. 7 after it spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas, the biggest U.S. spill in nine years. The shutdown reduced the flow of Canadian crude to Gulf refineries, but it has had little impact on Canadian oil prices, partly because of ample storage in Alberta. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) approved the restart plan, TC said. Frigid weather at the spill site may slow work, TC said.

[1/3] A view of the land repair work underway at site of an oil spill from Keystone Pipeline, located north of Washington, Kansas, U.S December 15, 2022. Erwin Seba/REUTERSCompanies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. pipeline regulator launched a review this year of its special permits that waive certain operating requirements for pipelines, following a government report into spills on TC Energy's Keystone oil pipeline, a source familiar with the matter said. The most recent major spill occurred this month in rural Kansas along Keystone, the only U.S. oil pipeline with a special permit to operate at higher pressure. PHMSA commissioned Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a Department of Energy research institution, to review special permits following a 2021 report on Keystone accidents, the source said. The latest Keystone spill raises doubts about whether PHMSA adequately assesses risk in granting special permits, said Don Deaver, a pipeline consultant.

☆ TC Energy sends ruptured Keystone pipeline segment for testing after regulator order
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 21 (Reuters) - TC Energy (TRP.TO) said on Wednesday that it had safely removed the ruptured segment of Keystone pipeline that caused an oil spill earlier this month and sent it for metallurgical testing as directed by U.S. regulators. TC Energy Corp had submitted its plan to restart the Keystone pipeline to the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the line ruptured in the worst oil spill in the United States in nine years. More than 400 people are involved in the cleanup, including TC workers, pipeline regulators, state and local officials and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Parts of the pipeline carrying oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois opened last week at reduced capacity.

[1/2] Emergency crews work to clean up the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade, following the leak at the Keystone pipeline operated by TC Energy in rural Washington County, Kansas, U.S., December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Drone BaseCompanies TC Energy Corp FollowDec 20 (Reuters) - TC Energy Corp (TRP.TO) has submitted its plan to restart the Keystone pipeline to U.S. regulators, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the line ruptured in the worst oil spill in the United States in nine years. TC Energy did not answer questions about when it hopes to restart the line or what caused the incident. More than 400 people are involved in the cleanup, including TC workers, pipeline regulators, state and local officials and the EPA. "It's pretty straightforward and PHMSA should have enough information," Kuprewicz said, adding that PHMSA could allow TC to restart the segment within the day.

☆ Keystone pipeline rupture spilled diluted bitumen - EPA
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: Emergency crews work to clean up the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade, following the leak at the Keystone pipeline operated by TC Energy in rural Washington County, Kansas, U.S., December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Drone Base/File Photo(Reuters) - Material discharged from TC Energy Corp’s ruptured Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, a type of heavy crude oil, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday. The 622,000 barrels per day (bpd) pipe has been shut since last week after it spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state and local agencies, TC Energy and TC Energy contractors, the agency said. Bitumen is a dense, thick form of oil that shippers dilute with lighter oils so it can move through pipelines.

☆ Keystone pipeline rupture spilled diluted bitumen, complicating cleanup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rod Nickel | Mrinalika Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) -The oil spilled from TC Energy Corp’s ruptured Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday, adding complications to the cleanup. The report said that when diluted bitumen spills, a thick, dense material forms as a residue after exposure to the environment. “For this reason, spills of diluted bitumen pose particular challenges when they reach water bodies,” the report said. The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, questioned why parts of the pipeline reopened before TC Energy had identified the leak’s cause. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state and local agencies, TC Energy and TC Energy contractors, the agency said.

☆ Keystone pipeline break spilled diluted bitumen, complicating cleanup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rod Nickel | Mrinalika Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) -The oil spilled from TC Energy Corp’s ruptured Keystone pipeline was diluted bitumen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday, adding complications to the cleanup. REUTERS/Drone Base/File PhotoThe 622,000 barrels per day (bpd) pipeline was shut last week after it spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas, including into a creek. The parts of the pipeline carrying oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois opened on Wednesday at reduced capacity. The Sierra Club, another environmental advocacy group, questioned why parts of the pipeline reopened before TC Energy had identified the leak’s cause. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state and local agencies, TC Energy and TC Energy contractors, the agency said.

[1/3] Emergency crews work to clean up the largest U.S. crude oil spill in nearly a decade, following the leak at the Keystone pipeline operated by TC Energy in rural Washington County, Kansas, U.S., December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Drone Base/File PhotoDec 14 (Reuters) - Canada's TC Energy Corp (TRP.TO) is resuming operations in a section of its Keystone pipeline a week after a leak of more than 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas triggered the whole pipe's shutdown. "This restart facilitates safe transportation of the energy that customers and North Americans rely on and extends from Hardisty, Alberta, to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois," TC Energy said. Oil sprayed nearby pastures and leaked into Mill Creek before being shut by operator TC Energy. Market players had speculated that TC Energy might first restart the leg of the pipeline that delivers to Patoka, Illinois.

REUTERS/Drone Base/File PhotoDec 14 (Reuters) - One week after Canada's Keystone pipeline spilled more than 14,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas in the United States, the cause is still unknown, according to regulators. Oil sprayed nearby pastures and leaked into Mill Creek before being shut by operator TC Energy. The timeline for the full restart of the pipeline remained uncertain, and neither a root cause failure analysis nor a restart plan had been submitted, the U.S. The spill occurred in Washington County, Kansas, about 20 miles (32 km) south of a junction in Steele City, Nebraska, where Keystone splits into two. "We don't have a confirmation of a timeline and anticipate an update on restart today," TC said in an email.

The operator of the Keystone Pipeline System, which carries a form of crude oil from Canada to multiple states for refining, said over the weekend that its largest-yet breach has been contained for now. TC Energy, the Canadian parent of day-to-day pipeline operator TC Oil, said in a statement Saturday that the spill was no longer moving downstream. It mobilized 250 crews to handle cleanup and has deployed booms and vacuum trucks to stop the oil, the company said. The failure along a 96-mile segment in parts of Washington County, Kansas, Clay County, Kansas and Jefferson County, Nebraska, brings renewed concern over pipeline safety following the demise of the contentious Keystone XL pipeline project. Mayberry wants TC Oil to determine the root cause of the breach and name decision-makers who might have contributed to the spill, according to the letter dated Thursday.

TC Energy shut the pipeline after the spill was discovered late last Wednesday. The 622,000 barrel-per-day Keystone line ships heavy Canadian crude from Alberta to refiners in the U.S. Midwest and the Gulf Coast. Prices for sour crude grades in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico were strengthening on Monday, as the shutdown means more demand for heavier Gulf barrels. TC Energy said on Sunday that it has more than 250 people working on the leak, including third-party environmental specialists. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and pipeline regulator the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) are also on the scene.

☆ Canada's TC Energy has shut the Keystone pipeline after one of the largest onshore spills saw 14,000 barrels leak into a Kansas creek
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

TC Energy has shut the Keystone pipeline which ships crude from Alberta to the US. It halted operations after 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas. The affected segment of the Keystone pipeline system "has been isolated" and remains shut, the company said. It has ordered TC Energy to keep the pipeline shut until it authorizes a restart. TC Energy did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

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